Port Townsend church proposes launch of safe-parking program for the homeless

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For folks who call their vehicle home, there’s not a lot of hassle-free areas to sleep. Walmart parking lots are famous for allowing people to stay overnight, but that’s a bit of a trek for anyone who lives around Port Townsend, where the closest branch is a 34-mile round trip. 

Additionally, it’s probably a safe bet that sleeping in a car comes with its own set of challenges, regardless of location: privacy, safety, permissions, toilets, running water. Compounded with the scarcity of housing — affordable or not — vehicle dwellers are faced with many challenges that would detract from a good night’s sleep.

New Life Church on Hastings Avenue wants to change that.

“We all need a hand sometimes to reach up and grab ahold of,” said Executive Pastor Melannie Jackson.

Jackson and Senior Pastor Bill Wolfe are hoping to participate in a relatively new model of assistance called a safe-parking program, catered to unsheltered people living in their vehicles. 

“At this point we are just past the board level to go forward with the ministry,” Wolfe said.

It’s perfectly legal for a church like New Life to host safe parking in Washington, and state law sets out how religious organizations can host the homeless.  

While New Life is just getting started with implementing a small-scale plan to provide safe nightly parking, there are already some state safe-parking success stories. 

Wolfe and Jackson said they intend to visit Lake Washington United Methodist Church, the site of a successful safe-parking program.  

Like the Methodist church, safe parking at New Life will cater to a specific demographic, such as the elderly, families, or women. And Overlake Christian Church in Redmond started its safe-parking program for young male college graduates who found themselves unable to find work. 

“We don’t want to recreate the wheel,” Jackson said. 

They’d rather learn from churches that have paved the way, Jackson added, by starting small, with up to five vehicles, in order to give individualized attention and “provide as much assistance” as possible. We want to “love on that group,” whomever they are, she added. 

An informal safe-parking meeting was held Monday, and church officials met with multiple members of Housing Solutions Network and several other interested parties. 

“We all have fear here; we’re looking at a crisis,” Wolfe said at the meeting. 

New Life will be collaborating with other organizations — most yet to be determined — to help the safe-parking program run smoothly. There will be an application process, mandatory referrals, and a background check. Guests would arrive at a set evening time, and be on their way by a set time the following morning. 

According to a handout provided by New Life, safe parking “will be selective and guests will be subject to a code of conduct.” 

Goodman Sanitation has offered to provide portable toilets and hand-washing stations free of charge.

A public meeting on the proposal is planned for
6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26 at the church, located at 1636 Hastingss Ave. 

While the team is “not going to be able to answer specific questions because … [they are] still in the development stages,” Wolfe said, she noted the group has emphasized numerous times the importance of community input in the proposal. 

Wolfe said church members had delivered informative handouts to all the neighbors surrounding the 5.5-acre church property.

“This is a way we can begin,” Wolfe said. 

“We do actually want our neighbors to be heard,” Jackson agreed.

“I don’t feel like we’re on the defense at all,” Jackson added. “Part of our mission, our DNA, is helping hurting people.” 

Examples of that abound. New Life already has a food-distribution program and delivery service. And a couple in an RV has been living on church property for four months, ultimately providing the impetus to pursue safe-parking status. 

“It’s been a real blessing,” Jackson said.