SLO County’s Safe Parking Site gets another extension — and $60,000 for remaining residents

Residents at San Luis Obispo County’s Oklahoma Avenue Safe Parking site are getting another extension for one more week — and a cache of money to help them find housing after it closes.

But after that, all bets are off.

Just a few days removed from a California district judge’s ruling that effectively set a hard closure date for April 29 at 3 p.m., an agreement between San Luis Obispo County’s legal counsel and the local chapter of the California Homeless Union opened the door for the site to remain open through May 6 at 5 p.m., homeless union lawyer Anthony Prince said at a Monday press conference.

The weeklong extension comes with a notable bonus for the residents, too, $60,000 that the union can use to ensure remaining site residents don’t go homeless during the official closure, county homeless services division communications manager Suzie Freeman told The Tribune.

In a statement, the county said it entered a settlement with the homeless union to put the closure on hold and provide funds for temporary lodging or assistance relocating.

“Today would have been the day at 3 p.m. that the county was planning to kick everyone out and either tow the trailers out or put the trailers in storage, but we managed to get a one-week extension,” Prince said during the press conference. “Not only that, but we forced the county to come up with some funds.”

With the extension in place, the site will continue to function as usual for the next week, providing the handful of remaining residents with services including restrooms, showers, trash cleanup, fencing, site security and food deliveries.

The one-week extension is the latest in a series of delays in the site closure process, which the county homeless services division originally announced in February 2023.

Where do Oklahoma Avenue residents go from here?

Prince said though the union and county worked together to set the extended date, the union fully intends to continue legal action against the county through appeals.

“While we’re disappointed that the judge did not give us the injunction that we sought, we believe with all due respect the judge made an error,” Prince said.

The county has been engaged in litigation with the San Luis Obispo County chapter of the California Homeless Union since January, when the union sought a temporary restraining order and later a preliminary injunction that would halt the closure amid litigation over whether the county violated residents’ First, Eighth and 14th Amendment rights.

The union also intends to add additional defendants to its lawsuit, such as county homeless program manager and former site manager Jeff Al-Mashat, who Prince said violated residents’ 14th Amendment rights by kicking out residents without “due process.”

According to the statement, the county “remains confident that the judicial system will continue to recognize the diligent and compassionate work done by the County’s employees and its nonprofit partners.”

More claims may be added to the lawsuit, Prince said, such as fraud, elder abuse and a false claims act.

Prince said the union was “concerned” that individuals or organizations such as nonprofits and tow truck companies are “profiting from the oppression” of homeless individuals or people who live in vehicles, questioning the way the county and local municipalities use funds to pay for their removal.

He said a grand jury investigation similar to the one carried out on the site last year would be a good way to bring transparency and accountability to the homeless management systems of the county.

“We are not intimidated. We’re gonna continue this fight,” Prince said. “Obviously, we’re disappointed the court denied our motion for a preliminary injunction. However, we have stopped the (county) dead in its tracks for almost six months.”