CA proposes bill requiring overnight parking at colleges for homeless students

In California, one state lawmaker is proposing a bill requiring community colleges to offer an

overnight parking lot for homeless students who sleep in their cars. A study conducted by the

University of California at Los Angeles' Center for the Transformation of Schools shows that 20

of community college students in the state experience homelessness. That's one in every

five community college students who have no stable home to return to when classes are dismissed

Assembly member Dr. Corey Jackson says he's advocating for community colleges to adopt an overnight parking lot program equipped with security, restrooms and lighting where students who live in their vehicles can park

It's what he calls a safe space for these students to sleep. Jackson appeared on Spectrum News' Inside the Issue show Thursday

So all people have to do is know that they're safe and that all they have to do is get their rest

Long Beach Community College was one of the first in the state to adopt a safe parking program back in 2021

allowing currently enrolled students and their emotional support animals to sleep in their cars overnight in a secure campus location

Long Beach Community College also provides access to restrooms, showers, Wi-Fi and even security

Our goal for this program is that it will serve as a pathway to housing stability for our students

These students would otherwise have to be worrying nightly about their vehicles being broken into trying not to be seen or bothered and not having the police caught on them all while keeping up with their coursework

It could be an exhausting situation that makes it more difficult to get ahead

LBCCD Board of Trustees president said in a statement when announcing the pilot program

According to a 2024 report published by the Public Policy Institute of California

the state of California has some of the lowest home ownership rates in the country

In 1990, the average rent in California was $1,300, which increased to just over $1,800 in 2023

Right now, the cost of the program is unknown. However, Jackson says this is an opportunity for students experiencing homelessness to receive immediate relief as they wrestle with the state's housing crisis

You know, what these numbers really are are guests. And what we can see is that we know it won't cost that much money

As a matter of fact, our bill makes sure that each campus gets to design their own plan based upon their resources and based upon the configuration of their campuses

At the end of the day, we are in a housing crisis and every state and government entity has to join in that fight

A similar bill was introduced last year. However, it didn't make it out of committee

This year's bill has not yet been reviewed by a committee. For Straight Air News, I'm Lauren Keenan

For more on this story, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit san.com