BELLEVUE, Wash. — The City of Bellevue's Safe Parking program will open in the spring, providing resources to people living in their vehicles. The site is at the Lincoln Center in the 500 block of 116th Avenue Northeast.
Bellevue had the funding and available space for a while, but struggled to find an experienced organization to run the program. After a search that lasted about a year, the city announced on Monday that a Redmond-based nonprofit, 4 Tomorrow, will operate the pilot program.
"I get calls every day from people looking for safe parking,” said Karina O'Malley, who is part of a team providing that safe space at Lake Washington United Methodist Church.
"Folks in my family, in my neighborhood, in my community have become homeless and just needed that safe place to be,” said O'Malley.
They receive more calls than they can handle at their lot in Kirkland. She said she is grateful to know there will soon be more space on King County’s eastside.
"This is certainly the first time the city of Bellevue has done this,” said Nico Quijano, the City of Bellevue’s Homelessness Outreach manager.
The plan is for people to stay no longer than six months.
"Every person that we work with, that's the conditions under which they'll be enrolling in the program. We will be letting them know there's opportunity and hope for them to get into, into long term stable housing,” said Quijano. "At last city count, we counted 54 people living in their vehicles in the city of Bellevue, and that was the amount that I was able to count and coordinate amongst city staff."
But O'Malley said that count is "absolutely an underestimate."
"I met over 200 people last year just in 2023 who were living in their cars," said O’Malley.
In Bellevue, there will be fencing around the Safe Parking program lot. The site will be staffed, and there will be a day center with a kitchen and bathrooms. Up to 20 vehicles will be allowed on the lot at a time.
"I know It is 20 spots to begin with and I know 20 people who are looking for a spot,” said O’Malley.