An Ohio community is experimenting with new ways to support families struggling with homelessness, as the Cincinnati Public Schools last week opened the first “Safe Sleep Lot” in the nation to be run and operated by a school district.
A Safe Sleep Lot is a designated overnight parking area where people experiencing homelessness can legally and safely stay in their vehicles without the risk of being forced out of commercial lots that prohibit overnight parking. These sites provide a temporary but stable option for individuals and families as they work toward permanent housing.
Rebeka Beach, the manager of Project Connect — Cincinnati’s program serving students experiencing homelessness — said the number of homeless students has increased since the Covid pandemic.
The situation has been exacerbated by the widening gap between livable wages and affordable housing in Ohio, Beach said.
“We came up with the idea for a Safe Sleep Lot after talking with parents who were losing their jobs because they were exhausted from trying to stay awake and watch their children at night,” Beach said. “Others told us their children didn’t want to go to school because they didn’t have clean clothes.”
One of the program’s primary goals is to shorten wait times for families seeking shelter, while also offering essential items — such as shoes, clothing and backpacks — through a modular facility connected to the parking lot.
“All families staying in the lot will be verified within 24 hours for shelter placement,” Beach said. “Once verified by a street outreach worker, families will be connected to case management services. When they enter a shelter, they gain access to a full system of supports that can only be reached through the shelter pipeline.”
About 9% of students enrolled in Cincinnati Public Schools experience homelessness. That figure rises to 13% when charter school students living within the district’s attendance boundaries are included.
“This lot is a bridge,” Beach said in a press release. “It is a bridge to emergency housing, to shelter placement, and to long-term stability.”
While Cincinnati is the first school district to open a Safe Sleep Lot, similar safe parking programs are operated by cities and agencies across California. Beach and others involved in the program visited several California sites for inspiration, including Long Beach City College.
Dr. Mike Muñoz, the superintendent-president of Long Beach City College, helped launch the college’s safe parking program in 2021 after the pandemic exposed widespread housing insecurity among students.
College leaders discovered that some students were sleeping in their cars to access campus Wi-Fi so they could complete their coursework. A pre-registration survey conducted that year found that roughly 70 students were sleeping in their cars during a single semester.
“When I looked at that data, I felt really compelled,” Muñoz said. “Data is only as meaningful as what you do with it. I wanted to be bold, and I also drew from my own lived experience. I struggled with housing insecurity as a young adult.”
Muñoz stressed that the program is not a permanent solution to student homelessness, but rather an immediate step toward addressing a growing need.
“I don’t think any of us believe the goal is for students to sleep in their cars,” Muñoz said. “But I stand proudly behind the program because it acknowledges the real pain and trauma our students endure while trying to get an education.”
According to LongBeach.gov, approximately 3,595 people experienced homelessness in Long Beach last year.
The Long Beach City College parking program remains in operation and continues to serve enrolled students as it is monitored by campus security.
Cincinnati Public Schools plans to expand its Safe Sleep Lot by adding a pergola to create a shared gathering space.
“When children can sleep safely and come to school ready to learn, we are not just meeting basic needs,” Beach said in a press release. “We are changing the trajectory of their lives.”
