Trinity United Methodist Church, with help from local organizations, will soon kick off its Safe Parking Program, an initiative to provide those living in their vehicles a secure place to sleep at night.
The program will get underway sometime during the month of August, according to Joe Cress, a member of Trinity UMC who heads the steering committee. The city announced that it would start Aug. 1, but a staffing technicality has led to a short delay, he said. Nevertheless, the program is expected to get underway sometime in August.
“Right now, there is no safe parking place anywhere in Sequim (for the homeless),” Cress said. “(Those living in their vehicle) unfortunately spend a lot of their day trying to figure out where they can sleep at night and not get hassled.”
Three parking spaces will be available for use by clients referred by Peninsula Behavioral Health, Serenity House, REdisCOVERY/Olympic Peninsula Community Clinic and Olympic Community Programs (OlyCAP). Good Man Sanitation will provide a Sanican and a portable washing station. Although no showers will be available, guests will be able to wash their face and hands.
There will be a shed on site containing items such as blankets, fire extinguishers, Narcan (an over-the-counter medication that treats opioid overdose), first aid supplies, and tools for jump-starting vehicles.
Eventually, there will be five parking spaces designated for the program, but first, the church must pave an area adjacent to the church property – work that will likely be completed sometime in the fall, Cress said.
The church, located at 100 N. Blake Ave., has contracted with OlyCAP for staffing the Safe Parking Program. Each day, a volunteer host and an OlyCAP staffer will be on site from 5-6 p.m. to greet guests and determine any needs, and again from 7-8 a.m. Guests are to depart by 8 a.m.
According to Cress, an OlyCAP staffer will be on call during the night and can be on site within 10 minutes.
The Sequim Police Department has agreed to monitor the location during nightly rounds, Cress said, and there are security cameras and motion sensor lights. Cress said that since guests will have been referred by local agencies and under case management, they can be trusted to look out for another.
Clients can participate in the Safe Parking Program for three months, but another three months can be added if needed.
“One of the requirements is that they be involved with case management” at one of the referral agencies, Cress said.
Call to action
Trinity UMC has been working toward bringing the concept to fruition for about 18 months, ever since the bishop of the Northwest Conference of the Methodist Church challenged each congregation to come up with a “Samaritan response” to the homelessness crisis.
“We chose to pursue safe parking,” Cress said. “Some congregations have done that, and more. This (is) our first step… We would like eventually to be able to offer an evening meal, but that’s down the road. We just need to get this up and running and then we can expand to other services.”
Cress said that the church has had “a lot of support,” including from the police department and all three county commissioners. One or more commissioners were present for every planning meeting, he noted. Trinity UMC and the City of Sequim held a public meeting in April to provide the community with details about the Safe Parking Program.
“The county is hoping that our program can be a template or a model for other faith-based organizations to provide safe parking in other parts of the county,” Cress said.
Volunteers are needed and do not have to be members of Trinity UMC. Anyone interested in helping can contact Cress via email at church@sequimTUMC.org or by calling the church at 360-683-5367.
