Safelot gives homeless with a car a chance
Heather Surovik rests easier at night, knowing she can park her car and sleep safely in a lot designated for people living in their vehicles.
Surovik is among those using Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement’s Safelot, which opened June 15 in Longmont. The lot is the only one of its kind in Boulder County, according to Joseph Zanovitch, HOPE’S executive director, and one of the first of its kind in the state. Through Safelot people have a designated place to park their cars and sleep overnight.
For Surovik, the Safelot and kindness she’s experienced from HOPE’S staff have left a lasting impression.
“I think Colorado needs more HOPES,” Surovik said. “If there were more lots, especially with COVID-19 and not all businesses in operation, leaving empty parking lots, it would help a lot of people feel secure and they could get a job and try to get their life back on track.”
HOPE provides resources and support to people facing homelessness. Zanovitch said the idea for Safelot was to provide people with a bit of security so that, like Surovik, they can focus on working toward stability.
“Living in a car is not ideal,” Zanovitch said. “This program wasn’t designed to keep people in their cars. It was simply designed for them to have a safe place to move on. The greatest joy I can ever have is when someone says ‘This is my last night and I’m moving to a home.’ It’s a temporary stepping stone to get people back on their feet, not a place for them to stay.”
The need for a safe lot developed after Zanovitch said HOPE staff learned that homeless shelters aren’t a good option for some community members, including people with pets, who aren’t alcomputer. lowed to bring their animals inside; couples who don’t want to be separated into different sleeping areas or sometimes different shelters; and people who have faced trauma and don’t feel safe in a shelter.
The eight parking spaces for the Safelot were donated by a Longmont church.
Zanovitch has asked that the location not be disclosed to protect the safety and privacy of the people who use it.
Those interested in using the parking spot must go through an application process at HOPE, 804 S. Lincoln St. The lot is open for use from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Renee Ikemire, Safelot program manager, said people using the lot appreciate it. Since its opening, Ikemire said the parking spaces have consistently been filled.
“They’ve become a little community, helping each other out and sharing resources,” Ikemire said. “They’re starting to focus on things other than food and making progress (in their lives). I have one person trying to find schooling options and another one looking for a job.”
Surovik said she’s been living with her boyfriend, who was laid off from his job because of the coronavirus pandemic, in their car for a little more than a month. At the same time, the couple was not able to continue living with friends. They tried to stay with family, but the family member’s landlord wouldn’t allow more people in the household. With nowhere else to turn, Surovik said she was grateful for the kindness and compassion she found in HOPE’S staff.
“(HOPE didn’t) just say, ‘Hey, sorry you’re having a hard time,’ ” Surovik said. “It’s like ‘Hey, you’re having a hard time. These are all the places that can help,’ instead of feeling like you’re all on your own.”
Surovik said she and her boyfriend work as delivery drivers during the day and have been able to save money for a permanent living situation, thanks to Safelot.
At the church where the space is located, people who use the lot also have access to restrooms, showers and a community area. HOPE also connects them with resources and services, such as rent and utility assistance, help securing a phone and access to a According to Longmont municipal code, a vehicle is considered abandoned if it has been parked on private or public property, like a public street, for more than 48 hours, at which point it can be removed. Longmont police Deputy Chief Jeff Satur said officers usually only respond to a person who is sleeping in their car in reference to a complaint or a concern. Satur said sometimes complaints include improper waste or trash disposal, a person who is on private property or using a park after it is closed.
To make sure nearby residents were aware of the Safelot, Zanovitch said he walked the nearby neighborhoods to explain the situation.
“We received positive feedback from that interaction and were thanked for offering the program to the community,” Zanovitch wrote in an email Thursday. “We have received no negative feedback, only positive. We are actually keeping the area safer, as we provide a presence on-site throughout the night to an area that has normally attracted those looking for a place to sleep or use the parking lot for activities unauthorized by the church.”
Zanovitch hopes to expand the lot, offering more spaces for those in need. He also wants to see it used as a model for other cities that want to provide a safe overnight parking spot. When people’s basic need are met, they can focus on goals and achievements, Zanovitch said.
“That’s exactly what’s happened with (the Safelot), they no longer have to worry about where they are going to park or if they will be woken up at 3 a.m. to move,” Zanovitch said. “They have a place to go to the bathroom, take a shower and a warm meal waiting for them every night. There’s a comfort and this is as much of a home as it can be to allow them that stability to move forward.”