Those living in their cars in Fullerton will soon have a city-sanctioned space to park their vehicles at night.

Saying it urgently needs to address the city’s growing homeless population, the Fullerton City Council on Tuesday, Oct. 1, approved, 3-2, a six-month safe parking pilot program, the first in Orange County. City Manager Ken Domer will work with the program’s operator to pick a site.

“I don’t want to have another delay,” Mayor Jesus Silva said. “I want to get it going and get started.”

Council members Jennifer Fitzgerald and Bruce Whitaker opposed the program, saying the city is already stretching its resources available for addressing homelessness and the pilot program could be more than it can manage.

“I’m concerned about Fullerton being the first city, potentially attracting people from a very wide range” of other cities in Orange County, Whitaker said.

Religious leaders last year pitched a safe parking program at St. Philip Benizi Church, but the effort stalled after neighbors resisted. But with the latest Point in Time count showing more than 300 unsheltered homeless people in the city, the majority of the council has called for Fullerton to be more proactive in addressing homelessness.

City officials estimate 30 to 50 cars in Fullerton are being used for shelter. In general, most of those living in their cars lost their homes recently, and they are looking to get back into housing quickly, Community Development Director Matt Foulkes said. “It’s not a traditional attractor of homeless encampments.”

The city will spend $75,000 to $100,000 to provide security, sanitation and maintenance for the chosen site. The money will come from funding set aside to create, preserve or improve affordable housing.

The Illumination Foundation will likely run the program – the organization has been the only one to express interest. The nonprofit provides recuperative care and other services for homeless people. Although it has never run a safe parking program, the foundation’s staff told the council there’s a lot of overlap with running a recuperative care center.

The city is expecting there will be staff on-site to help those in the program find permanent housing.

There will be no cooking or camping allowed, and those with historical ties to Fullerton will be given priority to use the lot. Domer pointed to San Clemente’s homeless camp site as an example, there a valid driver’s license, utility bill or a family member are a few ways for people to show their tie to the city.

People will also need to provide their active driver’s license, vehicle registration and insurance, officials said.

The program is one of several ways Fullerton has been trying to address its homelessness issue. The council in August signed a letter supporting Illumination Foundation’s effort to create a 150-bed shelter, and city officials successfully pushed the state to open its National Guard armory as an emergency shelter starting Oct. 15. Two homeless shelters in Buena Park and Placentia that the city is contributing to financially will open soon and provide 250 beds combined.

With all those efforts, Fitzgerald said it is time for Fullerton officials to ask U.S. District Judge David O. Carter for permission to enforce the city’s anti-camping ordinance. “We’ve continually acted in good faith to give good options for those living homeless. I want some credit that we are doing the right thing.”

Domer said he will talk with Carter.