ENCINITAS — Blindsided by Jewish Family Service’s warning that it would likely end the city’s Safe Parking Program without a full year of funding, city officials nonetheless approved a six-month extension on Nov. 19 by agreeing to split the $305,000 cost with the nonprofit while exploring longer-term options.
The Encinitas City Council’s unanimous vote followed a previous six-month extension in June to keep the program — which provides overnight parking spaces for unhoused individuals living in their vehicles — running through the end of this year.
JFS will ultimately decide whether to move forward with the city’s proposed deal.
City staff had already been coordinating with JFS on ways to extend the program when the nonprofit informed them that unstable grant funding from the Regional Task Force on Homelessness and other sources meant the program would likely end unless the city committed to a full year of support.
Staff then requested a full-year budget totaling about $610,000, with nearly half going toward personnel.
The amount is comparable to the Safe Parking Program in Vista, also operated by JFS, which offers 25 spaces for about $600,000 annually. Vista contributed $20,000 from its general fund and relied on Encampment Resolution Funding, or ERF, a grant through the state Department of Housing and Community Development, to cover the rest.
Encinitas had applied for the same ERF grant in 2024, but unknown members of former city management withdrew the application without the City Council’s knowledge shortly after the 2024 election. Several former high-ranking city officials have publicly denied involvement in withdrawing the grant application, including then-mayor Tony Kranz.
The Safe Parking Program in Encinitas has operated since 2020 without requiring city funding. Since its inception, it has served approximately 306 unduplicated individuals, including 78 Encinitas residents, or about 25%.
The program currently offers 25 overnight spaces from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. at the Encinitas Community and Senior Center. However, JFS recently reduced the number of filled spots to 15-18 due to the anticipated end of the program. The nonprofit also noted staffing shortages and said it would need to hire more employees to continue operations for another year.
City staff asked JFS to identify potential budget reductions, but the nonprofit said cuts were not possible “to maintain the program’s integrity.” Listed in the costs was $1,500 for a laptop computer, $4,200 for monthly cell phone plans and Verizon WiFi for staff and participants, $18,000 for restroom rentals and services (three times weekly), $24,000 for a Stallion Security system ($2,000/month), and $149,468 for on-site security ($31.50/hour, 91.25 hours, 52 weeks).
“Any reduction in security hours or staffing levels at Encinitas without a compensating investment in physical security infrastructure would be unsafe and short-sighted,” the nonprofit’s proposal reads.
Staff then proposed a six-month city-funded bridge while identifying alternative funding sources, but JFS declined, saying it needed a full year of support to continue the program.
The City Council’s decision to split the cost for six months raises questions about whether JFS will follow through with the plan, given its earlier rejection of a similar proposal from staff.
“We cannot run a program with integrity and compassion for six months,” Kaley Levitt, vice president of government affairs at JFS, told the council.
Several council members expressed frustration over the sudden notice that the program would end without city funding.
“It’s an extremely sad scenario that we come in here in June and we do extend the program at that time, and I’m assuming JFS knew this was happening, and then our staff reach out to you as you’re dwindling and offer half a year, then we get a kickback saying only a whole year,” Councilmember Luke Shaffer said. “That’s kind of highway robbery when we were expected to pay zero, and now you’re expecting ($610,000), and when we say we can pay half, we get, ‘Eh, it doesn’t go well for us.’ It’s sad that you’re putting it on us.”
Shaffer accused JFS of not upholding its “end of the deal.” He also compared the cost per stay at the Safe Parking lot with the cost of stays at the local Days Inn, arguing that the hotel could offer a better alternative when paired with newly approved services from the San Diego Rescue Mission.
Last week, the City Council approved a contract with the Rescue Mission to provide street outreach and housing navigation services for unhoused individuals, partially funded through opioid settlement dollars. Encinitas is set to receive approximately $1.3 million in settlement funds over 13 years, with about $217,000 available this year.
Shaffer also suggested the city could take over the program or find another operator.
“They’ve failed us and negotiated themselves out of the deal by basically pinning it on us,” he said.
Levitt reiterated that JFS cannot hire staff for a short-term, six-month extension.
Mayor Bruce Ehlers said he was alarmed to learn JFS had already begun turning people away and was also surprised by the funding request.
“I was very surprised to hear that JFS staff was already turning away people in their anticipation that the program would end, and they weren’t hiring replacement staff through this predetermined conclusion, even though they had agreed in principle that a year extension was acceptable,” Ehlers told The Coast News. “I thought it was wrong and unacceptable.”
Ehlers, who proposed splitting the cost for six months, said the city remains committed to finding a longer-term solution, including exploring whether another provider could take over the program.
“I thought I made a fair proposition. It was a reasonable amount of money from us,” he said. “Ultimately, if we continue it, I think I see us going to a different provider that is more integrated with San Diego Rescue Mission. Whether it’s them or not, I want to make sure we get the right data.”
Now, JFS must decide whether it will accept the city’s offer.
Ehlers added that he would have supported fully funding the program for “multiple years” had the city’s ERF application not been withdrawn.
“I would like to avoid ascribing ulterior motives, but it’s hard not to see anything but someone was trying to torpedo the Safe Parking Program and leave the appearance that it was this council that was saying ‘No,’” he said.
Several members of the public spoke in support of the program.
“It adds to our menu of helpful options, and JFS invests in people across the spectrum of services that promotes human healing,” Encinitas resident Beth Whittaker said. “Safe parking isn’t a good fit for everyone but it’s a vital safety net and I want my tax dollars going towards funding it.”
Others argued that the city should not bear the cost and suggested creating its own program.
“(JFS) is a huge operation, and yes they have done a good job, but many people here are right, we probably should have a safe parking lot on our own, and hopefully the Rescue Mission could help,” said Ellen Burr. “We don’t have the money to spend on this.”
1 comment
If I was JPS I would move on from the City – you can’t effectively run a project if you must go back every six months and beg for funding . . . The City failed us.