Parking lots are the new solution to the homelessness crisis in cities — but they're also part of the problem

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• As urban housing costs continue to soar, more homeless residents are living in cars than ever before.
• Despite local attempts to ban people from residing in their vehicles, safe parking programs are springing up in cities across the country — particularly along the West Coast. 
• While parking lots offer a temporary solution to the homeless crisis, they're also key contributors to the affordable housing shortage.

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On the West Coast, homelessness is a visible crisis: Large swathes of tents line the railroad tracks in California and streets of Seattle, with clothes and other belongings — shopping carts, bicycles, coolers — scattered nearby. It's a glaring reminder of the region's large proportion of unsheltered residents, who spend many of their days, and nights, outdoors. 

Then there are those people —  tens of thousands in California alone — who live out of their cars. For these homeless residents, nights in the city can be riddled with fear of their vehicle being impounded or their belongings vandalized.

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