After shutting down one of the city’s main homeless shelter on March 18, the city of Vancouver opened Thursday a parking lot for 40 vehicles.
The “safe parking zone” will utilize the Vancouver Mall’s parking lot, owned by Centennial Real Estate.
At the beginning of February, the city of Vancouver took over operations of a navigation center for homeless people. When coronavirus hit, city officials decided to close the shelter, saying that they couldn’t operate it while implementing the necessary hygiene and social distancing protocols without a contracted shelter operator.
The city has offered hygiene facilities, bottled water and mail pick-up in the parking lot of the navigation center for two hours a day, three days a week.
Now, people who live in vehicles can park at the mall and have access to toilets, hand-washing stations and garbage service. The site also has staff to help people camping there and 24-hour security.
The parking lot opened at 10 a.m. Thursday, and any car with two adults or less are allowed. Children are also allowed with an adult.
-- Molly Harbarger
mharbarger@oregonian.com | 503-294-5923 | @MollyHarbarger
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