Broomfield's Unhoused Have Three Safe Parking Lots, Case Management Support

Broomfield Community Foundation helps fill funding gap. Pictured from left to right are Kathy Escobar, The Refuge Program Director; Linda Barringer, CSPI Program Director; Marty Dormish, Broomfield Community Housing Advocate; Lisa Herman, BCF Board President; Dion West, BCF Executive Director; Claire Hofferber, BCF Secretary; Terrell Curtis, CSPI Executive Director; Debbie Ytterberg, BCF Board Member; and Tiffany Stockard, BCF Office Manager.

By Hannah Cohen · Published May 31, 2024

The Broomfield Community Foundation is giving $20,000 to the Colorado Safe Parking Initiative nonprofit group, which runs parking lots around the Denver metro area for people to legally stay in their vehicles overnight, including three Broomfield church parking lots whose addresses were not disclosed for safety reasons.

The money is planned to go to a Broomfield case manager to make sure that that person can stay on through the rest of 2024. The group’s case managers help people who use the parking sites to find resources and to navigate the bureaucracy around those resources.

“Housing is a top priority, and we want to make sure that we’re contributing to organizations that are also supporting housing efforts in Broomfield,” said Lisa Herman, the Broomfield Community Foundation board president.

All parking sites have a bathroom – often a portable toilet. The group partners with site hosts at each parking site – a person who vets everyone who parks. Interested participants register for a permitted spot and are required to have car insurance, a valid driver’s license and a working and registered vehicle. The group’s executive director Terrell Curtis noted that part of what makes a parking lot “safe” is the community the parkers create.

“(The lots) are typically 10 to 15 cars. The people there get to know one another and create their own internal community and keep an eye on things,” Curtis said.

After two years of funding, Denver government officials cut the city’s contract with the group by $400,000, according to Denver Housing spokesman Derek Woodbury. He said there were challenges with spending and reporting during the contract period.

Update: CSPI is no longer providing access to SafeLots. If you need a safe, quiet place to rest and sleep in your vehicle, please use these contact methods based on your location:
North Jefferson County & Broomfield: Complete this form or call 720-221-8354
Denver: safeparking@rethinkbaptist.org
Adams County: safeparking@c3gov.com

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