State legislators in California are considering a new law to combat homelessness in the state by allowing students to sleep in their cars on college campuses.
The bill, known as AB-90, was introduced in January and would establish overnight parking programs that would give students access to facilities including bathrooms.
Other requirements, according to the bill, would include designated parking areas, security monitoring and permit procedures.
The State Legislature will decide on the bill next week, which would order all 71 community college districts to propose and vote on a plan to allow safe parking.
The problem is rife at California’s public colleges and universities, with 24 percent of all students reporting homelessness in 2024.
Among students enrolled specifically at California State University Campus 11 percent reported being homeless.
Opponents have argued the change would hinder aid programs already in place for students and cause a financial burden on schools.
Elliot Stern, president of Saddleback College in Orange County, told SFGate: ‘The legislation is a half measure when we need a full measure.
‘My concern is that this might prevent us or delay us from doing something more meaningfully, for instance, building student housing. That is really what the community colleges need to do, but they haven’t had the funding.’
He said around 20 to 30 students at the college are homeless and thousands face potential loss of housing due to being behind on rent or threatened with eviction.
Supporters argue that bill could help bring about a safe space for students who abruptly find themselves without housing.
Tracy Rosenberg of Oakland Privacy, a nonprofit in favor of the change, said: ‘There’s an idea throughout the society at large that homelessness is the outcome of a long series of mistakes and errors that people have made.
‘But in many cases it’s simply that resources are extremely tight – and if one thing goes wrong, things can spiral out of control.’
Emma Johnson spoke with SFGate about her experience of homelessness after her apartment in her senior year at UC San Diego flooded.
Johnson said she was forced to leave the property due to not having renters insurance and the landlord said they needed to completely renovate the apartment.
After being consistently knocked back from other apartment applications, she resorted to moving into her car, parking up in lots around the campus.
She said: ‘I wasn’t able to get an apartment because the landlords in San Diego weren’t impressed with my rental application, which I don’t blame them for.’
After informing UCSD about her situation the school gave her a 30-day stay in emergency housing but the apartment hunt still proved fruitless.
She added: ‘If you are a new renter and don’t have rental history and you don’t have a co-signer it is virtually impossible.
‘It was basically a failed mission to apply to apartments. I was not getting accepted for anything at my price range.’
After her 30-day stay came to an end and she was still without permanent housing, she asked for an extension from the school which was knocked back.
She told the outlet that she was left with no choice but to move into her car where she remained for two months.
She had to form a new routine to do the basics like shower and brush her teeth.
She said she would drive to the campus before parking permit checks would happen, shower and get ready before moving her car a mile away and walk back.
For a place to sleep, she opted to park up in neighborhoods or well-lit parking lots near grocery stores and churches.
She added: ‘Nobody ever bothered me. But when you hear people outside of your car it is really unsettling.
‘I don’t think anyone had any intentions of hurting me, but that thought is always in the back of your head.’
Assembly member Corey Jackson spearheaded the new bill, saying earlier this year: ‘This bill confronts a harsh reality.
‘Many of our students who are sleeping in their vehicles or other displaced settings are unable to find affordable housing. And that’s jeopardizing their education.’
He argues that as legislators look for long-term solutions they must address the issue with immediate changes.
In 2023 Cal Poly Humboldt started evicting students sleeping in their cars and RVs from parking lots on the campus.
Back in 2021 Long Beach City College launched their own safe parking program, the first in the state to do so. Cuyamaca College did the same last year.
State estimates indicate that the cost of the change for each district would be between $550,000-$700,000 each year.
According to SFGate, the state Senate Appropriations Committee moved to shelve the bill last week meaning it is unlikely to be passed into law.