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OCEANSIDE, Calif. (KGTV) – A parking lot off of Oceanside boulevard where the north county LGBTQ resource was business as usual on Tuesday afternoon.

But, come Tuesday night, it’s going to look different with the grand opening of Oceanside new safe parking lot for the homeless.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Tax season has once again returned and most taxpayers have only a little bit of time left to file for the income they earned in 2024.

While the process may be straightforward for some, others may need a little help to complete their filings — and there are plenty of resources folks here in San Diego can take advantage of to make sure their tax return gets in on time.

Dreams for Change lots expand to five in county

The first clients to use a new safe parking lot for homeless people were expected to roll into Oceanside on Friday night, while across the county, construction crews have begun making improvements to another lot just outside El Cajon.

The new lot in Oceanside marks the fifth one managed by Dreams for Change, which also has safe parking lots on county land near Spring Valley and El Cajon, and in San Diego on Imperial Avenue and the intersection of 28th Street and State Route 94.

The Oceanside City Council approved a one-year, $229,400 contract with the nonprofit in December. The program will be in a small Apple Street mall owned by the North County LGBTQ Resource Center, which in September moved into the former site of Bread of Life, a homeless service provider that operated a winter shelter, thrift store and pantry for several years on the property.

Max Disposti, executive director of the resource center, contracted with the city for about $59,000 to provide parking spaces and services to Dreams for Change clients, who will be allowed on the property after 7 p.m. each night. He said he expected just a few people to show up Friday, with the program growing over time.

“Basically, we’re going for a test drive,” he said about the first night.

The lot has room for 25 to 30 cars, and Disposti said all clients will have to leave by 7 a.m. to make room for resource center staff and clients during the day. Seven parking spaces will be reserved at night for a music studio also in the mall, he said.

There will be no signs of the safe parking lot during the day because Dreams for Change clients will use the resource center’s restrooms and dining hall, so no portable toilets or other temporary structures will be needed on the property. Disposti said his contract with the city also includes cleaning the site and providing case management, while the Dreams for Change contract includes two of their staff members to be on site.

The lot is Oceanside’s latest effort to address its homeless population. The city opened a 50-bed shelter in 2023 at the former alternative Ocean Shores High School on Oceanside Boulevard just east of El Camino Real and previously operated a hotel voucher program to temporarily move people out of encampments.

In other North County cities, a 25-spot safe parking lot operated by Jewish Family Service in neighboring Vista opened in 2023, and Encinitas has had a safe parking lot operated by the same nonprofit since 2020.

The Oceanside lot will accept only people who have been referred through the Oceanside Housing Authority, the Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team and the resource center. People will be allowed to stay as long as they adhere to the program’s rules and guidelines and demonstrate a commitment to their individualized case plans to attain permanent housing, according to a report that went before the City Council in December.

At another Dreams for Change site, a 17-space safe parking lot that opened in 2022 on Magnolia Avenue near El Cajon closed in August for remodeling.

Dreams for Change CEO Teresa Smith said clients who had been using the site relocated to a 27-space, county-owned site on Bancroft Avenue in Spring Valley. Clients will move back to Magnolia Avenue when work is complete, which is expected to be in early summer, she said.

Crews on earth-moving equipment were at the site this week and are preparing the property to be re-paved. When clients return, they will find portable toilets replaced with a restroom and running water, a pallet structure with a kitchenette, office space for staff members, electricity and a dog run.

In the fall of 2024, the City of San Diego expanded its Safe Sleeping Program, which provides safe, legal, city-approved tent encampments and supportive services for people facing homelessness. 

The low-barrier option provides a safe shelter tent, electronic charging stations, housing navigation, meals, health care, transportation, veterinary care, and other supportive services at two city properties in San Diego. 

Each tent can shelter up to two individuals, allowing folks to stay with a partner or caretaker while they access services.

The program was first implemented in the summer of 2023 to address unsheltered homelessness and unsafe street encampments, with 500 tents. 

In 2024, Mayor Todd Gloria added 250 more tents to the program to help offset a shortage of shelter beds in San Diego.

“Safe Sleeping is a first-of-its-kind program that provides an opportunity for people who previously hadn’t accepted city services to take a crucial first step toward ending their homelessness,” Mayor Gloria said in a statement. 

“Cities across the country are taking note of this innovative way to remove unsanitary encampments and get unsheltered people into care.” 

Of course, while the tents provide life-saving emergency shelter, they are not a long-term solution to homelessness. 

Mayor Garcia said his administration will “continue to get people off the streets and on the path to housing,” with the Safe Sleeping Program as part of a larger Comprehensive Shelter Strategy created by the city. 

With two homeless shelters closing in the area at the end of 2024, the 750 tents in the Safe Sleeping rotation are paramount to keeping people safe and sheltered in times of crisis.

“Housing placements are the ultimate goal, but that can take time and there needs to be safe and secure options for people to work to end one’s experience of homelessness,” said Sarah Jarman, director of the city’s Homelessness Strategies and Solutions Department. 

“With this Safe Sleeping expansion, we’re able to quickly add much-needed sheltering options while planning is underway for additional programs.” 

Since the inception of the program, at least 82 people have moved from the city’s two campsites into permanent homes, according to Voice of San Diego. That’s about 10% of the people who have utilized the Safe Sleeping Program.

The Safe Sleeping locations are located on the outskirts of Balboa Park and are managed by the nonprofit Dreams for Change. The organization aims to use this initiative to help lower the barrier to entry for unhoused community members who may be hesitant to seek support. 

“The biggest joy next to a client obtaining their own place is the client who we have been told has been shelter and service resistant for many years asks us to help them take that first step,” Dreams for Change CEO Teresa Smith told Voice of San Diego, “be it detox and rehab, healthcare or simply willing to explore what it will take to move forward.”

For residents of the Safe Sleeping locations, staying in encampments has often already become a norm. But receiving tent-side services, and not worrying about camping laws or harassment has made all the difference.

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“It was safer being in the Safe Sleeping, because I didn’t have to worry about people coming after me with a knife and gun,” resident Karen Sengstock said in a video for the nonprofit. “It helped me a lot.”

One resident, Seth Eastep, was living outside of a public library prior to moving to a Safe Sleeping location. Now, he works for Dreams for Change as a member of the onsite security team.

“People look up to me,” Eastep said in a video. “With Dreams for Change, I’m feeling that happiness back in my life. That’s driving me more towards where I gotta be.”

Smith said this kind of transformation is vital to the dignity and agency of those seeking help.

“It really helps them empower their lives,” she said. “Knowing that this is your life and we’re here to help, versus you’re in our space and you need to do what we need you to do.”

SAN DIEGO — Community organizations join California State Senator Steve Padilla in free tax preparation for people who earned less than $67,000 last year.

While the process may be straightforward for some, others may need a little help to complete their filings — and there are plenty of resources folks here in San Diego can take advantage of to make sure their tax return gets in on time.

Sweeping changes in the federal government right now have many U.S. taxpayers concerned with questions about the security of completing their 2024 returns. Some marginalized communities in the South County are especially vulnerable.

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A last-minute move by a federal judge halted a funding freeze ordered by the Trump administration, creating mass confusion across the country.

Organizations that receive federal aid are now scrambling to get clarification, while others are raising questions about the powers of the president.

“My initial reaction in all honesty was a lot of fear,” said Teresa Smith.

It’s an uncertain road ahead for Smith, the founder and CEO of Dreams for Change, a local nonprofit that helps provide safe sleeping and safe parking sites for the unhoused community.

During this time of year, the nonprofit relies heavily on federal funding to offer free tax help to those who qulalify through the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), which has been around for more than 50 years.

Without that money, though, Smith said her tax program would almost cease to exist.

“So I’m running, through my mind, the scenarios,” Smith said. “Do we close our sites this week, not knowing if we’re going to have money to reimburse all our cost?”

Across all county partners, Smith said her network helped file more than 23,000 tax returns last year. In most cases, she said people used the refunds to pay for rent, which indirectly addresses the issue of homelessness.

“If we start taking away these different little aspects that are preventing, such as this tax program, I don’t see how we can ever get out of these types of situations,” Smith said.

Hers is not the only one at risk. Any program that benefits from federal assistance, like disaster relief, affordable housing and more, could lose that funding — about $3 trillion worth nationally.

Thad Kousser, a professor of political science at UC San Diego, said, “The freeze is really broadly applied so the Trump administration can, what they’re saying is, look for certain areas that don’t fit with their ideological viewpoint, and it’s especially focused on DEI.”

Kousser said Trump has made it a point early in his second term to test the traditional checks and balances of American government. This specific move, he said, seems to violate the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 which essentially says any spending by Congress cannot be overridden by the president.

El sitio en Apple Street tiene espacio para 25 a 30 vehículos, con servicios para los participantes

Oceanside aprobó el miércoles un contrato de un año por 229,368 dólares con la organización sin fines de lucro Dreams for Change para operar el primer estacionamiento seguro de la ciudad para personas sin hogar, que comenzará en febrero.

NBC 7’s Omari Fleming reports on concerns over who will be allowed to stay at the lot that has opened up at a Spring Valley church.

“The biggest joy next to a client obtaining their own place is the client who we have been told has been shelter and service resistant for many years asks us to help them take that first step, be it detox and rehab, healthcare or simply willing to explore what it will take to move forward,” Smith said.

“San Diego gets it,” Senate Republican Leader Brian Jones said during a recent press conference. “They are having great success so far with their ordinance, and we hope we can take that success across the state.”