Economy

Can Parking Lots Become a Safe Haven for L.A.'s Homeless?

The city is considering an initiative that will open up empty lots to those who sleep in their vehicles.
Nathan Allen, 65, poses for a portrait in front of the motorhome where he sleeps in an encampment near LAX airport in Los Angeles.Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

At night, many of Los Angeles’s parking lots sit empty, while the estimated 9,500 homeless people who live out of their vehicles rove city streets looking for a place where they can legally park and get some sleep.

What they generally find, however, are various restrictions on overnight parking or on oversized vehicles.