What do hosts provide?
Every site provides what they can. All host sites in the SVSP agree to provide a minimum of:
- Space for up to 15 cars to park overnight, 7 days a week, for 1 month of the year.
- Bathrooms for the SVSP guests during hosting
- An on-call contact person for the duration of your hosting.
What are the rules?
Each guest must sign the stated Rules & Agreements of SVSP before entering the program. Likewise, all host sites agree to these common rules. Beyond these, each site has the ability to set their own rules such as operating hours, smoking regulations, or other considerations. None of the site-specific rules can conflict with the SVSP Rules & Agreements.
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What about bathrooms?
Some hosts have bathrooms on site that they make available to guests during their hosting month. Other hosts do not have readily accessible bathrooms and choose to rent or hire bathroom trailers for the duration of their hosting. SVSP is currently seeking community partners to make this option more affordable for hosts who need it.
At this time, guests are asked to assist in keeping bathrooms clean. However, hosts agree to take on the responsibility of cleaning bathrooms.
At this time, guests are asked to assist in keeping bathrooms clean. However, hosts agree to take on the responsibility of cleaning bathrooms.
What are the hours?
Each site sets their own hours of operation according to their property availability. Common operating hours for many sites are 7pm - 7am every day.
What do you mean by hospitality?
Many of our host sites choose to provide a hospitality in a variety of ways. Here are just some examples of what others do:
Church A opens one of their meeting rooms every day for an hour before the guests leave in the morning and then again after they arrive in the evening. In this room there is a microwave, a coffee pot, and some chairs for visiting. There might even be a jigsaw puzzle on one of the tables. Volunteers staff this room and chat with guests who choose to meet them there.
Temple B has tables & chairs set up on their covered patio. On the tables are power strips for charging electronic devices and free wifi for guests who want to use it. This turns out to be especially helpful for the guests who are students and will study late into the night.
School C invites staff and parents to a potluck every Wednesday evening while sports & clubs are meeting. The guests are also invited to join them for dinner each week. In sharing a meal, all members of the community get to know one another.
No matter what form it takes, hospitality beyond just a parking space is a benefit to the host community. It encourages the building up of safe spaces and personal, empathic relationships which make our greater communities better places for everyone.
Church A opens one of their meeting rooms every day for an hour before the guests leave in the morning and then again after they arrive in the evening. In this room there is a microwave, a coffee pot, and some chairs for visiting. There might even be a jigsaw puzzle on one of the tables. Volunteers staff this room and chat with guests who choose to meet them there.
Temple B has tables & chairs set up on their covered patio. On the tables are power strips for charging electronic devices and free wifi for guests who want to use it. This turns out to be especially helpful for the guests who are students and will study late into the night.
School C invites staff and parents to a potluck every Wednesday evening while sports & clubs are meeting. The guests are also invited to join them for dinner each week. In sharing a meal, all members of the community get to know one another.
No matter what form it takes, hospitality beyond just a parking space is a benefit to the host community. It encourages the building up of safe spaces and personal, empathic relationships which make our greater communities better places for everyone.
How many volunteers does it take?
Theoretically, an organization could host the SVSP with only one volunteer, the Site Lead. However, it would probably be a lot of work. Some of the common volunteer positions for SVSP hosts are below. No site has ALL of these volunteer positions and some individuals may overlap in their roles.
- Site Lead: This person is the point of contact between the network, the Amigos de Guadalupe social worker, and the host organization. They may or may not be on-call during hosting but will be essential in setting up the program at the host organization and coordinating the logistics of hosting during the hosting month.
- Team Lead: These people are folks who agree to be on call during the month of hosting. Team Leads receive calls from guests in the case of an emergency or site need. (We use a Google Voice service and personal phone numbers are never shared)
- Hospitality Volunteer: These folks could be additional hospitality providers in the mornings, evenings, or at designated times and spaces. They could also be the people who clean bathrooms or be sure that the parking lot is hospitable.
- Meal Providers: These individuals could provide meals for the SVSP guests during their stay. This could be dropping off sack lunches in the morning before departure, or coordinating a weekly community meals for guests & church members to share.
- Outreach Volunteers: These individuals could be the inviters who distribute flyers and information to parked cars in the community, inviting houseless neighbors to apply to the SVSP program. They could also testify to the good work of SVSP in your organization.
Is it safe?
Hosting SVSP does not increase an organization’s risk of damage or theft. Other local safe car parks have been doing this longer than us and have reported an increase of security when there are watching eyes at all hours. All participants in the SVSP are screened by Amigos de Guadalupe before being admitted to the program. Some other sites have found volunteers who enjoy being present during evening hours for safety checks.
In the network we help one another prepare for hosting by thinking through needs, anxieties, and emergency plans. Even in the time of pandemic we have been able to help one another and continue serving with no major problems.
In the network we help one another prepare for hosting by thinking through needs, anxieties, and emergency plans. Even in the time of pandemic we have been able to help one another and continue serving with no major problems.
What does the city think of this?
The city of San Jose has been excited for our network to be serving the community. They have requested that each site registers their intention to help them learn how this can be done well. In that process, we have built good relationships with the Department of Housing, the Fire Department, and the Police Department.
The city of Campbell is also supportive of the work that we are doing. In their municipal organization our host sites have built relationships with the City Council, the Fire Department, and the Police Department.
Additionally, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors has taken notice of our network & partnership with Amigos de Guadalupe. They have tentatively allocated additional funding to Amigos for the support of our network and the Rotating Safe Car Park network in Saratoga.
The city of Campbell is also supportive of the work that we are doing. In their municipal organization our host sites have built relationships with the City Council, the Fire Department, and the Police Department.
Additionally, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors has taken notice of our network & partnership with Amigos de Guadalupe. They have tentatively allocated additional funding to Amigos for the support of our network and the Rotating Safe Car Park network in Saratoga.