Eileen Bidwell Advocating for a Safe Parking Program

As more and more federal money arrives into Nevada and local coffers in Reno, those seeking to help our struggling neighbors are seizing the moment to reinvigorate long held ideas never tried before locally. At the June Community Homelessness Advisory Board meeting, Eileen Bidwell, representing the One Truckee River non profit, presented the need for a local safe parking program. CHAB members seemed interested but wanted to keep the ball in her court, to keep seeing how much further she could take the idea herself. They seem preoccupied by the new Nevada Cares Campus and its safe camp, she said. “Safe and legal parking can make a huge difference in people's lives. It could make the difference between living unsheltered or living in a relatively safe and legal place to park,” Bidwell said during a recent interview. “People who have no choice but to live in their vehicles live in fear of notices and having their shelter towed away.” In this choice, she gives us an update on the whys and hows this type of program could help locally.