SAN DIEGO — Amanda Fernandez says her broken marriage led her to living inside her car with her 2-year-old son, Jase. Fernandez is a single mother that never thought she would be in this situation. She is thankful a local program keeps her and her son safe.
"It got to a point that was too much," said Fernandez. "I never considered myself living in my car. I call it 'sleeping in my car' or 'car camping' because when you take the sense on living in your car, that’s where you're life is."
She has to keep most of their belongings inside the trunk.
"Jase is happy. He can chill in the car. He has space in the back. We make it work. I don’t look at the downside. I don’t stay stuck on that. This is a means to an end," said Fernandez.
She enrolled in the Safe Parking state-funded program of the non-profit, Dreams for Change.
Safe Parking provides a secure parking area for individuals and families to park until they get back on their feet or find permanent housing. They also provide access to a variety of resources.
Teresa Smith is the founder.
"We saw a drastic increase in calls mainly due to the high cost of living," said Smith.
Smith says due to the recent increase in homelessness in San Diego, the Safe Parking program currently has more than 80 people on the waiting list and just a few months ago, 100 people were on the wait list.
Before the pandemic, there were only 10-20 people on the wait list.
"As soon as we move someone out, two more people come on wait list," said Smith.
Their two locations that are at 5605 Imperial Ave and 28th Street and Highway 94 are full; one with 35 vehicles and the other with 30.
They are currently looking to expand in the south region.
The recent cold and windy conditions haven't helped either. Smith says people temporarily living in their cars can't keep it running all night due to fears of carbon monoxide and wasting gas.
"It can be depressing to see families and children here, but we get them the resources they need and on the right path which is redeeming," said Smith.
"They have everything here: a refrigerator, a bathroom, a shower and the rest you can find out there. What more could you need?," said Fernandez.
Meanwhile, Fernandez focuses on keeping a positive mindset and has future plans of finding housing and becoming a life coach for women.
"I'm goal oriented and solution based. I call myself a solutionist! Be kind to other people. You never know what anyone is going through. Judgement doesn’t help anybody. You'll never know if you're in this situation," said Fernandez.
Smith plans to share her story of how Safe Parking came about and the impacts of it in a TedX San Diego talk at The Conrad in La Jolla in June.
You can buy tickets here.
WATCH RELATED: Homeless living in RVs have just 1 safe parking lot option in San Diego County (Dec. 2022).
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET CBS 8:
ADD THE CBS8+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE Roku | Amazon Fire