RV encampment grows outside LA Housing Authority building despite nearby 'Safe Parking'

GARDENA, Calif. - A growing RV encampment has taken shape just outside a Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles administrative building in Gardena, where more than a dozen RVs, cars and buses are being used as makeshift homes.

What we know:

FOX 11 found people living along Hamilton Avenue, an industrial street lined with "No Parking" signs and notices referencing Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 41.18, an ordinance intended to prohibit camping in certain areas.

"41.18 is not being enforced. And right here is the Housing Authority, so why are these RVs out here?" said Cameron Flanagan, a homeless advocate and clinical therapist.

Some of the people living there said they have remained on the street for months.

"This spot? Three months," one person living in a camper told FOX 11.

Others said they have been there even longer.

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"This time? A year," said a woman living in an RV.

When asked whether anyone from the city or county had checked on her while living there, she responded: "Not this time."

Just on the other side of a fence from the encampment is a city-supported overnight safe parking program operated through the Watts Labor Community Action Committee in partnership with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, or LAHSA.

"It’s a tale of two realities," FOX 11 reporter Matthew Seedorff said during a standup in front of the property. "On this side of the fence—people living in RVs on the street. But right over here—25 parking spaces open up every night for people to legally park and sleep."

Big picture view:

The Watts Labor Community Action Committee uses 25 parking spaces through the program for registered guests to safely park overnight. Each space costs about $40 per night, totaling roughly $365,000 annually.

"Here, they’re able to come in, they’re able to get dinner, case management services. They have a bathroom, and they have security," said Shannon Murray, general manager of homeless and housing services at the Watts Labor Community Action Committee.

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According to Murray, the safe parking spots are unrelated to the people camping outside the gates.  

When asked about people living just outside the gates who are not part of the program, Murray said outreach has been offered.

"We talk to them many times," Murray said. "They definitely have the opportunity to come out. There are times they might come in and use the restroom or something like that, but they have chosen to stay outside."

What they're saying:

The Los Angeles County Department of Homeless Services and Housing said it is aware of the location and is coordinating with outreach teams and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

"We are actively coordinating with outreach teams and the LA County Department of Public Works to connect the individuals residing there with resources and support," the department said in a statement. "This address is also the location of an overnight safe parking program. We have worked with LAHSA and the safe parking provider to support people exiting the lots with outreach when needed in the past."

The other side:

HACLA defended the safe parking program and said it provides stability and access to services for people living in vehicles.

"For someone living in a car, Safe Parking Program offers immediate safety without the trauma of losing their vehicle, which for many is their primary asset and sense of stability," HACLA said in a statement.

The agency said it allows use of its parking lot after hours to provide a monitored place for overnight parking with access to restrooms, sanitation services and case managers.

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HACLA also noted that city regulations allow RVs to park legally in the industrial zone and said outreach workers regularly engage people staying nearby.

Still, critics say the growing encampment outside the building highlights broader failures in the region’s homeless response system.

"It says we have a broken system," Flanagan said. "They’re just like, ‘That’s my shift, I did what I could do,’ and that’s it, and they go home."

What's next:

County officials told FOX 11 they are aware of this issue and will be sending outreach teams.