Santa Rosa approves up to $1 million for 2026-27 safe-parking program
Santa Rosa City Council has approved funding and an operating agreement for the city’s Safe Parking Program for the fiscal year beginning July 1, committing up to $1 million to continue the program through June 30, 2027.
The council adopted the action June 16. It accepted and appropriated $979,040 in Measure O and Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention funds from Sonoma County, according to the city’s council record.
The approval also authorizes an operating agreement with Catholic Charities of Northwest California. The agreement may not exceed $1 million, a total that includes $20,960 in local homeless-services funding that had already been budgeted.
Funding covers the next program year
The action is final council approval, not a proposal. It sets the funding and operating framework for the Safe Parking Program from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
Santa Rosa’s Safe Parking Program provides organized parking and services for people living in vehicles. The council’s decision means the program has authorized funding and an identified operating partner for the coming fiscal year.
The $979,040 appropriation consists of Measure O and Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention funding identified in the council action. The separate $20,960 in local money was previously budgeted for homeless services. Together, those amounts equal the agreement’s $1 million maximum.
The agreement cap is not a statement that the city will necessarily spend the full amount. It authorizes an amount not to exceed $1 million during the program period.
Catholic Charities named as operating partner
Catholic Charities of Northwest California is the organization authorized to operate the program under the city agreement. The approval links the funding decision with the operating arrangement for the year ahead.
The council record identifies the City of Santa Rosa and its Housing and Community Services Department in connection with the local program. Sonoma County is the source identified for the Measure O and Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention funds accepted by the city.
For residents, the practical consequence is that Santa Rosa has approved public funding and an operator for a program intended to provide an organized parking option and services during the next fiscal year. The action does not create permanent housing, and the council record does not state that it will eliminate vehicle homelessness.
What the record does not specify
The June 16 council record does not identify how many parking spaces will be available, how many lots will participate, or how many households the program is expected to serve in 2026-27.
It also does not list a performance target for the new program year. Those omissions mean the approved funding amount cannot by itself show the program’s future capacity or the number of people who may receive services.
The next confirmed date is July 1, when the approved program period begins. It is scheduled to run through June 30, 2027.
Sources
- Santa Rosa City Council meeting record, June 16, 2026, City of Santa Rosa
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