Description
This thesis explores the perceptions of homelessness and the safe parking program in Encinitas, California. This study serves as the first attempt to assess public attitudes about a safe parking program. This study sought to answer the following research questions: What factors, if any, shape how an individual views homelessness and the safe parking program? Do those who oppose the safe parking program display NIMBY characteristics? Do external factors influence how an individual views homelessness or the safe parking program? If so, what are these factors? A mixed-method approach utilized seventy-one online surveys and ten phone interviews. The majority of survey participants were female, older, White, had higher levels of education, supported the safe parking program, and viewed mental illness and addiction as the most common causes of homelessness. The phone interviews uncovered themes of the impact of careers or volunteering on perceptions, connections to structural issues as the cause of homelessness, distrust in the program administrators and city government, and concerns about the spread of misinformation about the safe parking program. Overall, some opponents displayed NIMBY characteristics, but many did not. The findings from this study can be utilized in multiple capacities. Policy makers should work towards understanding the concerns of their community members rather than viewing them as an opposing NIMBY group. Policy makers should also consider holding informal meetings or focus groups with community members to allow for more robust and less aggressive conversation. with diverse voices including housed residents, homelessness advocates, and people experiencing homelessness. Increasing exposure to allow for personal statements from people experiencing homelessness may increase trust with the community and opportunities for the stereotypical social construction of homelessness to be challenged.
