COVINGTON – Since 2018, St. John the Baptist Parish has provided safe overnight parking for those experiencing homelessness.  

“Our parish has always had a heart for helping people on the margins,” said Andrea Mendoza, pastoral assistant for social outreach and advocacy. “It’s been cool to see how we’re able to use our property to assist folks who are experiencing homelessness but have transportation.” 

The effort, called Covington Safe Parking, is a partnership between St. John’s and Catholic Community Services/Catholic Housing Services of Western Washington. It not only allows guests a safe place to park from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., but also connects them with case management to help meet their long-term goals, which may include securing permanent housing.   

The parish has six spots designated for the program, but usually three or four spots are occupied nightly, Mendoza said. The service is used mostly by single adults and some couples; all those referred to the program are vetted by CCS/CHS, Mendoza said. 

Since the program began in 2018, 31 people have taken advantage of the safe overnight space (the average stay is six months to a year), and three people have found permanent housing, according to Gretchen Marshall, a CCS/CHS case manager. 

Parishioner Nancy Huntington is part of a team of volunteers who take weeklong shifts to check on the guests via security cameras and driving by the site a few times a week. When guests arrive they are given an orientation, sign a code of conduct, and are given the code to the portable bathroom and the number for the emergency cell phone. Other volunteers and community members provide meals or stop by for a friendly chat.  

“You really get to know each other,” Huntington said. “They love us. They worry so much about having a safe place to sleep.”  

Some people living in their cars don’t want to be in a shelter, Marshall said, but “they want to be safe and feel like they’re heard. Safety is our number one goal,” she said, adding that she also tries to help guests meet their goals, whether that is getting on a housing list, connecting with Social Security benefits or accessing health care.  

“It’s a pretty positive program,” Marshall said. “It speaks for itself.”

St. John the Baptist parishioner Nancy Huntington, who helped launch the Covington Safe Parking ministry, is part of a team of volunteers who take weeklong shifts to check on homeless guests staying in the parish parking lot. Photo: Courtesy Andrea Mendoza

Changing hearts and minds 

The idea for the ministry started more than four years ago when a speaker at Mass inspired Huntington to act.  

“I thought to myself, ‘That’s a no-brainer to have people park in our parking lot,’” she said.  

But getting the surrounding community on board turned out to be a two-year process. 

Rose Kinsella, who served as St. John’s parish administrator when the planning began in 2016, said she helped draft the procedures and reach out to form partnerships with the local school district, city council, police chief and homeowner associations. Through that experience, she learned that “it’s important to be thoughtful and respectful of people’s concerns.” 

Members of the parish community also had some concerns about the concept, Mendoza said. But when the first people to use the program were women in their 60s and 70s, parishioners began questioning their assumptions about who was experiencing homelessness in their community, she said. 

“What’s been beautiful to see is how perceptions have evolved in the years since,” Mendoza said. “Seeing a different face to homelessness has changed some hearts and minds.”  

The goal all along, Kinsella said, “has been to humanize and support people in all stages and walks of life.” 

Knights of Columbus members Mark Rosenberger, left, Mike Murphy, Ben Lee and Lyn Johnson prepare a hot breakfast for guests of the Covington Safe Parking ministry at St. John the Baptist Parish in Covington. Photo: Courtesy Mark Rosenberger

‘An unexpected gift’ 

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Covington Safe Parking has continued to operate with a few modifications, Mendoza said. When COVID hit, the program began allowing guests to stay on site as long as needed (the practice will be reviewed as pandemic restrictions lift). This extended presence has brought “an unexpected gift of other community members at the parish being able to interact with them during the day,” Mendoza said. 

Last summer, guests had access to produce from the parish garden and interacted with parish garden volunteers. And the parish Knights of Columbus and other groups stepped forward to offer a hot breakfast two days a week. It’s a way to “give back to the community and help those who are less fortunate,” said Mark Rosenberger, the Knights’ community director. “Through this ministry we have developed a relationship,” he added. 

And the guests have shown respect for their hosts, picking up litter or reporting suspicious activity or non-vetted cars, Mendoza said. 

“They value having a safe space, so they protect it,” she said. “They don’t want to do anything to jeopardize it.”  

Although staff and volunteers develop relationships over time with each guest, “we all just rejoice” when guests secure permanent housing or reconnect with family, Mendoza said.  

“I’m excited to see where this goes in the future,” Mendoza said. “Homelessness is such a large and complex issue that touches every community. It’s up to every community to answer the call as part of our Christian faith.”