One Starfish program in Monterey now official

It's official. The ink is now dry on the agreement between the city of Monterey and the One Starfish safe parking program.

Monterey's program joins Pacific Grove's, Seaside's and three Carmel Valley locations that already provide homeless women a safe place to park and sleep overnight. It's only fitting that Monterey join in since the city helped fund the program back in 2014.

The city even went so far as to use one of their own city parking lots since the original location of the
United Methodist Church at 1 Soledad Drive was ultimately struck down. Typically, the sites are located in church parking lots. Two churches in Monterey – Shoreline and St. John's Chapel – have expressed interest in providing future safe parking for homeless women.

Now, the city will look toward further solutions for the problem of homelessness, but not without gratitude from those who work regularly on behalf of the homeless population.

As Pastor Jim Nelson said in a recent City Council meeting, “I know that the One Starfish Program wouldn’t even exist if it hadn’t been for the city of Monterey,” he said. “All you officials doing all this leg work, we appreciate what you’re doing for us.”