A proposed rest park in Poulsbo is in the works, which would provide a dedicated safe place for five or more unsheltered people to park their cars and sleep overnight.

Leadership Kitsap is working with a local church to establish the space, where parking spaces would be provided for people to sleep in their cars from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. North Kitsap Recovery Resource Center would be the main point of referral to the program and Fishline would be the main administrative partner, per city of Poulsbo documents. Fishline will handle intake coordination, background checks, and approve applications to the program. The Poulsbo Police Department will perform regular security checks.

The project proposal was presented to Poulsbo City Council at its Dec. 3 meeting and will be brought back to the governing body for potential approval at a future meeting. It would require $9,770 in city funding for the first year of the program.

The 2025 Point-in-Time Count found that there are at least 297 people in Kitsap who are unhoused, and 50 of those people live in their cars. “Creating safe parking spaces offers a unique transitional housing alternative that helps give people stability and support as they work towards more permanent solutions,” LK’s presentation says.

“It can take weeks to find someone shelter, and sometimes years to find them long-term housing. During that time, organizations can lose contact with program participants that can’t stay at a shelter, stopping the housing process. The Rest Park program can help organizations stay connected to their participants by providing a safe, known location while they find more permanent housing,” per LK’s presentation.

If approved by council, the project timeline includes establishing requirements and rules for the program, along with creating application and intake forms by January. Clearing the parking area and building infrastructure would occur in February, which consists of two security cameras, two motion-sensored/solar-powered lights, portable bathroom, garbage bins and a security/private screen around the bathroom and garbage bins, documents say.

By March, forms and program processes would then be finalized and the application process would open. The park would be slated to open for guests by April.

“I want to make sure that everybody knows what the rules are here and that they agree to the rules,” Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson said at the council meeting. “I don’t want to get the church in any trouble, and I certainly don’t want to get the city in any trouble.”