Cincinnati Public Schools has become the first school district in the U.S. to own and operate a parking lot for families experiencing homelessness to safely sleep in their cars at night. The Safe Sleep Lot, launched on April 30 at William Howard Taft Elementary School, has already served over 300 individuals. Megan Rahill from Project Connect notes that many families resort to sleeping in cars after exhausting all other options, often feeling isolated. The Safe Sleep Lot offers safety, access to food, and restroom facilities, addressing these critical needs.
Project Connect supports students facing homelessness in the district under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, ensuring access to education. Ohio Department of Education data revealed that nearly 8% of Cincinnati students—around 2,650—experienced homelessness in the 2025-26 school year. The district has seen a rise in families sleeping in cars, noted by Project Connect Manager Rebeka Beach, with challenges in finding safe parking spots.
Families often face difficulties like lack of restroom access and cooking facilities. A street outreach worker from Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services must verify someone sleeping in their car to add them to a shelter waiting list. However, frequent relocations make verification challenging, leading to job losses due to sleep deprivation. Inspired by similar initiatives in San Diego and Long Beach, Project Connect developed the Safe Sleep Lot within a year.
Operating from 9:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., the lot accommodates 12 vehicles, supporting three to eight families nightly. Families referred to the lot receive essential supplies and verification for shelter waiting lists. Rahill coordinates hotel stays for up to two weeks for families with CareSource insurance, and shorter stays for others. The lot offers security, a library, and will soon provide tutoring. Open from March to November, a modular unit with kitchen and shower facilities has been built, and a local nonprofit offers laundry services.
The Safe Sleep Lot aids student enrollment at Taft Elementary, improving attendance and stability. “If your basic needs are not being met, you’re not positioned to learn,” Beach emphasized, aiming for families to achieve sustainable employment and housing. As interest in the program grows, there are plans to develop a blueprint for replication in other districts.
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