A Summit County nonprofit that provides a safe parking space for those living out of their cars had a waitlist around 20 people long at the height of winter 2024-25.

Born out of a housing crisis, Unsheltered in Summit started out serving six to eight people a year when it began in 2019. Today, the organization serves around 65 people a year. President Diane Luellen said the nonprofit needs visibility now more than ever.

Unsheltered in Summit held one of its first-ever information sessions outside the Summit County Library in Frisco on Wednesday, Aug. 6, to kick off the initiative.

A few factors fuel Unsheltered in Summit’s visibility efforts. 

Unsheltered in Summit helps people who found themselves without housing due to unforeseen circumstances or those willingly live out of their cars knowing they can’t afford housing. Luellen’s work with the Summit Colorado Interfaith Council helped her get acquainted with Raychel Kelly, who founded Good Bridge Community, the predecessor to Unsheltered in Summit, in 2019. In the six years since, she still sees a need to address the stigma around the program’s users. 

She finds some people make an assumption and tie the program’s users to problems like mental health instead of the actual problem at hand: a lack of attainable housing in the area that locals can afford. 

“Because it is so hard not only to afford housing in Summit County, but to find housing in Summit County and keep it, these folks have simply chosen this way of putting a roof over their head, and they are taxpaying citizens … This is the way that they have found that has enabled them to stay in Summit,” she said. 

Aside from Kelly, another catalyst of Unsheltered in Summit is Paul Minjares. Minjares is a longtime Summit resident who made the switch to living out of his vehicle after seeing an approximate $700 rent hike in the room he lived in from 2012 to 2021. Minjare’s story is shared by dozens of others in the program.

Summit resident Jordan Grosse found his way to the Safe Parking Program because his monthly rent began outpacing his paycheck. For him, having a spot to park where he knows he’ll be safe is invaluable. He said he might not be able to remain in Summit anymore without it. 

Not just anyone can participate in the Safe Parking Program, which costs around $75 a month. Luellen said there’s a thorough vetting process involving a background check, proof of employment and more. The vetting is just another aspect of the nonprofit that helps ensure safety. 

“It’s very helpful for us to have a place that’s nobody’s gonna knock on us,” program participant Kristine Litchfield said. “We feel safe. Everybody else has been vetted. I can roll up and feel like this is home.”

The program’s safety measures don’t happen all on their own — it’s all thanks to the small group who runs the nonprofit. The group wants to ensure that they not only have people to pass the torch to, but they have enough people to help bolster the program amid increasing interest and growing need. 

“Our small group of volunteers is just not able to continue this program indefinitely,” she said. 

Luellen said the nonprofit didn’t even really pick up fundraising efforts until last year when it became more apparent the volunteers couldn’t steer the ship on their own. 

Fundraising efforts yielded two part-time employees, but the need for more help and more donations remains. 

There’s one donation, or business opportunity, the group’s particularly after — a year-round location. 

Unsheltered in Summit uses parking areas seasonally because they have yet to find a year-round home. For instance, Unsheltered in Summit works with entities like the town of Frisco to use the Frisco Marina Bay parking lot during the winter. Once the marina season starts up, it will move to a different parking location. 

Luellen said the Safe Parking Program includes “hosts” that keep things orderly and serve as the oversight for a given location. Those interested in providing a forever home to Unsheltered in Summit can visit UnshelteredSummit.org/contact/.