Cincinnati, OH — Cincinnati Public Schools has created what officials say is the nation’s first school district-owned parking lot where families experiencing homelessness can safely sleep in their vehicles overnight.
The Safe Sleep Lot opened April 30 at William Howard Taft Elementary School and has served more than 300 people. The 12-space lot operates nightly from 9:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. and typically hosts three to eight families.
District officials developed the program after seeing a growing number of families living in cars and struggling to find safe places to park. Nearly 2,650 Cincinnati Public Schools students, about 8% of district enrollment, experienced homelessness during the 2025-26 school year.
Families staying at the lot receive access to security, bathrooms, showers, Wi-Fi, food and other basic supplies. Children are also connected to school enrollment and transportation services.
One major benefit is that families can be quickly verified as homeless and added to shelter waiting lists, a process that can otherwise take much longer for people moving from place to place each night.
The lot also provides temporary hotel stays and connects families with housing services. Shelter waits can still last one to two months.
District officials hope the model can eventually be replicated by other school systems facing similar increases in student homelessness.
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