Edgar Rosales Jr. enrolled at Long Beach City College with a secret: he was sleeping in his car.
As demand for his job as a trucker waned, Rosales, 40, returned to school in 2024 seeking a more stable career. He first pursued nursing before pivoting to public health and political science. But balancing classes, part-time work and the immense burdens of homelessness became too much to bear, especially without help.
Rosales’s LBCC peer mentor called to check in. “I’m gonna drop out. I can’t do this,” he remembered telling her. When he revealed he was homeless, his peer mentor recommended the safe parking program, which began in 2021. Now the program serves 45 students, who can sleep in their cars on campus overnight with the protection of security and access to amenities like bathrooms, showers, electricity and Wi-Fi…