The area between Ortega, Quarantina and Canan Perdido streets in Santa Barbara has become a haven for people living in their cars, according to Mark Alvarado, Executive Director of the Downtown Club.
"This whole corridor here, if you came in here at night, you would see it filled with vehicles and vans and campers," Alvarado said.
The location is particularly concerning, Alvarado says, because it's sandwiched between three schools: Santa Barbara High School, Santa Barbara Jr. High, and a middle school.
Kristina Rios with the Downtown Club says overnight parking is creating multiple hazards for children in the area.
"It can be a little scary, especially with some of the transients with mental health, kids not knowing, are they dangerous? Are they not dangerous?" Rios said.
The issue reflects a broader countywide trend, according to Barbara Andersen with the City of Santa Barbara. Andersen said, vehicle camping has increased 13% countywide, with more than 300 cars on the streets each night in Santa Barbara alone.
When asked whether restricting overnight parking on certain streets was possible, Anderson said the city is open to the idea.
"It absolutely is a possibility. We're ready to engage, and we do think that that is an option to be able to restrict parking in that area but still allow folks that live there and work there to be able to park," Anderson said.
Meanwhile, outreach efforts are ongoing in the neighborhood. New Beginnings outreach workers are actively trying to reach individuals living in their cars. Through the California Encampment Resolution Fund, they have housed 20 people from this area in the past year and are currently working with 20 more.
The outreach workers note that changing parking rules often encourages individuals to be more open to relocation assistance.
But community members remain concerned about the impact on local students.
"We are literally surrounded by children. We got high school kids, junior high kids and elementary here, so just keeping them safe is really important, and I really just would like to know, is there anything else they can do? Because it's not enough," one resident said.
Santa Barbara police were contacted for information about calls in the area, but said that data was not readily available.
