Seattle City Councilmember Mike O’Brien is joining State Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson in a quest to find a permanent space for people living in their cars in Ballard.

O'Brien is asking for $25,000 out of the 2012 city budget to create car camps at Ballard churches.

"I have done the One Night Count two years in a row. I stayed up all night and walked the streets of Seattle in an effort to gain some idea of how many people in our city are sleeping on the streets," O'Brien writes in a blog post. "According to the 2011 One Night Count, 506 vehicular residents were counted and 141 of them were in Ballard. In January of this year, I committed to finding a solution for people living in their cars in Ballard."

Earlier this year, thanks in part to the advocacy of Ballard Homes for All, State Representative Mary Lou Dickerson fought to secure $10,000 in state funds for a safe parking pilot project in Ballard to accommodate the growing numbers of people living in their cars in Ballard.

O'Brien visited with the vehicular residents in Ballard in April and had a chance to listen to their stories.

"What I heard was that these folks could be my parents. These were people down on their luck in the most difficult economy in generations and they were doing everything they could to maintain a temporary home in a motor vehicle," O'Brien said.

A supporter of the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, O'Brien said it's time for action.

Recognizing the lack of funds for more safe housing, O'Brien is looking for safe communities for Ballard's vehicular residents with a safe parking pilot project.

Starting with Our Redeemers Lutheran Church, churches are offering space on their lots and access to their toilets for three to five vehicles, on the condition that the people living in their cars want to get out of homelessness and into housing.

The city's Human Services Department will be contracting with a local service provider to do basic case management at each church that hosts cars.

The project should be able to provide about 20 spots starting January 1, 2012 if O'Brien manages to get $25,000 for the project from this year’s budget.

There will be a public hearing regarding this project today at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall in Chambers. Citizens attending the meeting can take a copy of the agenda from the meeting and receive a discounted parking rate of $3 at Sea Park Garage on 6th Avenue between Cherry and James.