Since the winter season of 2018, Bellarmine has been a participant in a special program known as Silicon Valley Safe Park, a network of faith-based communities that provide a safe place for guests to park their vehicle and sleep overnight. Bellarmine again this winter will host a Safe Park from February 1 to 28 on its campus at the parking lot located east of the school’s soccer field.
All houseless participants with the Silicon Valley Safe Park (SVSP) program are prescreened by Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice and Empowerment, an organization that provides ongoing case management to help guests stabilize their lives and move forward to better life situations. Under the supervision of the school’s Christian Service Program, Bellarmine provides its guests with breakfast burritos and coffee on weekday mornings, and students and faculty serve and join guests for dinner each Wednesday evening. The program will follow the most up-to-date Santa Clara County pandemic-related health guidelines and safety protocols.
On Wednesday, February 1, guests will check-in between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. The normal daily check-in/check-out schedule is as follows:
Monday 9:00 p.m. to Tuesday 6:45 a.m.
Tuesday 9:00 p.m. to Wednesday 6:45 a.m.
Wednesday 7:00 p.m. to Thursday 6:45 a.m.
Thursday 9:00 p.m. to Friday 6:45 a.m.
Friday 9:00 p.m. to Saturday 8:00 a.m.
Saturday 9:00 p.m. to Sunday 8:00 a.m.
Sunday 7:00 p.m. to Monday 6:45 a.m.
The maximum number of vehicles allowed is 15, which has not been reached in prior years.
Over the past years, Bellarmine has had zero negative incidents with its Safe Park guests, which is attributed to the fact that all guests have adhered to requests to respect themselves, to respect other guests, and to respect the Bellarmine community and grounds.
Bellarmine greatly appreciates the cooperation, understanding, and support of the College Park Neighborhood Association.