Why H Barracks Is Closed During the Day

In July last year, the city began ticketing RV campers in Mission Bay after a safe parking lot, H Barracks, opened nearby. A lawsuit filed by a group of homeless people in 2017 prevented the city from handing out tickets, unless the city could provide an immediate spot at a safe parking lot. They reached a settlement in 2024 and opened H Barracks in 2025.  

But that safe parking lot, H Barracks, is only open between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. 

The H Barracks lot has fixed hours for two reasons: the city’s permit and program goals. 

The California Coastal Commission, which is the state agency that oversees the land along the coast, only allows the city to operate the safe parking site from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m.  

Matt Hoffman, spokesperson for the city’s homeless services, said that the “intent” was always limited to overnight use.  

“Simply staying onsite 24/7 is not the goal of the program,” he said.Hoffman said the goal of H Barracks is to connect people with housing, services, and employment resources to end their homelessness. They said many of the participants are off site during the day to attend appointments, school or work.  

H Barracks is one of two safe parking lots that operate at fixed hours. The city operates two 24-hour lots, the Mission Valley lot and the Rose Canyon lot.  

However, a legal motion filed by the attorney who represents people living in their vehicles said late last year that the H Barracks is not “reasonably available,” which is a condition in the settlement.   

Vehicle dwellers said that having to move in and out of H Barracks each day is not possible for them. Many live on a fixed income and can’t pay for gas to move their vehicles. Others have disabilities that make leaving the lot difficult each morning. 

They filed a legal motion against the city in November arguing the lot does not take into account these circumstances. 

The city clapped back in a legal response. But the plaintiffs didn’t back down.  

“Issuing costly tickets for nighttime parking to disabled class members who through no fault of their own but merely due to their disabilities, are prevented from using a nighttime-only lot, does nothing to help end their homelessness,” said lead attorney Ann Menasche in a plaintiffs’ response on Dec. 9. 

It’s now up to a judge to determine whether the city is following the settlement agreement.  

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