The Southern Marin Scoop
LET'S TALK ABOUT HOMELESSNESS
Please Share Widely:
Homelessness exists in Marin County, as it does throughout the Bay Area and our country, and it’s an issue that deserves our attention and care. Due in large part to the cascading effects of COVID-19 on jobs and the economy, sadly, we are seeing increasing numbers of people facing homelessness, and we are seeing encampments throughout the County and in Southern Marin. Over the recent months, we have heard reports from local service providers about increasing numbers of residents seeking support. This is a deeply troubling, complicated, and important matter that requires a great deal of thought, care, patience and planning.
The County of Marin and our local Cities and Towns are pursuing strategies to address homelessness. These strategies are based on the County’s “Housing First” policy, adopted in 2015, which prioritizes providing housing first, coupled with supportive social services (more on that below). Since 2017, following our Housing First policy, Marin has successfully provided housing for over 320 formerly homeless individuals. This is a real success.
At the same time, it has become more clear than ever that we need a coordinated, countywide, community-supported effort to provide affordable and supportive housing to individuals experiencing homelessness, and the State's Project HomeKey is one vehicle to do just that. Marin successfully pursued Project HomeKey funding in 2020 and now we have two sites slated to provide permanent supportive housing in Corte Madera and San Rafael. A new round of Project HomeKey funding is expected this spring/summer, and we intend to pursue this opportunity as well because the need is so great. The goal is to attain an equitable geographic distribution of possible sites across the County: north, central, west, and south.
Between April 14 and 22, the County and Opening Doors Marin will be co-hosting a series of 10 community information sessions to:
- provide background information on the 2020 Project HomeKey process in Marin (aka HomeKey 1.0),
- outline the tentative 2021 Project HomeKey process and timeline in Marin (aka HomeKey 2.0), and
- gather community input on the proposed HomeKey 2.0 process.
More information on these info sessions is included below, along with a variety of resources I hope you'll review. Please share this information with your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers. Let's all come together and move forward together.
Stephanie
P.S. In the coming weeks and months I will be sharing more information on this topic, and I hope you will tune in. Please be sure to subscribe to my Housing & Homelessness Updates so you're in the loop about planning, progress, and opportunities to provide input.
In Today's Edition of the Scoop:
 Let’s look into Marin County’s approach to support and house people experiencing homelessness. At last month’s County budget workshops, staff provided an excellent presentation about our approach and the successes we have had. This video covers topics including the Housing First strategy, Coordinated Entry for those most vulnerable, a collaborative System of Care, the pandemic's impact on homelessness, plans for current and future Project HomeKey sites for permanent supportive housing, and more.
In July of 2020, the State of California launched a $750 million program called “Project HomeKey”, with the aim of helping local communities rapidly acquire hotels, motels, commercial buildings, and other creative housing types in order to rapidly house people experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. By December 29, 2020, the program had resulted in the acquisition of 94 projects, representing 6,029 units of permanent housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. In Marin County specifically, we received approximately $8.6 million to aid the purchase of 63 new units of permanent supportive housing in San Rafael and Corte Madera.
Given the success of “HomeKey 1.0”, in January of 2021, Governor Newsom’s proposed FY21-22 budget included another $750 million allocation for “Project HomeKey 2.0”. While this funding has yet to be approved by the Legislature, if the speed of HomeKey 1.0 is any indication, approval and a new call for applications could come as early as May, and we would likely be facing the same expedited timeline of closing on properties by the end of the calendar year.
To that end, the weeks of April 12 and April 19, the County of Marin and Opening Doors Marin will be co-hosting a series of 10 community information sessions to (a) provide background information on the 2020 Project HomeKey process in Marin, (b) outline the tentative 2021 HomeKey 2.0 process and timeline in Marin, and (c) gather community input on the proposed HomeKey 2.0 process.
A variety of days and times are offered. Click here for a flyer with more information, including links to register for your preferred session. All sessions are open to the public and will present the same information. Presenters will answer questions and gather input on community needs. The sessions will not discuss specific potential HomeKey sites, but rather general criteria for what would make a feasible site. If you have a potential site in mind, please feel free to share that information with Opening Doors at info@openingdoorsmarin.org.
You can find additional information about Project HomeKey 1.0 and 2.0 on the County's website: www.MarinCounty.org/HomeKey.
Planning to attend one of the upcoming info sessions? Here's some information you might like to review in advance:
Proposed HomeKey 2.0 process and timeline:
April:
- Hold community feedback events
- Finalize criteria for potential HomeKey sites (aka "projects")
- Solicit prospective sites - County will issue a Request For Information (RFI) for property owners who are open to selling their property for use as a HomeKey site
- Identify potential non-profit partners - County will issue a Request For Qualifications (RFQ) for non-profit partners to operate and potentially own the potential HomeKey site(s)
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Note – information on the RFI and RFQ will be posted to www.MarinCounty.org/HomeKey
May/June:
- Vet final sites for feasibility
- State issues Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Project HomeKey 2.0
- Continue community engagement
July:
- Submit application(s) to the State (timing subject to change based on NOFA)
August:
- Anticipated notification of Funding Reservation (i.e. State approval of application(s))
- Continue community engagement
Draft criteria for assessing potential HomeKey sites:
Must haves:
- Acquisition cost less than $350,000 per unit
- Large enough to pencil out financially (seeking suggestions of properties of all sizes, but large properties (45+ units) are particularly financially feasible)
- Cannot be in a HUD-designated “area of concentrated poverty” (e.g. Canal or Marin City)
Nice to haves:
- Acquisition cost less than $200,000 per unit
- Minimal rehab required
- Near services (e.g. grocery, public transit, healthcare)
Sausalito explores ways to create affordable housing
On Wednesday, March 24 the City of Sausalito hosted a community meeting about the Marin Housing Authority's current offer of loans to create and/or legalize second units, whether Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) or Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs), for rent to low-income households through the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). Landlords are able to conduct tenant screening and enter into a lease with the tenant and into a Housing Assistance Payment Contract with Marin Housing Authority. Efforts like this will help address a shortage of affordable housing while also providing housing opportunities for those experiencing homelessness. Please click here to watch the video and learn more.
County of Marin discusses Housing First, Coordinated Entry, and other facets of addressing homelessness
In case you missed it above, this 20-minute video presentation from County Health & Human Services staff provides an overview the Housing First strategy, Coordinated Entry for those most vulnerable, a collaborative System of Care, the pandemic's impact on homelessness, plans for current and future Project HomeKey sites for permanent supportive housing, and more.
If you have a question or concern and would like to contact me, please send an email to me or one of my Aides using the links on my webpage: marincounty.org/depts/bs/district-3/home.
For information on the County of Marin's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit coronavirus.marinhhs.org. You can also contact the COVID-19 Response Team with your questions and concerns at coronavirus.marinhhs.org/contact.
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