1251 S. Eliseo Drive Update

Dear neighbors and community members -

We are happy to share some news regarding the Homekey 2.0 project at 1251 S. Eliseo Drive including updates on construction, a readout of our CAG’s conversation about public safety with local agencies, and staffing announcements. Moving forward, our goal is to provide a quarterly update about our efforts.

Project Updates

Construction on the project is moving forward and is anticipated to be completed in August of this year. On August 3rd, 2022, the City Council of Larkspur voted to generously waive permitting fees for the project. Thanks to their leadership, our construction team is now able to completely replace the building’s aging roof! We are incredibly grateful for their support and partnership.

Resident move-ins will begin shortly thereafter with the expectation that the building will be fully occupied in the fall. All residents of 1251 S. Eliseo will be referred to the building through the County of Marin’s Coordinated Entry System (CES), which is a tool for assessing people experiencing homelessness throughout Marin County, determining their level of vulnerability, and matching them with the appropriate resources and support to resolve their chronic homelessness. Factors considered include age, duration of homelessness, ability to meet daily needs, frequency of hospitalization, and other circumstances. Assignments are made by a committee of providers who are familiar with the needs of the person being placed, in order to best match people with the units available. Outreach providers will engage with future residents prior to placement to build trust and a therapeutic relationship, then will transition them to the assistance provided by case managers within the supportive housing program. For more information on CES, feel free to watch the Health and Human Services Department’s January 2022 presentation. Move-ins will likely begin in early September, and full occupancy is expected by the end of November.

More programmatic updates, including guest and visitor policy, are being developed in partnership with the County, and will be forthcoming in our future communications about the project.

Community Advisory Group Update

Since January of this year, the CAG has been diligently working with the local public safety agencies, including Central Marin Police Authority (CMPA), the Marin County Sheriff, the Marin County Parks, and the California Highway Patrol, to learn more about how these agencies coordinate and cooperate to promote public safety throughout the community. We are pleased to announce that these conversations have led to the Marin County Sheriff, the California Highway Patrol, and Marin County Parks generously committing to increasing their presence in the area for the first three months of the building opening. In partnership with CMPA, these agencies will focus their efforts on promoting safety in the broader community, ECS has also committed to a Community Safety Services position who will help create and maintain a healthy and safe environment on-site at 1251 S. Eliseo. Beyond this commitment, public safety will continue to be an ongoing priority for not just these agencies, but for the entire project sponsorship team.

Additionally, we have received much interest from the CAG, and the broader community, about opportunities for volunteerism. In Summer of this year, the CAG will be convening a subgroup to take a leading role in coordinating opportunities for the community to help welcome their new neighbors into Larkspur. We will have more information in the coming months, but in the meantime, if you have ideas, please feel free to share them with us at homekey@marincounty.org.

Episcopal Community Services (ECS) Announcements

ECS has doubled down on its commitment to the Marin community by leasing an administrative office in San Rafael. This new space will help support operations of the Homekey project at 1251 S. Eliseo, as well as other Marin-based programming, like the Severe Weather Shelter. Additionally, we are excited to announce that Kristin Ullom, ECS’ Associate Director of Housing Services, will be overseeing operations of 1251 S. Eliseo. Kristin has worked for ECS for over a decade, rising through the ranks from a clinical intern, to managing Support Services team, and now overseeing housing programs as an Associate Director. In this capacity, Kristin will be responsible for supervising staff and services, coordinating externally with government and community partners, and ensuring that all aspects of 1251 S. Eliseo are administered professionally, and consistently with ECS’ mission, values, and goals.

We look forward to the opportunity to update you again with our next newsletter, but in the meantime, if you have any questions, please email homekey@marincounty.org. Thank you for your interest in this project.