Grand Jury

MARIN COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY FINAL REPORT SUMMARIES 7 MARIN COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY 2017-2018 • OCTOBER 2018 Continued on page 8 The Marin County Civil Grand Jury released a report in 2015 titled "Homelessness in Marin — A Call for Leader- ship." That report found that, while many dedicated organiza- tions were providing services to the homeless, the County-wide effort was unfocused and disor- ganized due to a lack of collabo- ration between the County, the cities, and the service organiza- tions. The report called upon the County to provide the lead- ership necessary to obtain the maximum benefit for the home- less with whatever resources are made available. This Grand Jury determined that homelessness remains a critical concern of the com- munity and that it was time to assess the progress since 2015, as well as the work left to be done. The Jury found that progress has been made but Marin still has people in distress living without housing. Since 2015, new funding to address homelessness has come to the County and new staff has been added. Collaboration has significantly increased between the County and the many non- profits addressing the needs of the homeless and among the nonprofits themselves. Coordi- nated efforts using the "hous- ing first" model are providing a hopeful path to housing the chronically homeless in Marin. Golden Gate Village (GGV) is Marin County's only family public housing, serving approximately 700 residents. e U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has failed to provide funds necessary for the upkeep of these residences and as a result they have significant issues with deferred maintenance. e people living in this housing project suffer from a unique trauma stemming from multiple sources, including poverty, living conditions in these communities, a high level of unemployment, a mistrust of public policy, and a fear of displacement. Resolving these issues at GGV is imperative for Marin County. e GGV community has historic importance and Marin has no other options for these tenants given the scarcity of affordable housing in the County. Keeping this community intact and helping it to thrive would act as a template for other underserved communities in Marin. Community engagement consultants were hired in 2015 to convene discussions with the GGV and Marin City resulting in a proposed approach to attract capital via a public/private model that would add new buildings, including additional low-income HOMELESSNESS IN MARIN: A Progress Report RECOMMENDATIONS R1. e County of Marin should provide capital funding for up to 400 units of additional housing for the chronically homeless. R2. e County of Marin should fund Homeward Bound's Mill Street facility to provide 24/7 staffing with housing-focused case managers. R3. e County of Marin should create additional emergency shelter capacity to replace the ser- vices lost by the end of the REST program. R4. e County of Marin should create a local housing voucher program to supplement Federal funding. R5. e County of Marin and each city and town should actively seek developers to create hous- ing for the homeless within their jurisdictions. Video Podcast: https://goo.gl/YGMMyS GOLDEN GATE VILLAGE: The Clock is Ticking Photo Credit: iStockPhoto Photo Credit: Marin County Civil Grand Jury

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