COUNTY DEBUTS PLAN TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS

Keep People Housed Marin provides targeted financial help, housing stabilization

Marin County Health and Human Services has launched Keep People Housed Marin, a two-year initiative designed to help residents stay housed before a housing crisis results in homelessness.

The initiative is led by the Division of Homelessness and Coordinated Care in partnership with two nonprofit organizations, Bay Area Community Services and All Home. It is part of a regional strategy to identify households most at risk of housing loss and offer early, flexible financial support and individualized stabilization services.

“Marin has a strong system that helps people move from homelessness into housing. We also need to reduce the number of people who become homeless,” said Dr. Lisa Warhuus, assistant county executive and director of Marin County Health and Human Services. “Keep People Housed Marin provides a new upstream approach to identify households at highest risk and support their housing stability before a crisis occurs.”

KPH-Marin is designed for residents who are housed but face circumstances that place them at elevated risk of losing their housing. Assistance is prioritized based on vulnerability, not on a first-come, first-served basis. Meeting general eligibility criteria does not guarantee financial support. Marin’s program follows All Home’s regional targeted homelessness prevention model.

“A recent analysis of our prevention pilots across the Bay Area shows that targeted assistance has reached about 25,000 households,” said Joanna Karchmer, All Home CEO. “In addition, 92% of households surveyed remained housed after one year.”

As part of the Affordable Housing and Homelessness Initiative, Marin Community Foundation, the county and All Home each contributed $1 million to support Marin’s targeted homeless prevention approach. Combined with resources from the county, the effort will support an estimated $3 million in programming over two years. Bay Area Community Services will aim to serve at least 170 households each year.

The program will focus on households experiencing conditions that heighten the risk of homelessness. Examples include imminent eviction, significant rent arrears, previous episodes of homelessness, families with children, people with disabling conditions and others facing serious housing instability.

Learn more at mrn.keeppeoplehoused.org.