Health and Human Services
20 North San Pedro Road, Ste 2028
San Rafael, CA 94903
415 473 3696 T / 415 473 3344 F
marinhhs.org
Photo Credit: Jeff Wong
Homelessness in Marin
F A I R F A X T O W N C O U N C I L
August 3, 2022
People think
homelessness is an
unsolvable problem.
It’s not.
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 3
Communities that have ended
homelessness
• Connecticut was the first state in the nation to end chronic homelessness among veterans and one of the first two to end all veteran homelessness
• In total, 3 states and 83 communities have announced an end to veteran homelessness
Who is homeless in
Marin?
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 5
Who is homeless in Marin?
L O C A L D A T A
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 6
Who is homeless in Marin?
C H R O N I C H O M E L E S S N E S S
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 7
Family Homelessness
• 116 homeless families have been housed.
• 40 unsheltered and 36 sheltered homeless families that we know of remain in Marin.
• Marin County Office of Education reports 1,274 students who were homeless, couchsurfing, or in overcrowded
housing in the past year.
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 8
Veteran homelessness
• 74 veterans experiencing homelessness have been housed. • 31 homeless veterans that we know of remain in Marin.
Focus on Priority
Population:
Chronic
Homelessness
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 10
Focusing on Chronic Homelessness
W H Y F O C U S O N C H R O N I C H O M E L E S S N E S S ? • 70-80% of people who become homeless self-resolve
within two weeks
• Serve the most vulnerable
o People who are homeless have a life expectancy 25
years less than their housed peers
• Cost effective
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 11
Focusing on Chronic Homelessness
W H O I S C H R O N I C A L L Y H O M E L E S S I N M A R I N ? Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 12
Focusing on Chronic Homelessness
W H O I S C H R O N I C A L L Y H O M E L E S S I N M A R I N ? • Majority white, but disproportionately BIPOC
• 60% male, 40% female
• 4% youth 18-24; 28% 25-40; 32% 41-55; 30% 56-70;
5% over 70
• 73% were living in Marin when they became homeless
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 13
Focusing on Chronic Homelessness
W H O I S C H R O N I C A L L Y H O M E L E S S I N M A R I N ? Consistently, across the US, 65-80% of people experiencing homelessness were housed in that community before becoming homeless
• Marin County: 73%
• San Francisco County: 70%
• Alameda County: 78%
• Santa Clara County: 81%
• Los Angeles County: 65%
• Clark County, NV (Las Vegas): 68.9%
• King County, WA (Seattle): 84%
• Essex County, NJ (Newark): 80%
But what about
people who don’t
want housing?
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 15
“People just want to be homeless!”
W H Y W O U L D S O M E O N E R E J E C T H O U S I N G O R S H E L T E R ? You can’t just put
chronically homeless
people in a house and
expect them to
succeed!
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 17
Housing First
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 18
Housing First
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 19
Housing First
E V I D E N C E T H A T H O U S I N G F I R S T I S E F F E C T I V E • Specific housing models
o Permanent supportive housing
o Rapid rehousing
o Diversion
o Housing-focused shelter
Impact of COVID
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 21
COVID
E F F E C T S
• Increase in Visibility
o Change in federal law limiting authority to clear encampments o Meeting weekly for by-name list case conferencing about biggest encampments
o Have found that 90% of the people living in encampments were homeless in Marin before COVID; encampments do not represent an increase in homelessness
• Changes to services
o Fewer beds in congregate shelters
o Community spaces (Vinnie’s Dining Hall, Ritter campus, libraries) closed for congregating
▪ They have recently reopened, but people continue to fear gathering indoors
So what are the County
and our partners doing
about homelessness?
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 23
What are we doing?
S E R V I C E S
• County-wide outreach
o Outreach in Fairfax 3-4 times monthly; likely will
increase in coming months
• Coordinating with law enforcement, including Fairfax PD, biweekly
• 190 emergency shelter beds
• 659 units of permanent supportive housing, nearly double since 2016
o 119 new beds expected within the next year
• Coordinated Entry system
• Highly coordinated system of care allowing us to create personalized housing plans
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 24
What are we doing?
H O U S I N G S T A T S
• 504 people placed in Permanent Supportive Housing
since October 2017
• 95% of people are still housed
• 28% decrease in chronic homelessness between 2017
and 2019
How to help
Marin County Health and Human Services
Division of Homelessness and Whole Person
Care
August 3, 2022
Housingfirst.marinhhs.org
Slide 26
How to Help
•Give
•Get involved
•Volunteer
•Share Your Skills
•Hire
•House
Questions?