Marin County approves shelter crisis declaration

MARIN COUNTY, Calif. - The Marin County Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved a shelter crisis declaration, a move that could provide relief to residents facing homelessness or living in substandard housing in West Marin.

The declaration allows the county to bypass regulatory hurdles to establish temporary housing in unincorporated areas. The measure comes as a largely Latino community of around 90 tenants face displacement from their homes on the Point Reyes National Seashore. 

Lack of affordable housing

The backstory:

"There is very little to no affordable housing in West Marin, so this is a step to keep people in this community," said Jasmine Bravo, a tenant and community organizer with Bolinas Community Land Trust and the Familias Afectadas de Rancho (FAR).

Environmental concerns

In January, ranch owners reached a settlement with the National Park Service to close their operations, leaving tenants, including farmworkers, teachers, and service workers, scrambling to find new housing. Many are at risk of being priced out of the area. This settlement came after years of pressure by environmental groups accusing the ranches of causing agricultural pollution and disrupting local wildlife, such as elk. 

"It’s been a huge disrupting factor to the community," said Sarah Jones, director of the Marin County Community Development Agency.

Crisis declaration

The shelter crisis declaration enables the county to set up temporary dwellings, such as RVs and removable cabins, on private land in unincorporated areas. A similar initiative recently helped relocate farmworkers from substandard housing to a new RV community in Bolinas.

"We needed to take steps to quickly get them into better conditions, and our regulatory barriers were really getting in the way," Jones said.

According to county officials, more than 1,100 people in the county are either unhoused or living in inadequate conditions. 

"We’re hoping the RV park is just an interim solution toward a much bigger project and that they have the opportunity to be homeowners in the future," Bravo said.

What's next:

Officials have yet to finalize locations for additional temporary housing, though Bolinas remains a possibility.

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