Marin County has launched Keep People Housed Marin, a two-year initiative designed to provide targeted financial assistance and housing stabilization services to residents at highest risk of losing their homes.
The program, led by the county's Division of Homelessness and Coordinated Care in partnership with nonprofit organizations Bay Area Community Services and All Home, aims to identify and help housed households facing circumstances that could lead to homelessness, according to the county.
Assistance is prioritized based on vulnerability rather than a first-come, first-served basis. The program targets households experiencing imminent eviction, significant rent arrears, previous episodes of homelessness, families with children, people with disabling conditions, and others facing serious housing instability.
Bay Area Community Services will aim to serve at least 170 households per year. Over two years, the program is funded with $3 million in combined support from the Marin Community Foundation, the county, and All Home, each contributing $1 million.
"Preventing homelessness is an essential part of Marin's broader approach to outreach, shelter and permanent housing," said Eric Lucan, president of the Marin County Board of Supervisors. "Helping households remain housed reduces disruption for families and eases future pressure on the homelessness response system."
The program follows All Home's regional targeted prevention model, which found that 92 percent of households receiving targeted assistance remained housed after one year in a recent analysis across Bay Area pilots that served about 25,000 households.