Investing in Marin's affordable housing

Affordable housing is one of the Marin County Board of Supervisors' highest priorities. 

The dashboard below displays funding committed to projects from January 2015 - December 2025 through the Housing & Grants Division in the Community Development Agency for the creation or preservation of affordable housing throughout Marin. Funded activities include new construction, acquisition of property, preservation or rehabilitation of existing affordable housing, and conversion of structures to affordable housing.

Investing local dollars helps the County leverage additional State and Federal dollars to support projects. Learn more about these funding sources below.

Key dashboard highlights (2015-2025)

• $97.2 million invested towards affordable housing projects throughout Marin County to support the creation or preservation of 1,995 units.
• 71% of funds committed are local sources, 20% federal sources and 8% state sources.
• County investments have grown significantly in the last decade, from about $2-3 million in 2015-16 to a peak of $29 million in 2025. Notably, a significant portion of funds committed in the past several years have been for new construction.
• Approximately half of funds have been committed to projects in unincorporated Marin ($48.5 million) followed by 21% in San Rafael ($20 million) and 13% Novato ($12.9 million).

Funding dates represent a commitment to the project, not completion. Due to permitting and construction timelines, projects typically take several years to finish. Want to see our progress? Visit our Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) page to see how we are meeting state-mandated housing goals.

High housing costs in the region require a diverse range of funding. This dashboard tracks the following County-administered sources.

Local sources

• Housing Trust Fund: revenue from affordable housing impact fees, as well as County General Fund contributions.
• Measure W Community Housing Funds (Measure W): portion of revenue from the Measure W Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) approved by voters in November 2018 that sets an additional 4% tax on short-term rentals in the Measure W Tax Area of West Marin.

State sources

• Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA): non-competitive state formula funds from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).
• Local Housing Trust Fund (LHTF): competitive state funds from HCD intended to match commitments made by local housing trust funds.

Federal sources

• Community Development Block Grants (CDBG): federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administered by the County.
• HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME): federal funds from HUD administered by the County.
• HOME Investment Partnerships American Rescue Plan Program (HOME-ARP): federal funds from HUD administered by the County to create housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.