Housing for special needs populations

The Housing Element identifies 5 programs to support housing for special needs populations.

Special needs populations include:

• Seniors
• People living with disabilities (including mental, physical, and developmental disabilities)
• Agricultural workers and their families
• Individuals and families experiencing homelessness
• Single-parent families
• Large household 
• Lower income (including extremely low-income) households
• Other persons identified as having special housing needs in Marin County

These programs are listed below to include an overview of its objective(s), schedule and status.

Program 13: Reasonable Accommodation

• Objective: Offer expedited review and approval of Reasonable Accommodation requests.
• Due Date: Ongoing 
• Status: (Ongoing) On a case-by-case basis, staff waive planning requirements for improvements that are necessary to meet accessibility requirements, regardless of whether they are subject to building or grading permits, in all zoning districts.

Program 14: Universal Design and Visitability

• Objective: Study policies/incentives for implementation to encourage requirements for universal design and visitability.
• Due Date: December 2024.
• Status: (Complete) Staff have done precedent study research and have attended an Inclusive Design Standard Workshop hosted by the Kelsey. 

Program 15: Housing for Farmworkers and Hospitality Workers

Program 15a: Strategies

• Objective: Develop strategies for addressing farmworker and hospitality worker housing, with the goal of increasing housing for these employees by 20 percent.
• Due Date: December 2025 
• Status: (In Progress) The Study "Growing Together: Advancing Housing Solutions for Workers in West Marin" issued in Fall 2024 is a comprehensive report that includes a 12 month outreach process that summarizes the many issues in West Marin's housing workforce. Additionally, the Coast Guard Property, developed by Community Land Trust of West Marin (CLAM) and Eden has a set aside for agricultural workers. The developers are applying for state Joe Serna funds in 2025. 

Program 15b: Employer Outreach 

• Objective: Annually convene with interested employers and affordable housing developers to pursue implementation of strategies for affordable housing and pursue funding at state and federal levels.
• Due Date: Ongoing 
• Status: (Ongoing) CDA staff convened and actively participate in the Committee for Housing Ag Workers and Their Families, made up of ranchers, people living on the ranches, local community foundations, community-based organizations, community land trusts and the County. County funded a study to understand local housing needs and recommended solutions, the “Agricultural Worker and Rural Housing Action Study for West Marin” was released in 2024. 

Program 15c: Evaluation 

• Objective: Assess the effectiveness of strategies and modify the approach if necessary.
• Due Date: December 2028 
• Status: (Not Started) 

Program 16: Project Homekey

Program 16a: Site Locations 

• Objective: Identify locations that may be appropriate as Project Homekey sites and conduct outreach to interested nonprofit developers to pursue funding from HCD.
• Due Date: Ongoing 
• Status: (Ongoing) Staff toured a number of possible properties across the county and did due diligence regarding feasibility. Staff worked with several partners to determine the viability of projects as Homekey 3.0 sites, including Homeward Bound (application submitted April 2023, recently awarded) and Bolinas Community Land Trust.

Program 16b: Funding 

• Objective: Pursue Project Homekey funding annually and if Project Homekey funds become unavailable, pursue other funding sources.
• Due Date: Ongoing 
• Status: (Ongoing) Staff have applied for and been awarded all rounds of project Homekey that have become available, and regularly pursues other funding sources, including HHC, HHAP (1-5), ERF (1-3), BFH (1-2), etc. In the event Homekey funds become unavailable staff will continue pursuing other funding sources.

Program 16c: Development 

• Objective: Develop 20 units using Project Homekey over 8 years.
• Due Date: Ongoing 
• Status: (Complete; Ongoing) A Homekey Project developed last year more than doubled this program's objective with 43 units and one manager's unit.

Program 17: Housing for Seniors

Program 17a: Home Match 

• Objective: Explore expansion of home match services to help match over-housed seniors with potential lower income tenants or other seniors to save on housing costs.
• Due Date: December 2023      
• Status: (Complete) In 2023, the County of Marin approved $15,000 in annual entitlement funding received through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program to support Home Match Marin. During this period Home Match Marin created 21 shared housing matches helping 42 extremely-low to low-income housing insecure adults acquire and maintain affordable, stable housing – and mitigate loneliness and social isolation. County staff worked with Home Match Marin staff to improve fair housing compliance and trainings made available to home providers.

Program 17b: Development Standards 

• Objective: Develop incentives and development standards to facilitate various senior housing options.
• Due Date: December 2024 
• Status: (In Progress) Staff have done internal research on this topic and expect to share with the public and consult other departments in 2025. Staff have ongoing communication with the Aging Commission and other nonprofits focused on seniors.