Homeless, in Marin
In the land of plenty, there are plenty without homes
By Jeff Swenerton
Homelessness in Marin is often called an invisible issue, and it’s easy to understand why.
The county is 85 percent open space and there are as many places to live out of sight as there are homeless. But the problem is there, and much bigger in scope than the occasional street-corner panhandler. Look in the shelters, in the free kitchens and in the church halls—caring places where a half dozen public agencies and even more private organizations keep the homeless fed, temporarily housed, and attached, however tenuously, to a strained social safety net.
At last count, in January 2009, there were 1,770 people homeless in Marin and at least 3,000 others on verge of becoming so, numbers aid workers believe fall far short of reflecting reality. For 90 percent of the homeless, the last permanent housing was in Marin. Most live in San Rafael, Novato and Sausalito. More than half are white, three quarters are single, 60 percent are male and 334 are children.
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