Housing For Homeless Vets In Marin Gets Boost In State Funding

NOVATO, CA — Millions in new state funding will help Marin County reduce homelessness among veterans, low-income workers and people struggling with mental illness, officials announced Tuesday.

According to the county, the Department of Health and Human Services received a $14.4 million injection from California's Project Homekey to support the Novato Veterans and Workforce Housing project, which is slated to open later this year. Marin was one of just six counties in the state to share more than $95 million in this year's Homekey allotment.

"We are thrilled to receive this Homekey grant, which will significantly contribute to our ongoing efforts to provide permanent supportive housing solutions for community members in need," said Gary Naja-Riese, director of the HHS' Homelessness Division. "This grant is a testament to our shared commitment to creating inclusive and sustainable communities."

The Novato project includes two dozen supportive housing units for veterans experiencing homelessness and 26 units for members of the workforce. The county expects the units for veterans will open by late spring and will welcome workforce residents by the end of the year.

Nearly $25 million distributed through two earlier Homekey grants helped create 18 housing units that opened in Corte Madera in 2022 and 43 units that opened in Greenbrae in September. In San Rafael, a Homekey grant helped pay for a project on Kerner Boulevard that will add 41 units when it is completed next January.