San Rafael Event Raises Over $144K To Fight Homelessness

SAN RAFAEL, CA – A San Rafael event held over the summer has raised over $144,000 to fight homelessness.

"Under the Stars: A Sleepout to End Homelessness in Marin," was held by the Ritter Center July 31.

The group asked residents for one night to sleep on a floor in their home, decks or porches or camping out in their backyards.

In other words, "spending the night any place other than their comfortable beds," Ritter Center said in an announcement of the event.

“The idea was to create a greater understanding of the challenges people experiencing homelessness endure, and to call for an end to homelessness in Marin County,” Ritter Center Executive Director Mark Shotwell told Marin Magazine.

“We recognize that choosing to sleep in an area other than your bed is not going to remotely recreate what it is like to sleep on the streets. But it can allow for a pause in our busy lives to reflect on the fact that it has become normalized in our society to walk by a human living on the streets and continue on with our day.”

The group has provided over $567,000 in rental assistance to over 250 households impacted by the pandemic, Shotwell said in a statement earlier this year.

Ritter Center is nearing the $150,000 goal it set for the event.

To contribute visit here.