Is There a Homeless Industrial Complex That Perpetuates Homelessness?

Is There a Homeless Industrial Complex That Perpetuates Homelessness?

By Joel John Roberts | Aug 5, 2013

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In recent years, the approach to homelessness dramatically changed from how to “manage” homelessness to how to “end” homelessness. This was not merely an alteration of semantics, but a systematic change in how to allocate the limited resources that were spent every year on America’s growing homelessness problem.
Even now, the speeches at conferences, forums, and workshops on ending homelessness are instilled with a sense of pride that the homeless services and housing world has its priorities and approaches right – allocate resources to immediately house people who are homeless, also known as “housing first”, and create detailed plans to end homelessness.
But do those of us in the “business” of ending homelessness really have it right?
For years, I heard directors of homeless agencies and key leaders in the field say, “We are working toward going out of business, when there is a day that there is no homelessness.” Are these hollow feel-good words?
Communities across this country were mandated by HUD (the Department of Housing and Urban Development) to create plans to end homelessness. When the plans are compared to each other, most are very similar.
But I do not know of any community plan that actually details how to dismantle the existing homeless service system after homelessness has ended. Where do all of the Executive Directors, Development Directors, and Finance Directors go after the agencies go out of business? How about the social workers, security guards, and peer counselors? Do we sell off all the agencies’ property and assets?
Within the agencies that I lead, we have nearly 250 employees. Should I be giving everyone a post-dated pink slip, explaining to them that they will all be out of a job within the next 5 to 10 years (depending on what plan we are going from), since homelessness will end and there will be no need for our services?
Peter Buffet, a scion of the famed Warren Buffet, recently penned an op-ed piece, “The Charitable-Industrial Complex” that has turned the charity world upside down. Some of his points are poignant reminders of how charities (perhaps, even within the homelessness world) trend toward perpetuation rather than elimination:
Philanthropic Colonialism – Buffet says that the charity world would rather transport a solution to a local social issue (in our case, homelessness) from the outside (for example, “housing first”) rather than understand the local dynamics and resources for why the issue is actually occurring in a local neighborhood. He infers that this causes perpetuation.
A Growing Charity World – In a span of ten years, from 2001 to 2011, the philanthropic world has increased by 25%, a clear sign of perpetuation.
In the homeless charity world, local homeless agencies are going out of business. Not because homelessness has ended, but because they financially cannot keep their doors open.
The world of homeless services and housing remains massive. The federal government alone spendsseveral billion dollars per year, not including private dollars. Some would say that the system of ending homelessness should increase because the need is increasing.
Conscience Laundering – Is all of this charitable energy to end homelessness simply a guilt-relieving exercise for those of us who are not homeless? Are political and community leaders investing in homelessness to keep, as Buffet would say, “the existing structure of inequality in place”?
“The rich sleep better at night, while others get just enough to keep the pot from boiling over.”
I don’t think any of the leaders I have worked with to end homelessness would think they are putting in 60-hour work-weeks to prevent a revolution from occurring in this country, nor do they feel guilty because they are not homeless. On the contrary, our energy in this social struggle is because we are called to help those who are hurting, and because we, too, feel we could be without a home given the fragility of this economy.
Buffet’s assessment of this country’s charity industry may be correct in many cases. But within the homeless services and housing world, the goal of ending homelessness in this country is a public expression that the homeless charity world truly wants to go out of business, and not become what Buffet calls a “perpetual poverty machine”.
While some may feel ending homelessness is utopian, or wishful thinking at best, the direction and approach to its realization are correct.
When industry leaders and funders begin to help homeless agencies transfer their staff to other employment sectors and guide organization on how to sell their assets, then I may need to start issuing pink slips. Ironically issuing pink slips might be cause for celebration, because homelessness will have ended.

Marin Organizing Committee at Marin County Board of Supervisors 8/23/16

Thomas Gable, pastor of Marin Lutheran Church and member of the Marin Organizing Committee asks Marin Board of Supervisors for help finding an expanded , year round shelter for Ritter House. The homeless population increased 40% from 2013 to 2015 as reported by Marin Health and Human Services. Homeless clients from Berkeley, San Francisco and Out of State come to San Rafael to receive generous assistance. The Ritter house program for the Homeless has expanded rapidly. A new "low barrier" shelter operating 24 hours a day and 7 days a week will require massive public funding and a 24 hour professional staff. The current program is run with volunteers. The last location proposed by Ritter House would have TRIPLED the size of its current facility. While most people are generally supportive of the core mission of Ritter House, most believe that it must be managed properly and should be serving the local population.

San Rafael property sale kills deal for homeless center annex

A vacant building at 67 Mark Drive in northeast San Rafael was discussed as a possible service center and shelter for the homeless. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal) 

By Janis Mara, Marin Independent Journal

POSTED: 08/22/16, 5:23 PM PDT | UPDATED: 30 MINS AGO

10 COMMENTS

A potential new site for Ritter Center and Marin’s rotating emergency shelter program in North San Rafael has fallen through, officials said.

The 19,000-square-foot building at 67 Mark Drive in an industrial area south of Smith Ranch Road was discussed in June as a possible Ritter Center annex and year-round location for the volunteer-run shelter program known as REST, which provides a meal and a place for homeless to sleep during cold months.

“By the time we got around to talking about an offer, the property was already in very close discussions to be sold to somebody else,” said Cia Byrnes, Ritter’s executive director. “It’s too bad that happened.”

Initially, a friend of the center had offered to buy 67 Mark Drive on Ritter’s behalf and lease it to the center at a reasonable rate, Byrnes said. With that in mind, the county, Ritter, REST and others discussed locating a multiservice center for the homeless there.

Supporters of the proposed new site made a presentation at the City Council’s June 6 meeting, though the council did not take up the matter because it wasn’t on the agenda.

Also, 67 Mark Drive was discussed in a June meeting between city and county officials, Mayor Gary Phillips confirmed at the time.  Read the full story HERE

Editor's Note:  While we can be grateful that we did not have to fight the 67 Mark Dr. relocation,  we still need to be mindful that downtown San Rafael still has many issues with the Ritter Center that need to be solved. Please support our neighbors.  A special thanks to Mayor Phillips for his leadership

Neighbors of Low Barrier Homeless Shelter are sick of Drug Use, Prostitution and Crime in B.C.

IJ Forums - Homelessness in San Rafael & Future of the Ritter Center

The Charitable-Industrial Complex

By PETER BUFFETT

Published: July 26, 2013

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I HAD spent much of my life writing music for commercials, film and television and knew little about the world of philanthropy as practiced by the very wealthy until what I call the big bang happened in 2006. That year, my father, Warren Buffett, made good on his commitment to give nearly all of his accumulated wealth back to society. In addition to making several large donations, he added generously to the three foundations that my parents had created years earlier, one for each of their children to run.

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Early on in our philanthropic journey, my wife and I became aware of something I started to call Philanthropic Colonialism. I noticed that a donor had the urge to “save the day” in some fashion. People (including me) who had very little knowledge of a particular place would think that they could solve a local problem. Whether it involved farming methods, education practices, job training or business development, over and over I would hear people discuss transplanting what worked in one setting directly into another with little regard for culture, geography or societal norms.

Often the results of our decisions had unintended consequences; distributing condoms to stop the spread of AIDS in a brothel area ended up creating a higher price for unprotected sex.

But now I think something even more damaging is going on.

Because of who my father is, I’ve been able to occupy some seats I never expected to sit in. Inside any important philanthropy meeting, you witness heads of state meeting with investment managers and corporate leaders. All are searching for answers with their right hand to problems that others in the room have created with their left. There are plenty of statistics that tell us that inequality is continually rising. At the same time, according to the Urban Institute, the nonprofit sector has been steadily growing. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of nonprofits increased 25 percent. Their growth rate now exceeds that of both the business and government sectors. It’s a massive business, with approximately $316 billion given away in 2012 in the United States alone and more than 9.4 million employed.

Philanthropy has become the “it” vehicle to level the playing field and has generated a growing number of gatherings, workshops and affinity groups.

As more lives and communities are destroyed by the system that creates vast amounts of wealth for the few, the more heroic it sounds to “give back.” It’s what I would call “conscience laundering” — feeling better about accumulating more than any one person could possibly need to live on by sprinkling a little around as an act of charity.

But this just keeps the existing structure of inequality in place. The rich sleep better at night, while others get just enough to keep the pot from boiling over. Nearly every time someone feels better by doing good, on the other side of the world (or street), someone else is further locked into a system that will not allow the true flourishing of his or her nature or the opportunity to live a joyful and fulfilled life.

And with more business-minded folks getting into the act, business principles are trumpeted as an important element to add to the philanthropic sector. I now hear people ask, “what’s the R.O.I.?” when it comes to alleviating human suffering, as if return on investment were the only measure of success. Microlending and financial literacy (now I’m going to upset people who are wonderful folks and a few dear friends) — what is this really about? People will certainly learn how to integrate into our system of debt and repayment with interest. People will rise above making $2 a day to enter our world of goods and services so they can buy more. But doesn’t all this just feed the beast?

I’m really not calling for an end to capitalism; I’m calling for humanism.

Often I hear people say, “if only they had what we have” (clean water, access to health products and free markets, better education, safer living conditions). Yes, these are all important. But no “charitable” (I hate that word) intervention can solve any of these issues. It can only kick the can down the road.

My wife and I know we don’t have the answers, but we do know how to listen. As we learn, we will continue to support conditions for systemic change. 

It’s time for a new operating system. Not a 2.0 or a 3.0, but something built from the ground up. New code.

What we have is a crisis of imagination. Albert Einstein said that you cannot solve a problem with the same mind-set that created it. Foundation dollars should be the best “risk capital” out there.

There are people working hard at showing examples of other ways to live in a functioning society that truly creates greater prosperity for all (and I don’t mean more people getting to have more stuff). 

Money should be spent trying out concepts that shatter current structures and systems that have turned much of the world into one vast market. Is progress really Wi-Fi on every street corner? No. It’s when no 13-year-old girl on the planet gets sold for sex. But as long as most folks are patting themselves on the back for charitable acts, we’ve got a perpetual poverty machine.

It’s an old story; we really need a new one.

Peter Buffett is a composer and a chairman of the NoVo Foundation.

A version of this op-ed appeared in print on July 27, 2013, on page A19 of the New York edition wit

Ritter House proposes a Major Homeless Expansion in North San Rafael

Count finds 40 percent increase in Marin homeless population

By Richard Halstead, Marin Independent Journal

POSTED: 08/15/15, 2:01 PM PDT | UPDATED: ON 08/15/2015

10 COMMENTS

A one-day count of Marin County’s homeless population in January found 1,309 homeless people ­— a 40 percent increase from the 933 homeless reported in 2013.

The federal government requires all jurisdictions receiving funding to aid the homeless to conduct a count every two years. see story HERE

San Rafael Park Closed Over Drug Paraphernalia, Vandalism

San Rafael homeless camps up close

Homeless encampments are a leading cause of wild fires in Marin.

Vegetation fire extinguished near San Rafael homeless encampment

A small fire was sparked near a San Rafael homeless encampment late Monday.

Just before midnight, San Rafael firefighters responded to reports of a fire near 350 Merrydale Road.

Firefighters had to work their way through obstacles  See story HERE

Fires on Los Ranchitos Road in San Rafael Likely Caused by Homeless, Chief Says

The latest fire was reported at 11:10 p.m. Monday, according to fire Chief Christopher Gray.

By Maggie Avants (Patch Staff) - August 3, 2016 12:06 am ET 

SAN RAFAEL, CA — Authorities are investigating fires on private property on Los Ranchitos Road in San Rafael, the latest of which broke out late Monday night.

San Rafael fire Chief Chris Gray said a security guard at Guide Dogs for the Blind reported the fire at 340 Los Ranchitos at about 11:10 p.m. Monday. A quick response and action by firefighters from San Rafael and Marinwood limited its spread to one-eighth of an acre, Gray said.

The chief told Patch the fire "appeared to be caused by homeless activity."
Get free real-time news alerts from the San Rafael Patch.

"The area experienced another fire last month," Gray said. "Firefighters and the San Rafael Police Department are investigating further and seeing that a fence is repaired that has been broken down by campers accessing the area."

He said residents and businesses should report any suspicious activity to San Rafael police.

Meanwhile in a related story from Big Sur...

Big Sur blaze started by illegal campfire, officials say

The Soberanes Fire was started by an illegal, unattended campfire announced fire and law enforcement officials at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

The fire, which was reported the morning of July 22 by hikers in Garrapata State Park, has burned 43,400 acres, while destroying 57 homes and 11 outbuildings. One man, a bulldozer operator, has been killed in the fight.  See full story HERE

Steve Kinsey "solves" the Homeless Problem in Marin

West Marin Supervisor, Steve Kinsey "solves" the homeless problem of Marin by moving the homeless services from downtown San Rafael to North San Rafael.  This area is surrounded by hundreds of homes and businesses.  Apparently Steve Kinsey's "compassion" is the greatest when other people pay the price.  

Why not locate a homeless shelter in YOUR neighborhood Mr. Kinsey?

San Rafael responds to grand jury report on homeless

San Rafael responds to grand jury report on homeless

By Chris Rooney Marinscope contributor
Jun 10, 2015




DEREK WILSON/marinscope

Street patrol: Members of San Rafael’s Downtown Streets Team clean up the city’s neighborhoods. The Streets Team is a program to help benefit the city’s homeless by giving them a job and placing them back into society.

On the heels of a critical report from the Marin County civil grand jury accusing county officials of not doing enough to fight homelessness, San Rafael officials are ensuring that they’re doing their part to get involved.


While the report (“Homeless in Marin — A Call For Leadership”) doesn’t hold city officials accountable for most of the homelessness problems, it does point out that San Rafael carries the burden of having a significant proportion of the county’s homeless on its streets and in its parks.


“The City Council is very concerned about the impact of the street population on residents, business owners and visitors to our community,” said Economic Development Manager Stephanie Lovette. “The City Council is very aware of the current situation in our downtown, parks and library and has taken a series of actions to address the issue. Staff estimates the cost of these actions is about $1 Million annually.”
At the June 1 meeting Lovette presented to the council the staff’s response to the grand jury report’s findings, two of which noted that San Rafael businesses suffer from homelessness and that the city has more homeless due to the fact that most of the homeless services are nearby.


The grand jury’s most scathing finding — “There is no coordinated, focused, systemic plan with a comprehensive budget to eliminate homelessness in Marin County” — was only somewhat accepted by Lovette and the staff. The city’s official response pointed to a 10-year plan that is “focused on achieving three outcomes: (1) reducing chronic homelessness, (2) reducing the total number of homeless individuals and families, and (3) reducing the time that people spend in programs before achieving self-sufficiency.”


The council agreed unanimously to accept the staff’s response and to send it along to the civil grand jury. Councilwoman Kate Colin said the staff “nailed it” and Mayor Gary Phillips said the grand jury’s assessment was “pretty frank” and that homelessness “still troubles our community.”


“The City adopted a Homeless Action Plan in June 2013,” Lovette said. “This plan was developed based on the recommendations of a community stakeholder group appointed by the City Council and city staff research on best practices from other California communities that are addressing this issue.”


She added that San Rafael’s plan includes a combination of enforcement, prevention and support actions including adding an additional downtown police officer (now three officers), adding an additional Open Space Ranger (now two rangers), adding a mental health professional in the police department for street outreach, securing additional funding for clearing encampments and launching the Downtown Streets Team to clean the downtown streets and provide employment opportunities and training for homeless persons.


There are more than 1,300 people in Marin experiencing homelessness and thousands more are at-risk of losing their housing, according the most recent point-in-time homeless count. “With the second most expensive rental market in the nation, one must work 176 hours per week at minimum wage to afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment and there are over 10,000 people on the waiting list to for subsidized housing,” states a city announcement.


Contact Chris Rooney at scope@marinscope.com.

Controversial plan to end homelessness in San Rafael

Homeless outreach centers come under fire from resident.

POSTED:AUG 27 2015 03:10PM PDT

UPDATED:AUG 27 2015 03:10PM PDT

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (KTVU) - He's a man who last year was San Rafael's citizen of the year. He's also a man some homeless advocates say has little compassion.

Hugo Landecker is on a mission to end homelessness in San Rafael, by trying to force the closure of the homeless program that serves 3,700 Marin County families, the Ritter Center.

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"It's awful," is how Landecker describes San Rafael's homeless problem.

Controversial plan to end homelessness in San Rafael

"They don't want to be housed. They want to live on the streets and cause trouble in the community. They don't care about themselves. They don't care about anything," he told KTVU.

Landecker says he's tired of seeing people sleeping or passed out - tired of the litter and human waste. "We have people who will not go downtown because of what they see and experience."

He says by moving homeless services out of town - the homeless would also leave.

Ben Leroi is the Ritter Center's deputy director. "It really saddens us, it disappoints us," he told KTVU

Lerois said the Ritter Center has been battling Landecker over its lease.

Landecker is trying to convince the Ritter Center's landlord not to renew the lease on two of its properties when they expire in December.

"We're very familiar with Mr. Landecker. He's been kind of causing this type of uproar for the last few years."

The center says it provides everything from food and clothing to hot showers and mental health and substance abuse counseling.

Ritter Center director Cia Byrnes suggested Landecker's passion is misdirected.
"The depth of his protection for his town from my perspective has really eliminated his sense of compassion," she told KTVU.

Albert Ellis has been homeless for eight years and says he's familiar with Landecker's quest.

"It's not so much what I think of him it's what he doesn't understand. There's human needs and the biggest one is sleep and it's the first thing people who are homeless are deprived of."

Landecker has started an email campaign to address homelessness... and says he now has more than 400 members.

He's also proposing a massive homeless assistance center in Sonoma County at the former state hospital, and sending San Rafael's homeless there.

"So here's 2 1/2 square miles of land. This would make a fantastic homeless encampment," he told KTVU.

"I am about solutions. I see the problem. It's getting worse."

The Ritter Center says it is looking for a new home, but only because it wants a site that better suits its needs.

But in pricey Marin County that is proving difficult.

If the center can't find a new property, Ritter staff says it's confident its lease at its current locations will be renewed.

San Rafael's allure for homeless creates some tension

San Rafael's allure for homeless creates some tension

By Carolyn Jones Updated 8:45 am, Friday, November 29, 2013

Free Cellphone Program Vendor solicits outside Ritter Center in Downtown San Rafael, CA

For two years, Eric Lloyd was a denizen of People's Park in Berkeley, a regular fixture in that city's homeless panoply.

But about a month ago, he got tired of getting robbed - and arrested for public drunkenness - so on the advice of a friend he moved to San Rafael.

"It's great here," he said Wednesday while basking in the sun on Fourth Street, the city's main commercial strip. "It's safe. No one hassles me. Will I stay here? Yeah, I think so. I like it here."

Lloyd is one of 900 or so homeless people in Marin County, most of whom are concentrated around a soup kitchen, park and free clinic in downtown San Rafael, drawing the ire of residents and merchants who say the middle-class city of 58,000 is bearing the brunt of Marin County's homeless issues.

"We have a small downtown - we can't absorb it," said Carol Thompson, director of the downtown business association. "People say they don't want to come to downtown San Rafael because they're afraid of the homeless. It's very frustrating because there's very little we can do about it."

San Rafael, the county seat and one of the oldest North Bay cities, has had homeless people for decades, as least since St. Vincent de Paul opened its doors in the 1940s. St. Vincent - or Vinnie's, as it's known - provides the county's only free dining room and a large array of services for low-income Marin residents. The city is also home to shelters, a free clinic, domestic violence and substance abuse centers, and several other nonprofits that serve Marin's low-income residents.

A huge increase

With the economic downturn, the number of people seeking help from St. Vincent has more than doubled, from about 6,000 a year to 15,000 annually, said Christine Paquette, the agency's development director. 

Some of them suffer from chronic drug abuse or mental illness, and many are longtime Marin residents who lost their jobs in the recession and fell behind on their rents, which at an average of $1,900 for a two-bedroom apartment are among the highest in the nation.

The homeless population further swelled in the past year or two with the steady flow of transient young people making their way up and down the West Coast. With its mild weather, low crime rate and generous homeless services, San Rafael is a popular stop for those migrating up the coast.

Support services

Typically, San Rafael's homeless sleep in Boyd Memorial Park, then head to St. Vincent and the nearby Ritter Center for food, health care, showers, clothing, substance abuse counseling or other services.

The result is a triangular path bisected by Fourth Street, the city's historic shopping district, which San Rafael has spent at least a decade sprucing up and which now hosts myriad festivals, parades, farmers' markets and other attractions.

"Some of the homeless certainly cross the line. The pit bulls, the tossing of the f-word when you're walking down the street with your 6-year-old and Grandma - people aren't used to that, and they don't expect it. Especially in Marin," Paquette said. "For some people, an experience like that can ruin their afternoon."

More than 70 percent of downtown merchants say their business has been affected by the homeless, costing thousands of dollars in lost sales and tax revenue, Thompson and city staff members said.

Annie Bowman, who opened the furniture store Sunrise Home downtown 37 years ago, said she feels compassion for those who have no place to go but worries about the safety and comfort of her employees and customers.

"When I came to San Rafael, it was the epitome of a charming, vibrant downtown," she said. "It does break my heart to see it like this. It's a complex issue that's happening in other cities, too, but it seems the pendulum here has swung too far."
Librarians help

At the public library, staff members have "absolutely seen an increase" in the homeless population, said library director Sarah Houghton. Librarians have become de facto social workers, handling everything from fistfights to untreated mental illness to screaming and drug abuse, she said.

"More than anything, it means the staff has less time to help regular library patrons," she said. "It's no different than what's happening in San Francisco, just on a smaller scale."
San Rafael has taken many steps to address the issue: hiring the homeless to clean the streets, deploying more police downtown, clearing out encampments in the parks and adding more beds to a downtown detox center.

Merchants and homeless advocates both agree that those steps appear to be working. And, although the homeless sometimes defecate and urinate on the sidewalks, they don't often aggressively panhandle or commit crimes, Thompson said.

"Pops," 64, lived on San Rafael streets for nine years before recently moving in with a friend in Novato. He still dines at St. Vincent and said he sympathizes with both sides.
"No one wants to walk down the street and feel harassed or threatened. I'm not happy about it, either," he said last week while eating lunch. "But what can we do? We can't just put people on a bus to Richmond or Vallejo - that's where a lot of them came from to begin with. It's not an easy problem."

Praise for San Rafael

Lloyd, meanwhile, is enjoying his stay in Marin. The 49-year-old Missouri native has been homeless most of his life, he said, and he appreciates the quiet of San Rafael and generosity of its residents.

"Nice people. And St. Vincent is great," he said as he relaxed next to the Rafael Film Center. "I'm not out to get on people's nerves. ... I don't want people bothering me, either. Just like anyone, I want peace and quiet."

Carolyn Jones is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: carolynjones@sfchronicle.com

San Rafael temporarily closing Boyd Park to encourage homeless people to leave (2015)

Will Marinwood Parks and Open Space become a haven for illegal e
ncampments if Ritter Center relocates to North San Rafael?

San Rafael temporarily closing Boyd Park to encourage homeless people to leave

By

By Megan Hansen


POSTED: 01/22/15, 12:01 AM PST |1 COMMENT





Fed up with homeless people congregating at Boyd Memorial Park, San Rafael Mayor Gary Phillips is taking matters into his own hands by closing the park Monday.
Closure signs are in the process of being created and will be posted at the beginning of the week. The 4.2-acre park on B Street is anticipated to be closed for 30 days, but Phillips said it could be longer.

"I want to break the cycle so this is not a place for them to hang out," Phillips said. "I want to return this place to the community and have some family-friendly events here."

City Council members have received an influx of emails and phone calls recently from residents and business owners complaining about homeless people drinking, doing drugs and littering in the park. The Marin History Museum, which occupies the Boyd Gate House adjacent to the park, has also been vandalized and had items stolen.

Phillips said residents have told him they're afraid to take their children to the area because the homeless people make them feel uncomfortable. While city employees encounter many homeless people who are trying to improve their lives, he said the people who hang out at the park are not interested in changing their ways.

"Reportedly this group is not of this nature. They sit here, have their methamphetamine and go get a meal at St. Vincent de Paul," Phillips said.

See the full 2015 story in the Marin IJ HERE

The Ritter Center and the Crime Heat Map

Here is a quick video of the crime heat maps in Downtown San Rafael and the proposed location for the Ritter Center in North San Rafael. The crime statistics tell the story.

See the maps at http://www.srpd.org/crimereports/

Marinwood CSD Board refuses leadership on Ritter Center relocation.

The county of Marin and San Rafael is considering moving Ritter Center homeless services to 67 Mark Drive in North San Rafael that borders residential areas.  The Marinwood CSD provides emergency services to this area WITHOUT COMPENSATION and will be the primary responder.   We also own thousands of acres of open space where we have had problems with homeless encampments and fires.   

Clearly the move will have huge impact yet NO ONE on the CSD board wants to act to protect the Marinwood CSD's interest.  Leah Kleinman Green even admits that she SUPPORTS the move but she has not heard from her neighbors.  Naylor, Kai and Shea seem concerned but will do nothing to make San Rafael and the County of the aware of the financial impacts it will have on the Marinwood CSD.   

Where are our leaders?!

Homeless Shelter is being pushed for North San Rafael

Homeless services advocates seek support for North San Rafael center

This vacant building at 67 Mark Drive in San Rafael is being considered as a year-round emergency shelter for homeless. Alan Dep — Marin Independent Journal

By Stephanie Weldy, Marin Independent Journal

POSTED: 06/24/16, 8:39 PM PDT | UPDATED: 2 HRS AGO

38 COMMENTS

Cia Byrnes, executive director of Ritter Center, stands at the nonprofit’s building in downtown San Rafael. Ritter Center might move with other programs for the homeless to a vacant building at 67 Mark Drive in San Rafael.Alan Dep — Marin Independent Journal

Promoters of a plan to consolidate some of Marin’s homeless services are launching a public effort to gather support for a homeless multi-service center in North San Rafael.

“This offers the possibility of connecting people sleeping on floors with showers and other services that could get them to be housed,” said Cia Byrnes, executive director of the Ritter Center, a nonprofit that serves the poor.

The idea is to move the Ritter Center from its downtown San Rafael site to a vacant building in an industrial area south of Smith Ranch Road.

Under the proposal, the organization would not be the only one relocating to the 24,000-square-foot building at 67 Mark Drive.

St. Vincent de Paul Society would move some services to the site, excluding its dining room. The REST program, the county’s rotating emergency shelter program now operated by volunteers only during the winter, would also call the site home.

The goal is to establish a year-round emergency shelter there that would replace the REST program’s rotating shelter staged at churches and synagogues during cold months. See full article in the Marin IJ

Editor's Note:  A few years back, then CSD Board President Bruce Anderson  (currently the moderator for NextDoor/Lucas Valley) proposed that Marinwood Community Center become a "Temporary Homeless Shelter" if needed.  The board consisting of Cyane Dandridge, Leah Kleinman-Green, Tarey Reed, and Bill Hansel   approved unanimously.  Ir never was adopted because of the distance from downtown.  If the shelter comes to North San Rafael,  it is likely that a "temporary" homeless shelter may be located in our neighborhoods at Marinwood Plaza, Big Rock Deli or the Marinwood Community Center.  I believe these voluntary agreements are valid for ten years.  Lucas Valley Community Church at the corner of Lucas Valley Road and Las Gallinas also participates in homeless services.