For all its beauty and opportunity, living in Marin County is a challenge. In fact, it’s that same beauty and opportunity that make it so challenging to be a resident here—the feelings of privilege and pleasure are mixed with the awareness of economic, racial and resource disparity and a general lack of equity that Marin County is still working to correct. The wealth disparity alone is enough to incite righteous anger and grief. Displays of extreme excess and extreme poverty are too common, and the scales need balancing.
One major issue Marin County faces is homelessness. One of the wealthiest counties in California, a 2019 census showed an estimate of 1,034 homeless people (“Marin’s Homeless Face Severe Lack of Shelter Beds, Supportive Housing,” Pacific Sun, July 21, 2021). The great news is that, for all the indulgent, willfully ignorant citizens who choose to eat caviar and ignore the struggles of their fellow humans, there are those who care deeply and who balance their appreciation for the beauty of Marin County with selfless effort to support those who need it.
One such group of individuals is found at Homeward Bound of Marin.
Homeward Bound’s motto is, “Opening doors to safety, dignity, hope and independence.” Their goal is to support those experiencing homelessness as they move from crisis to stability to thriving, to help them develop a sense of self-respect and agency that lasts beyond the initial experience of shelter.
Homeward Bound’s first iteration manifested in 1974, when an emergency shelter was opened, with interfaith backing, to house four Marin families. At that time it was known as Marin Housing Center, but in 1996 it reimagined itself as Homeward Bound Marin, adopting its aforementioned motto and the mission of empowering individuals as well as providing them with shelter.
“What we do is approach each individual separately, and try to work with them to figure out what is the appropriate response to their situation of being unhoused,” said Paul Fordham, Homeward Bound’s deputy director and co-leader. “What I mean by that is that everyone is different, and at different stages of their life. Hopefully their experience of homelessness has been brief and is solvable, but sometimes it’s been much longer, and is still solvable, so we meet people where they are, see what resources they are—or need to be—connected to and what sort of support they need.”
Homeward Bound offers different methods of care for people in different situations. Programs that help people clean up their credit scores, save money and secure employment are built to help those individuals for whom it’s possible to return to the operating economy as renters and employees. For others, who struggle with mental health issues, mental health support and a long-term housing subsidy are sought.
“It might be helping them get a diagnosis for their condition and wraparound support regarding counseling and medication, getting them on certain waitlists and getting the appropriate assessments done,” Fordham said. “It’s a different set of needs, that we address specifically.”
Homeward Bound works to understand the history of each resident, from their previous experiences with homelessness to their personal story. For example, Homeward Bound has 12 beds in the shelter designated for veterans.
“We can get someone right into those veteran beds, and we have someone on staff who can connect people with the Veterans Administration and healthcare system—we give the VA an office in our building,” Fordham said. “So, if we find out someone is a veteran, we fastrack them to the veteran’s program and try to get them that support as soon as possible. Similarly, if someone is a senior or disabled, we try to get them on the pertinent lists right away, because some of those lists take a long time. One of the first things we do is connect them with the appropriate resources.”
Homeward Bound is designed to provide each resident with a 28-day stay, with the option of renewal. The goal of the “housing-focused” shelters is to work together to move residents toward long-term housing while they are staying in the shelter. Each shelter resident meets with Homeward Bound staff once a week to review and strategize the necessary steps to move towards permanent housing.
“As long as they are working with us and cohabitating well at the shelter, at the end of 28 days they’re given the option to extend for another 28 days and another 28 days, for as long as they need it,” Fordham said. “Conflict, ignoring goals, etc. might result in a resident being asked to leave, but they are welcome to come back and try again, now that they understand the requirements.”
A particularly phenomenal feature of Homeward Bound is its culinary program, Fresh Starts Culinary Academy, an American Culinary Federation-certified flagship job-training program built to serve low-income students from the community as well as Homeward Bound residents.
“We’ve been offering culinary training since 2001,” Fordham said. “When we opened our 80-bed shelter, New Beginnings, in Novato in 2000, we were looking to start a cafeteria to provide three meals a day. As we were looking to run the cafeteria we saw people on the other side of the line trying to get a job, so we started the training program. It’s evolved and is now industry-certified and recognized. It’s a 10-week program, five days a week from 9 to 3, much like a job, and it’s offered totally free of charge to those experiencing homlessness and low-income residents in the community. At the end of 10 weeks we help our graduates find their next job outside of Homeward Bound, or they’re placed in jobs in our shelters.”
Homeward Bound also produces a line of dog treats called Wagster Treats—sold in places like Whole Foods—and Halo Truffles, as well as Halo Homemades—a line of jams and salsas. A third of their staff of 100 are formerly homeless citizens. Their CEO, Mary Kay, has been at the helm for 29 years, and was inducted into the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame in 2016.
There are big-time, pulsing, lights in the darkness. Homeward Bound is one of those lights—a lighthouse for Marin.
If you are experiencing homelessness or struggling financially, help is available. Homeward Bound of Marin has shelters in Novato, San Rafael and Sausalito. Call 1.866.660.4288 TTY English / 1.866.288.1677 TTY Spanish or email
in**@hb***.org
. http://hbofm.org.
