Ritter Center seeks one‑time county grant and CDBG support to complete San Rafael health facility

Representatives of Ritter Center, the county’s federally qualified health center serving people experiencing homelessness, appealed to the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 26 for a one‑time county contribution to close a capital funding gap to renovate and relocate operations to a building at 800 A Street in downtown San Rafael.

Cynthia Lemons, Dan Eagle and Joelle (Noel) Colome, and Ritter Center CEO Mark Shotwell described the planned facility as a consolidated, “wraparound” health center that would increase capacity by roughly 30%, co‑locate medical, behavioral health and case management services, expand the food pantry and house mobile medical vans countywide. They described Ritter Center as the county’s only health‑care‑for‑the‑homeless site and said the facility would permit expanded integrated care for people with multiple needs, including mental health and substance use disorders.

Shotwell said Ritter Center served more than 2,500 people last year and operates a food pantry serving roughly 375 families weekly. Center representatives thanked the county for earlier support and asked the board to consider a one‑time grant from the general fund and support for their pending CDBG application to accelerate opening the new location. The board did not adopt a grant award on Feb. 26; staff said the May budget hearings will include one‑time funding recommendations.

Clarifying details: speakers repeatedly described Ritter Center as the county’s only federally qualified health center designated as a health‑care‑for‑the‑homeless site and cited program volumes (more than 2,500 clients served last year; food pantry serving about 375 families per week). The center requested a one‑time general fund allocation and support for a CDBG award; specific county dollar requests were not recorded during public comment.