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Nonprofits press supervisors for more housing, fair‑housing and nonprofit funding during budget hearings
Summary
Nonprofits and service providers urged Marin County supervisors May 19 to restore and expand funding for homelessness prevention, fair‑housing enforcement, legal services, immigrant rapid response and Ritter Center’s capital campaign during the special budget hearing public‑comment period.
Dozens of nonprofit leaders and service providers addressed the Board of Supervisors during the May 19 budget hearing, urging increased county funding for homelessness prevention, renter protection, legal aid, fair‑housing enforcement and a capital campaign for the Ritter Center clinic.
Speakers included Meredith Parnell of Saint Vincent de Paul Society of Marin (noting the loss of state HomeSafe funding for older adults), Lisa Bennett of the Multicultural Center of Marin (urging support for the Marin Rapid Response Network, a volunteer hotline for immigrant families), and multiple representatives from Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California and Fancy (FANCI), who described recent federal cuts to fair‑housing grants and asked the board to restore county funding to prior Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) levels.
Ritter Center leaders — staff and board members including CEO Mark Shotwell — asked the county for a one‑time general fund contribution to close funding gaps on a new integrated health and wellness facility in downtown San Rafael. Several speakers representing Community Action Marin, Legal Aid of Marin, Fair Housing Advocates and other community organizations stressed that prevention funding and legal aid help avoid evictions and reduce homelessness. Other public comments requested continued county support for community‑based emergency response (the Marin Rapid Response Network), community land trust planning, and workforce retention investments for county employees.
Several speakers also raised county staffing and retention concerns, especially in public safety and probation, and asked supervisors to prioritize workforce stability during bargaining. In response, supervisors and staff acknowledged the breadth of requests and said they will continue reviewing budget amendments and bring further details back in the next hearings.
