A new study, “Growing Together: Advancing Housing Solutions for Workers in West Marin,” commissioned by the Committee for Housing Agricultural Workers and Their Families, a coalition formed by the County of Marin and Marin Community Foundation, together with West Marin Fund and other community partners and leaders, unveils the complex challenges and collaborative solutions needed to address the housing crisis facing the West Marin, California, community and economy.

Key findings from the study include:

  • Much of the rental housing in West Marin, California is in poor condition and lacks basic amenities. About 78 percent of households in the study live in housing with major health and safety violations.
  • Latino workers and their families are most likely to live in this substandard housing because they comprise the majority of the workforce on West Marin, California’s ranches and farms, and this housing is all they can afford in proximity to their work.
  • The insufficient supply of housing has a detrimental impact on everyone from visitors to community members and business owners. Employers find it hard to keep their businesses going as employee shortages, due to lack of housing, have contributed to dairies shuttering and restaurants reducing hours.
  • Service workers are among the lowest-paid workers in Marin County, California. Their services enable hundreds of thousands of visitors to enjoy the pleasures of Point Reyes National Seashore and surrounding tourist attractions.

This study outlines four key recommendations for taking action:

  1. Rehabilitate existing substandard rental housing, most urgently the housing on ranches and for residents living in or displaced by substandard housing conditions.
  2. Maximize existing housing and develop new housing by incentivizing opportunities for property owners to provide safe housing options for local workers.
  3. Increase tenant protections and safety net services by formalizing tenant leases and access to legal aid and other assistance.
  4. Build public and political will by strengthening Latino organizing and advocacy and inspiring homeowners and officials to act.

For the full “Growing Together” study, action items, and a listing of community learning sessions, click here.

Contact: 415.464.2500.

Click here to read the report

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