Marin County could declare ‘shelter crisis’ to help provide more emergency housing

The Marin County Board of Supervisors will vote tomorrow (Tuesday) on whether to declare a three-year "shelter crisis" to help reduce homelessness.

County officials said the declaration of a shelter crisis would allow for expanded emergency shelter options, including temporary cabins and recreational vehicles. 

If approved, officials added the designation would ease zoning and permitting restrictions for shelters on county-owned property. It would also allow for faster deployment of temporary housing solutions.

No funding is attached to the proposal, which applies only to unincorporated areas.

For this plan to work, the Board must update building codes for emergency shelters under California law.

Currently, county rules require permanent foundations, making it harder to set up and remove temporary housing. According to last year’s Point-In-Time census of the nation’s homeless population, nearly 1,100 Marin County residents were listed as homeless – a slight decrease from 2022.