Marin Organizing Committee (MOC) leaders are fighting to expand a seasonal Rotating Emergency Shelter program to a year-long program benefiting people that need emergency shelter. Leaders propose that the initiative be funded and supported not just by Marin County but by municipalities within county lines. More than 40 congregations participated in the program last year, taking turns sheltering and feeding homeless families overnight at their facilities; about 360 men and women benefited from the collaboration.
MOC leaders presented their proposal to the San Anselmo Town Council Tuesday night, asking for the city's support. "We feel strongly that homelessness is a countywide issue and needs a countywide solution," said Meredith Parnell, leader from Congregation Rodef Sholom and MOC. She is part of team of leaders who will be making similar presentations to the cities of Tiburon and Fairfax.
At a Marin Organizing Committee assembly earlier this year, San Rafael Mayor Gary Philips and Larry Meredith, the head of Marin County's Health and Human Services, pledged to work together to create a new emergency shelter that would open year round.
Editorial: Marin Cities Can Help Finance Homeless Shelter, Marin Independent Journal
Feature: Another Day in Paradise, Pacific Sun
Marin Municipalities Asked to Support Year-Round Shelter, Marin Independent Journal