Veteran Homelessness Update in Marin

Here’s an update as of August 2024 on local Marin progress from Sheri Joseph of Tam Pacific: The local goal of ending Veteran homelessness is in reach, thanks to the development of Homeward Bound’s Puett Place and the extraordinary efforts by staff in coordination with other County entities. 

1) Puett Place will open with 24 units of permanent supportive housing. It has project based vouchers, meaning that each unit has a permanent voucher in place to subsidize rent; the bonus is that whenever a resident leaves, the project based voucher clones itself so that a new additional voucher will follow the resident to be used for other housing.

2) Functional zero actually means 3 or less homeless vets.

3) There are currently 26 homeless vets in Marin. Through the County’s Coordinated Entry, 12 of them have been pre-approved to move into Puett Place. The tracking data shows that 2 more veterans go homeless every month. So even when every current vet is housed, we will still need the ability to house 2 more a month. 

4) For the larger, general homeless population in Marin, about 10 people are housed every month. So if the County system will prioritize the 2 homeless vets, then functional zero is feasible. 

Good question: Why is it so important for the veteran group to reach functional zero, as opposed to other populations? 

Good answer: Ending veteran homelessness will prove to the community and larger public that there is hope, and that the programs and developments give results. If the community can get a handle on at least one section of the homeless population, then the model can be replicated and applied to other segments. For example, there are currently 45 homeless families in Marin. Ending veteran homelessness will shine a light on the homeless families, too, and prove that a data driven approach will also work for them. Success brings attention and attracts resources. The veterans model will prove that the fall into homelessness can be brief if addressed by a result-driven system that provides the housing and critical wrap around services to keep people housed.