For Richer or for Poorer?

The North Bay Bohemian
By Rachel Dovey | September 15, 2017
Marin County, California

In wealthy Marin, opposition to low-income housing is high—and so are the numbers of the county’s poor, aged and disabled who need it most…

In some communities, this is where low-income housing would come into play, but for a variety of reasons—land-use restrictions, zoning policies and neighborhood opposition among them—Marin is lacking in belowmarket-rate units. According to a Novato-based advocacy group, this has forced 60 percent of the local workforce to live outside the county. But the shortage is also affecting Marin’s disproportionately large population of seniors—21.2 percent over 62, compared to 14.2 percent California-wide—many of whom live on fixed incomes and struggle with age-based disabilities.