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Marin County Reaches Major Housing Benchmark

“The County is grateful to all its community partners, especially front-line case managers, for the incredible work they’ve done getting clients into housing including increasing the pace of housing by 56% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Benita McLarin, Director of Marin County Health and Human Services.

Published

3 years ago

September 11, 2022

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Marin County

Marin County and its community partners have exceeded the milestone of housing over 500 formerly homeless individuals in permanent supportive housing since launching the Coordinated Entry system in October 2017. The count, as of today, stands at 518 housed.

People who are chronically homeless have been homeless for more than a year and have a disability that would make it difficult or impossible for them to live independently.

“I’ve seen people housed who were homeless for decades, who were homeless in the cities they grew up in,” said Christine Paquette, Executive Director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin. “The impact of moving into housing after all that time is dramatic. Once a person has the safety and stability of housing, they can thrive.”

Coordinated Entry is a uniform system of assessment and prioritization to allocate housing resources. The purpose of a coordinated entry system is to ensure that all people experiencing homelessness have fair and equal access to resources. Participants are identified, assessed for, and connected to available housing and homeless services based on their needs. The system uses standardized tools and practices, incorporates a system-wide Housing First (no barriers to entry) approach, and, in an environment of scarce resources, coordinates housing support to prioritize those with the most severe needs.

Mark Shotwell, Executive Director of Ritter Center, credits the collaboration of partners in the community for Marin’s success in getting people housed. “When I came to Marin from Alameda County four years ago, the most striking thing to me was how well everyone worked together, from the County to the Housing Authority to the service providers. Everyone was unified in the goal of ending homelessness, not just for their clients but for everyone in Marin.”

The Future of Housing

While the 500 people housed represent a great milestone for Marin’s system of care and a lifechanging intervention, many who need assistance are still waiting for resources to become available.

“While our collective efforts have been successful in housing very vulnerable individuals and families in our community, we are reminded daily that housing is out of reach for many of our neighbors,” said Homeward Bound of Marin’s Mary Kay Sweeney. “Projects like Casa Buena in Corte Madera and Jonathan’s Place (formerly Mill Street) soon to open in San Rafael will end homelessness for many people. More projects like these are needed here and everywhere in the U.S. to finally level the housing playing field. We’re on our way!”

Marin County continues to invest in proven housing-focused solutions to homelessness, including over 100 new beds of housing through Project Homekey and housing-based case management paired with vouchers to create new supportive housing.

“We know that the solution to homelessness is a home,” said Gary Naja-Riese, Director of Marin County Health and Human Services’ Division of Homelessness and Whole Person Care. “We’re working hard every day until we have a home for everyone.”

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

1 week ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.