Community Action Marin

Community Action Marin is the largest non‐profit provider of social services to individuals and families of low income in Marin County. Designated by the Marin Board of Supervisors as the county’s official antipoverty agency, our mandate is to eliminate the causes and consequences of poverty. Our mission is to make it possible for people to achieve well-being by providing the vital services they need. Together, we break down barriers that get in the way of fair and lasting change in service to better outcomes for all. Our vision is that all of us in Marin have an equal opportunity to live our lives with dignity and respect. Our approach is one of intensive and long‐term stewardship, with the goal of helping clients move from a state where their immediate needs are not met to a place of self‐ sufficiency and thriving.

All of us in Marin have an equal opportunity to live our lives with dignity and respect.

Goal One: Each employee belongs - Establish an inclusive culture and create a warm and professional work environment.

Goal Two: Access to services/Whole family approach - Enhance impact through a focus on listening to needs and on leveraging community strengths; implement a multi-generational approach to help people thrive.

Goal Three: Continuous improvement - Increase effectiveness and excellence through a focus on planning, learning, data, and outcomes.

Examples of training opportunities provided to agency staff in past 12 months - Cultural humility; Trauma-informed practice and resilience; Leadership for Equity and Opportunity; People-Manager training series and coaching; Program-specific development opportunities.

Strategic partnerships are a central component of how we advance racial and economic justice. We partner with other service providers to develop approaches that best respond to our common community/clients and to inform funders and public systems on ways to improve and advance equity. We are a founding partner of a local equitable recovery policy task force which has successfully advocated for the extension of a local eviction moratorium and equity as a central criteria for any recovery efforts or investments. Our external communication and marketing efforts, including periodic Op Eds, aim at raising awarenes and connecting stakeholders with action to advance our mission and vision. We engage clients and community in shared learning and leadership on the issues that connect us, including parent Policy Council leaders.

Over the past year, people of color and those with low-income in our community have been largely left out of recovery efforts. We have adapted and expanded programs and services in response to community need and pursued new public/private partnerships to address systemic inequities and improve access to vital services. Our early childhood programs and homeless outreach services have continued to operate in-person throughout the pandemic, incorporating health and safety protocols to protect well-being of clients and employees while continuing these vital services. Other programs operated for extended periods online and now operate under a hybrid model of some in-person and some online. These adaptations have included providing devices, training and coaching for staff as well as clients on how to use various technologies. We have grown some programs significantly to address needs, including rent and cash assistance, and emergency food. Staff and clients alike have experienced increased need for mental health supports which we are incorporating across the agency and across programs. New partnerships in community have allowed us to align our approach with that of other service providers and work with local leaders to solve pressing issues. Our work has ensured that those most in need are receiving critical supports at this challenging time via the trusted relationships that are central to how we operate and support better outcomes tomorrow.