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ST. VINCENT'S | 5 homelessness services arena because of Covid. Sometimes we look at each other and say, "Can you believe we're buying motels?" We didn't think we'd ever get that kind of support. Q There has also been some community confusion and opposition to programs like Project Homekey. Is there pushback from people who say, "Fine, we want to end homelessness, but we don't want homeless people living on our block or in our neighborhood?" A Sure, that's understandable. When we launch housing programs in Marin, they are exceptionally well-run. Once we get the chance to show residents how people can live together without conflict, we see neighbors creating welcome baskets for our clients, because they realize that nothing terrible is happening and it feels good to give people a new chance for a decent life. Q Let's put a human face on this issue. Is there a particular case that stands out in your mind as an unlikely success story, one that really moved you? A There are so many, especially since we've been working with this collaborative. But there is one story of a woman who was mentally ill and on the streets screaming every day. The police knew her, the businesses knew her. Our case manager was able to locate a place in Nevada for her to l iv e on her $1, 000 monthly disability income. We paid our dining room staff to help truck her stuff in a U-Haul. She showed up to our office on moving day with a little goldfish in a plastic bag, ready to go. She's been living in her own apartment and paying her own bills for many years now. With a roof over her head, she was able to turn things around. Q Let's say you end chronic homelessness in Marin. Wouldn't that make Marin a magnet for every homeless person who wants to be housed by you? A That's a great question. There has been a lot of research on that very topic, including researchers who have put GPS trackers on people experiencing homelessness to understand how people move around. When they become homeless in Marin, they stay in Marin because it is the area they know. When they become homeless in Sonoma County, they stay in Sonoma County. We can end chronic homelessness in Marin without worrying about a migration. Instead, our work can be a model for other communities to end homelessness in their own areas. Q All of this sounds expensive when you first hear about it. How much is all of this costing? Or does it actually save money? A Studies show it costs about $60,000 a year for a person to be homeless on the street due to hospital, incarceration, and other costs. We have seen people with 20 ambulance rides a year needed from downtown San Rafael to Marin General at $2,000 per ride. And that's not even counting the cost to area businesses. Keeping a person housed costs about $20,000. So, we're saving millions of dollars by doing it this way and we're saving lives at the same time. Q It sounds like you've come up with a winning formula. A After a while with MASH, we got to the point where we could say, "Wait a minute, we have identified the client, we can get him or her an ongoing case manager, a landlord is willing to house that person and, thanks to the Marin Housing Authority, we have a housing voucher so they can afford to stay housed." It was an amazing moment when we realized that together we may have found the answer. So far, very few communities across the country have been able to put together a formula like this. Q When you speak to groups, I imagine a question you often get asked is how can I help? A When residents understand the complexity of homelessness, this is a huge asset to us. If you want to volunteer, that is wonderful. If you can send us a donation, we promise to use it wisely. But, in the end, just by understanding that housing first is the solution, we know we can count you as part of our team. While there's more work to be done, we invite everyone to join our effort to end this terrible suffering in our community forever.

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