Charity Navigator
Homeward Bound operates Marin County’s only year-round shelter services for adults. The shelter at Jonathan’s Place in San Rafael and New Beginnings Center in Novato, where we also provide housing-focused shelter services, compose a large part of our Adult Services Program. The Transition to Wellness program, operated with local hospitals and social service agencies, offers three double-bed rooms of medical respite shelter for adults leaving acute care without stable housing. Homeward Bound also operates several long-term supportive housing programs.
We participate in the Coordinated Entry System that guides use of shelter services in Marin County. Homeward Bound adheres to privacy protection guidelines issued by the Marin County Continuum of Care – please read the Privacy Notice for details.
To request shelter services, please contact our team at 415-457-9651. The screening and admission process for shelter services has been adjusted in response to the pandemic to allow time for COVID-19 testing before entry to the shelter. During this period, please contact the team at 10 a.m. Monday for intake appointments on Wednesday or Thursday. Community agencies wishing to refer someone or individuals seeking shelter services can contact our team at mscintake@hbofm.org.
Jonathan’s Place (formerly Mill Street Center)
Our longtime site at 190 Mill St. has reopened as Jonathan’s Place in honor of a special donor’s son, who experienced homelessness in Marin. This new shelter space becomes the “front door” for adults needing shelter, with rooms to serve 40 people per night on the same site where our shelter has operated since 1986.
Homeward Bound provides “housing-focused shelter,” meaning that all residents are expected to engage in developing plans for stable housing. As space becomes available, residents may move to New Beginnings Center or other programs.
New Beginnings Center
New Beginnings Center is an 80-bed shelter for single adults in Novato. This center that combines shelter, job training and work experience opportunities opened in 2000 as the first homeless shelter in the country built on a decommissioned military base.
The center operates as a housing-focused shelter, meaning all residents are expected to engage in developing plans for stable housing. A total of 12 beds are set aside for homeless veterans in a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
New Beginnings Center
1399 N. Hamilton Parkway
Novato, CA 94949
415-382-3363 x233
New Beginnings Center offers onsite programs for employment skills training. These include Fresh Starts Culinary Academy, an award-winning 10-week intensive course in culinary basics certified by the American Culinary Federation.
Homeward Bound also offers paid apprenticeships in Janitorial and Building Maintenance as well as Landscaping and Garden Maintenance.
Transition to Wellness
Three double-bed rooms at the Next Key Center for adults leaving hospital care without stable housing. Services include nursing supervision, case management and access to support from Homeward Bound. This innovative program is a collaboration between Homeward Bound, local hospitals, Ritter Center and other social service providers. All residents in this program are referred from inpatient care at Marin General Hospital, Novato Hospital or Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Rafael.
In 2021-22, the program served 78 people, saving 795 days of hospitalization valued at almost $3.3 million.
Supportive Housing for Homeless Adults
Facing a critical lack of affordable housing, Homeward Bound provides extended options for adults transitioning out of homelessness. These programs offer support services that may include counseling, job training and job retention support, along with credit repair or money management classes. Our permanent supportive housing programs offer more than 350 beds for residents who sign a lease and a code of conduct agreement; they may stay as long as they remain in good standing. Our programs include:
The Next Key Center
These 29 studio apartments adjacent to New Beginnings Center provide “employment enhancement housing” for people completing longer-term education or job-training programs. Residents may enroll in training at Homeward Bound or elsewhere, including classes at local colleges or employer-sponsored programs such as management training at Peet’s or Starbucks.
The Next Key Apartments are part of a site that includes Homeward Bound administrative offices, a training kitchen for Fresh Starts Culinary Academy, and The Key Room event venue with on-site catering.
The Next Key Center
1385 N. Hamilton Parkway
Novato, CA 94949
415-382-3363
Fourth Street Center
20 single-room units with shared kitchen, living room and bathrooms.
Fourth Street Center
1111 Fourth Street
San Rafael, CA 94901
Fireside Apartments
Eight apartments for formerly homeless seniors at the Fireside Apartments in Mill Valley, a collaboration with Eden Housing Corp.
Fireside Apartments
115 Shoreline Hwy.
Mill Valley, CA 94941
Warner Creek Senior Housing
Sixty apartments for low-income seniors at Warner Creek Senior Housing in Novato. Homeward Bound provides support services in a collaboration with Eden Housing Corp.
Warner Creek Senior Housing
806 Diablo Ave.
Novato, CA 94947
King Street Senior Housing
Twelve rooms for formerly homeless seniors in a building that once served as a convent for St. Patrick’s Parish in Larkspur, which has leased the site to Homeward Bound of Marin.
King Street Senior Housing
127 King St.
Larkspur, CA 94939
Homeward Bound is committed to equal opportunity and equal consideration without regard to race, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, color creed, gender, age, disability or any other protected class.
