Spring/Summer 2025

This year will mark the completion of our Novato campus as an innovative nexus of affordable housing and supportive employment. Two years of construction will come to an end, leaving 50 new homes with tenants proudly carrying their keys and this beautiful new space dedicated to learning, careers and community. With your help, we will see even more people forge their own futures with this powerful pairing.

Reflecting on the stories in this newsletter, our vision of “Ending homelessness through training, housing and hope” has never felt more alive.

There literally is nothing better than watching someone receive their keys and move into their new home – home at last from the uncertainty of homelessness – and seeing their whole being unfurl.

We have witnessed this homecoming multiple times over the past few months as the newly built housing at Puett Place (24 units for veterans) and Sweeney Place (26 units for adults and families) have reached full occupancy.

From this stable base of housing, many of our new residents are now thriving in meaningful employment.  We are grateful that some of them, like Juabo, Melissa and John, have shared their stories with us.

This exciting period of growth continues at Homeward Bound with the imminent opening of the Gilardi Training and Events Center, which will complete our campus in Novato.

Yet even with our campus complete, we have more to do! Puett Place has reduced the number of homeless veterans in Marin County to single digits for the first time since we started collecting data.  We’re still pursuing in earnest the goal of bringing home our last unhoused veterans.

Another highlight is our renewed focus on Transition Age Youth (people experiencing homelessness between the ages of 18 and 24), particularly those who have children of their own.  With support from the Tipping Point Community and the County of Marin, we’re seeing significant progress through this work.

Thank you for your support of Homeward Bound of Marin.  We could not do this life-changing work without you!

In partnership,

Paul

Learning to be a parent while still sailing into adulthood can be a daunting path. That road looks even tougher for young parents without stable housing or supportive connections to help along the way.

That’s why Homeward Bound of Marin last year launched a program with funds awarded by the Tipping Point Community to assist unhoused parents between 18 and 24 years old.

“This program reaches families at their first experience of homelessness. They don’t have a long history without housing,” says Paul Fordham, our Chief Executive Officer.

The program already has served 22 families, reaching out as soon as they contact our Family Center shelter or a partner agency for support. Our staff can help them right away with pressing needs like signing up for benefits or looking for employment.

“Some families are couch-surfing, some are living in their cars. Their top concern is housing but we work on other things in the meantime,” Program Coordinator Larry Jean says.

Kayla and her partner met him as they faced the crisis of losing care of their two children, with just a few weeks to stabilize or face a separation.

“We were unhoused and Larry had real help for us,” Kayla says. He guided her to apply for a special housing voucher designated for young people like her that have exited foster care. The family now is housed in San Rafael and meets regularly with Larry to work on next steps.

This program for young homeless parents shows encouraging results after a year. Of the 22 families served, 73% have found housing and 82% have increased their income.

“My role is helping all the families see a future for themselves,” Larry says.

The country’s first shelter on a decommissioned military base will mark its 25th year with work to upgrade energy efficiency and disaster preparedness, along with addressing maintenance needs.

New bathroom floors at our 80-bed New Beginnings Center top the list of welcome changes for Hanna Berringer, the center’s Program Director. New paint, new window shades and a colorful mural in the dining room also will bring a fresh look to the building, she says.

“The overall feel and cleanliness will be fresher and easier to maintain,” she says, especially important for a population that has grown older and includes more people in recent years with chronic health conditions.

Grants available through the American Energy Association and Marin Clean Energy will cover many costs for new water heaters, efficient heating and adding solar panels on the roof. Our team is evaluating options for a backup generator for emergencies.

“We have vulnerable people on assistive devices like oxygen or motorized wheelchairs,” Hanna says. “It’s complicated if we have an outage.”

Since it opened in 2000, the center has stayed true to its vision of a “campus-like” atmosphere with four-person dorm rooms around a courtyard. In a recent transition, one of them has been reserved for young adults seeking help.

“Young people sometimes feel out of place in the shelter because there are a lot of older folks,” Hanna says. “Being with a peer group in a dedicated dorm helps them stick with the program and set some goals.”

For whoever needs shelter, the goal for New Beginnings Center will continue to offer a welcoming environment for years to come.

Years of working as a carpenter and licensed contractor never added up to long-term stability for John.  While he made money easily, John says it was “sand through my fingers” in a lifestyle that rarely looked ahead and ultimately led him to homelessness.

A voyage of self-discovery last year jolted him into taking up a new set of tools for his life. “I thought, ‘you have so much and you’ve squandered it.’ I came back a different man,” John says. He committed to sobriety and took a hard look at his future.

Now living at Sweeney Place, our new 26-unit housing community, John worked with Downtown Streets Team to clean sidewalks until he learned about our culinary training program. He graduated from Fresh Starts Culinary Academy in March and will join our team after recuperating from recent surgery.

Growing up in a family of four boys, John learned to cook and wash dishes early. Their bustling household ran on a schedule of parochial school and sports. “Mom had a short chain on our doings,” John adds, but the transition to social life in a large East Bay high school derailed him.

After graduating, John drifted around California doing odd jobs. He eventually returned to study civil engineering and get a contractor’s license. “I’ve built a lot of projects,” he adds, “but I never had a plan for my own life.”

In recent weeks, he’s been using his new kitchen to cook for his mother, who’s now 84. The activity has become “Mama’s Menu,” which he see as a potential future business.

“The culinary training was a game-changer. I’m inspired,” John says. “Everything that’s happened at Homeward Bound has been positive for me.”

When students begin at Fresh Starts Culinary Academy, Kellie Walker wants them to start working on a successful exit from the program.

“We’re giving people the tools to be more than just a body in the kitchen. We want them to think about all the directions they can take their knowledge,” she says.

As our Culinary Employment Specialist, Kellie teaches trainees to research job opportunities, write resumes and prepare for interviews. She guides them to inventory their skills outside the kitchen, like experience with computer tasks, handling money or serving customers.

Everything helps pinpoint their job search, whether they aim for catering, restaurants, front-of-house service or large-scale meal prep for a school or hospital. For graduates entering transitional positions at Homeward Bound, she helps them find ways to develop their interests.

Her workshops for trainees also touch on time management, conflict resolution and communication. She supports a financial education class provided by staff from Bank of America, which introduces saving and budgeting strategies.

Throughout the week, she’s available for drop-in consultation. “Sometimes being an ear to listen is the best thing I can do,” she says.

Lilyette, a graduate who works at SF-Marin Food Bank, says Fresh Starts Culinary Academy taught her to write her first resume and work under pressure while keeping her cool. “Those non-culinary skills also help you keep going forward,” she says.

Moving into his apartment at Sweeney Place, our 26-unit workforce housing community, was the latest step in a path that Juabo began two years ago at our Jonathan’s Place shelter.

“I’ve learned as long as you keep doing the work, stay on track, then things stay on track for you,” Juabo says.

He recalls sitting on his bunk in the shelter when he spied a job posting from Side by Side, a nonprofit serving at-risk youth that includes a San Anselmo school. He applied immediately and got the job on their maintenance team.

His day begins at 6 a.m. to clean the administration office, polish the gym floor and ensure classrooms are ready when students arrive. He’s repaired lights, railings, windows and more. The schedule fits him perfectly, leaving time in his afternoons to spend with his teenage son.

“Being here in Marin, staying close to my son, that means the world to me,” Juabo says.

Raised in Marin City and Oakland, he recalls his own teenage years in the East Bay as a chaotic time. “Things were happening fast around me and I had my share of problems with the law,” he says.

His work life has included construction, warehouse teams, housekeeping for Marin Health hospital and maintenance for apartment buildings. He also spent time as the family caregiver for his late mother and for his grandfather, who now is 97.

“I’m getting older and want to make the best of my life,” Juabo says. The stability of work and housing let him pay off bills and “get into the groove again of taking care of things,”Juabo says.

Now he’s looking for a way to share his experiences as a mentor for adults facing some of the obstacles that he has overcome. “I appreciate all the help I got here at Homeward Bound,” Juabo says. “Everything is coming together.”

A bumpy path led Melissa to Puett Place, where the U.S. Army veteran says her new home means “all the chaos that I’ve been through is finally ending.”

Extracting herself from an abusive relationship cleared the way for change, Melissa says, and support from Homeward Bound of Marin helped her believe in her future as she strengthened her sobriety.

“I’ve never had more loving support than I’ve had here,” says Melissa, a Bay Area native and registered nurse who experienced shelters and services in several cities. She loves her apartment at our veterans housing community that opened in 2024.

Her struggles began in 2021 when she lost her housing while living in Texas, where she had been employed for several years. “I went to a women’s shelter in Dallas. After that, it’s such a blur,” she says.

Over the next two years, sometimes with her partner and sometimes alone, she lived in cars, shelters, on a boat and in a tent by a Novato creek.

She recalls her East Bay childhood as unsteady as the family grappled with poverty and her parents used drugs. At 19, she began eight years of Army service that she says brought “a lot of cool experiences” coordinating logistics here and in Haiti.

Always interested in nursing, she began training after leaving the Army. “I was a single mom with two jobs. It took me 10 years,” she adds. Her career thrived for several years.

Melissa opened another path at our Fresh Starts Culinary Academy, where she graduated in March. Now she works full-time with our team, serving guests and helping with shelter meals.

“I’m committed to my recovery and to learning more in culinary,” says Melissa, who thinks about going back to nursing eventually. “Coming to Homeward Bound has been such a complete relief and let me think about my life again.”

We began clearing the way two years ago for a bold vision to complete our headquarters campus with 50 new homes and space for mission-based businesses that help people open new career paths. Thanks to your amazing support, we’re taking the final steps to our goal!

Your investment last year helped open 50 apartments to welcome veterans, families and adults transforming their futures to leave homelessness behind. All 24 units at the Puett Place veterans community and the 26 units in Sweeney Place now have tenants who proudly carry their keys.

The last big piece of the puzzle for this 2.8-acre site will be set June 5 with the Grand Opening for the innovative Gilardi Training and Events Center.

“By creating this unique space that pairs homes and supportive employment, our community has a made nexus for transformative change,” Chief Executive Officer Paul Fordham says.

Crews have tackled the final touches: repaving for the parking lot, landscaping and equipment to install at the Gilardi Center’s warehouse and shipping center, bakery, teaching kitchen and two event annexes.

The finish line is in sight for this $38 million project, with a gap of just $300,000 to complete funding needed to open the doors. We’re matching all gifts before June 5, thanks to generous support from an anonymous donor and the Weinreb Pilecki Segal Family Fund!

Together we can create a community where everyone has the chance to forge their own future through employment and the dignity of housing. Thank you for sharing this vision!

Giant ovens represent only one of the ways to bake sweeter futures at our new Gilardi Training & Events Center, which celebrates its Grand Opening on Thursday, June 5.

Along with a manufacturing bakery, the building offers a warehouse with loading dock, dedicated teaching kitchen and two small event spaces to serve the community.

“We’ll finally have a space purpose-built for education and production,” says Matt Shapiro, Director of Training & Kitchen Operations. “There will be many more ways to expand employment where people can branch out.”

A main focus will be Wagster Treats, the premium dog biscuits made in our kitchen and sold at 120+ stores, including Pet Food Express, as well as online. As a member of Procure Impact, Wagster also has been shipped to hotels and other large companies seeking mission-based products.

Our team will have space indoors to pack big shipments in pallets and load them easily into vehicles. Future business growth could open roles in managing inventory, warehouse operations, shipping and fulfillment. The 10,800-square-foot building also has offices for the social enterprise team.

With large ovens and their roll-in baking racks, our team will be able to consider future opportunities like producing or shipping items for other small businesses.

“Co-packing is a definite need in the Bay Area for small businesses that are ready to expand but don’t have space, kind of like Wagster has been,” says Sallie Miller, Director of Social Enterprise.

Plans have begun for a schedule of hands-on culinary events for the community when the teaching kitchen is not in use by students at Fresh Starts Culinary Academy. Graduates could work as teaching assistants and gain skills as service captains in the two event rooms.

“Coming to learn something new is a different way for people to visit our campus,” Sallie says.

If Renata Bihun were in baseball, she’d be known as a triple threat player. As a volunteer, her value already has outlasted many professional careers as she backs up our teams at Fresh Starts Chef Events and our New Beginnings Center shelter.

“Homeward Bound has become like my second family, plus I have a sense of purpose being there,” Renata says. “I love helping the clients and being part of new projects.”

On Mondays, Renata can be found at the reception desk of the New Beginnings Center shelter. She directs visitors, answers phones and resident questions, helping with office tasks along the way.

“I’ve only had positive days,” she says. “I enjoy all the folks and it’s so heartwarming to see somebody succeed.”

For guests at our celebrity chef evenings, Renata offers a warm greeting as they arrive at our check-in table. It’s been her station at our monthly chef events for more than 10 years.

“For a lot of the guests, I know their names now. It’s such a nice event each time, with people who really like being there,” she says. Her collection of recipes from the events, each signed by the chef, goes back to 2013!

The Covid pandemic closed both those volunteer opportunities, so Renata became a weekly meal carrier. She delivered food prepared at Homeward Bound for the state-sponsored Great Plates program on a delivery route around Novato.

A longtime Novato resident, Renata says she tried some short-term volunteer positions elsewhere before finding her niche with Homeward Bound. “I’m here for the long haul,” she says.

At the Jonathan’s Place shelter, volunteers from Congregation Kol Shofar in Tiburon are known as “the salmon people” for the delicious dinner prepared every month in the kitchen.

“We figured that would be a less common option for dinner and people are so appreciative every time,” says Randi Lachter, an organizer for the volunteer team.

The congregation joined our meal corps before the pandemic and returned afterward with a wider effort. Along with a monthly dinner, the group provides brunch at Jonathan’s Place and the La Casa Buena housing community.

“We really enjoy the process and it was hard to let go when Covid came along,” Randi says. The group then waited for the opening of our rebuilt Jonathan’s Place shelter in San Rafael, which now invites volunteers into a spacious new kitchen.

“We have a great relationship with the kitchen staff. We like getting to know people that we’re serving for dinner,” she says.

Brunch at Jonathan’s Place has become just as active as dinner, with volunteers making fresh pancakes and fruit salad, Randi adds. The brunch crew also delivers self-serve treats for La Casa Buena in Corte Madera, a supportive housing program with 18 studio apartments.

“Working with Kol Shofar has been a rewarding experience from the start,” Community Engagement Manager Andrea Rey says. “They always bring a memorable dinner experience to Jonathan’s Place.”