Proposal to House Homeless Veterans Takes Shape

November 12, 2018

Early-stage planning has begun for a proposal to create permanent supportive housing for up to 25 homeless veterans on property adjacent to Homeward Bound’s headquarters campus in Novato.

The site would offer easy access for future residents to participate in job training, workshops in life skills and veterans’ services already operating there, says Executive Director Mary Kay Sweeney.

The Marin Community Foundation and Tamalpais Pacific have provided a total of $300,000 for predevelopment planning and the City of Novato has granted an exclusive right to negotiate for use of the property. That agreement also helps with outreach to funders who may help raise the estimated $20 million needed to construct the project.

Along with veterans’ housing, the site potentially could include 25 units of low-cost workforce housing. At this point, the details and architectural plans remain far from complete and months of work lie ahead before any proposal can be submitted to city planning review, Sweeney says.

The Marin Independent Journal featured the proposal in a story published Monday, Nov. 12: “Novato Project Could Shelter Marin’s Homeless Veterans.