Beginning in December 2016, the County has implemented a community engagement process designed to:
- Identify specific barriers and contributing factors to fair housing choice and disparities in access to opportunities, and to develop strategies to address and overcome barriers;
- Engage community voices who have previously not participated in County-wide initiatives, including youth and young adults;
- Engage County employees, affinity groups and social equity teams in fair housing discussions;
- Develop a communications strategy that is transparent and inclusive;
- Align CDBG and HOME funding with AFH goals.
A Community Advisory Group, representing members of the protected classes and residents from all areas of the County, has been formed to:
- Provide advice and feedback to CDA Staff on the citizen engagement and communication strategies throughout the AFH process;
- Work collaboratively and participate in inclusive and diverse discussions on AFH topics;
- Identify fair housing issues and the factors that significantly contribute to those identified issues;
- Assist in developing action plans and solutions to overcome barriers to fair housing choice; and
- Make recommendations for an implementation plan to address identified barriers.
The current Community Advisory Group is composed of 11 Marin County residents, representing communities from San Rafael, Marin City/Sausalito, Novato, Larkspur, West Marin, San Anselmo, Tiburon, Inverness, Mill Valley, Lagunitas and Corte Madera. Members of the group includes residents who identify as females, males, LGBTQ, White, African American, Latinx, disabled, and a high school student. The group also includes seniors, a person who was previously homeless, in addition to married, single and divorced residents.