MCF Grants $450,000 for First Habitat for Humanity Homes in Marin County
February 14, 2008
contact: Fred Silverman (415.464.2527 or via email)
To help build the first Habitat for Humanity homes in Marin County, the Marin Community Foundation has made a grant of $450,000 to support the construction of four affordable single-family homes in the unincorporated area of Strawberry.
The Lower Eagle Rock development will enable four low-income families earning 40% to 60% of the County's Area Median Income — currently set at $37,000 to $55,000 for a family of four — to own their own homes. Volunteer labor, donations of money and materials, and the "sweat equity" of the families who will live there enable these homes to be offered at this level of affordability.
"We are immensely proud to play a part in this historic effort in Marin," said MCF President Thomas Peters. "This helps us deliver on the promise of two of the Foundation's new strategic initiatives for this community — supporting the development of more affordable housing throughout the County and helping low-income families increase their economic stability.
"We are fully aware of the objections to this project that have been raised," Peters said. "While it is still going through the planning approval process, we are confident that reasonableness and fairness will prevail, and we hope that all parties will move with deliberate speed to this conclusion. The success of this project will also serve as a model for additional critically needed in-fill development that will help make our community more accessible and more viable."
Phillip Kilbridge, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity San Francisco (HHSF), which is developing the homes, stated, "The endorsement of Marin County's premier community voice — the Marin Community Foundation — is viewed as a significant seal of approval. We look forward to continuing to move through the entitlement process with MCF's considerable investment and our confidence that this development will be a model for thoughtfully-designed affordable housing in Marin."
While Habitat for Humanity has built over 350 homes throughout the Bay Area, the organization has never been able to build homes in Marin County. HHSF has been active in Marin County since the 1990s, working on several rehabilitation efforts. However, the organization was not able to secure land on which to build new homes until it was approached by Pan Pacific Ocean, Inc., which plans to build three single-family homes on the Strawberry site. According to Kilbridge, Pan Pacific looked to HHSF as a partner to help the company meet its affordable-housing requirement. Kilbridge explained that the Lower Eagle Rock homes will use green technology, including engineered lumber, solar panels, energy-efficient appliances, and native species landscaping. "We want these homes to serve as educational models for green design and building materials," he said. "And like all our developments, they are located near transportation, schools, and shopping."
The families who own the homes will have interest-free loans, and while they can build equity in them over time, the affordability of the homes is preserved for future families. Outreach to prospective owners will focus on people who live and work in Southern Marin. "This also addresses a key community goal as expressed in the Foundation's affordable housing initiative," said Peters, "by helping people who work here to afford to live here."
Homeowners will attend a year-long homeownership education program to help them become successful homeowners.
"This effort represents the true meaning of partnership," Peters added. "Besides Habitat for Humanity and the Foundation, key participants include the 3,000 volunteers expected to help build the homes, local government agencies and businesses, community organizations, and of course the families who will live in these homes. It's a watershed moment in the County's history."
