Monica Umaña, Client and 2025 Community Courage Award recipient

In Marin County, our collective prosperity can be deceiving. While the county is known for its wealth, more than 14% of residents live in poverty*—over 35,000 people struggling each day to secure housing, food, and opportunities that many take for granted. Beneath the surface of an affluent county, the reality is that many families struggle for the basics, and the stark needs often go unseen.

At Community Action Marin (CAM), we are changing what’s understood about Marin and are addressing the problems in our midst. Through a Whole Family Approach that tackles issues across generations, we strengthen possibilities for children, parents, and individuals, creating stability and hope.

Our work in community builds trust. Our team listens deeply and learns what will make the greatest impact. For one family, it might be securing childcare so a parent can keep working or attending classes. For another, it could mean job training, financial coaching, or nutritious meals.

What we do is intentionally interconnected. A family receiving housing support may also need food assistance or childcare. A parent in workforce training might also need credit and budgeting coaching to succeed. Staff work together as Success Coaches and respond in ways that foster lasting change.

This is the power of CAM’s Whole Family Approach—and it’s how we are building a Marin where everyone has the chance to feel secure and reach their full potential.

*ppic.org/blog/poverty-varies-widely-across-californias-regions

Early childhood education is all about brain-building, laying the foundation for future success. In fact, research shows that the first five years of a child’s life are the most critical, shaping how they learn and grow. But in Marin, high-quality early education comes at a steep price, often costing families more than $36,000 a year.

With 17% of children in our county living in poverty* and others supported by caregivers and families living paycheck to paycheck, Marin families need access to free and affordable high-quality early education. With Head Start and California funding leveraged for impact, this is what CAM’s Children & Family Services team provides to families across the county.

In state-of-the-art classrooms within nurturing and safe environments, children learn through play, build relationships, and develop kindergarten readiness skills. Teachers inspire creativity, problem-solving, and social and emotional growth every day. Coaches on the frontlines like Family Advocates and Home Visitors work alongside parents, sharing age-appropriate activities, modeling positive interactions, building parenting confidence, and supporting family goals.

The ripple effects are profound: children enter kindergarten ready to succeed, and both families and our shared community grow stronger. Parents gain the stability they need to work and pursue their own education. People are able to plan for the future and become changemakers in their own neighborhoods. By investing in high-quality early education, CAM helps families build a strong foundation that transforms lives across generations and benefits the whole of Marin.

*ppic.org/blog/poverty-varies-widely-across-californias-regions

Did you know that in Marin, two-thirds of low-income households spend more than 50% of their income on housing?* This is unsustainable, and it’s a reality that touches every part of our community. When individuals and families struggle to make ends meet, the impacts are widespread: schools face teacher shortages, health care services experience longer wait times, small businesses reduce hours due to staffing challenges, and caregivers become increasingly scarce. Housing stability isn’t just a roof over someone’s head—it’s the foundation for strong, connected communities.

CAM’s Housing Case Management and Homeless Outreach teams work hand-in-hand with individuals and families to prevent eviction, secure emergency assistance, and navigate the rental market if displacement occurs. For transitional age youth ages 18–24, our staff offer housing support as well as personalized guidance and resources to support their continued growth and independence.

CAM’s work confidently supports all aspects of the path toward stable housing, from working with landlords, to making referrals to supportive services, to ensuring access to benefits that strengthen long-term housing security. Our team’s expertise informs our policy advocacy to improve housing for all. Combining immediate relief with system change efforts helps to increase housing stability at individual, family, and community levels. With housing stability, relationships across Marin foster the creation of vibrant places to work, serve, play, and grow.

Safe and affordable housing is a launching point for personal and professional transformation, and CAM is there alongside our friends and neighbors every step of the way.

*camarin.org/community-data

Everyday expenses can quickly overwhelm people, no matter how hard or how much they work. Full-time jobs alone are often not enough to pay rent and put food on the table. In Marin, a single parent with two children must earn $86.12 per hour*—more than five times California’s $16.50 minimum wage—to make a livable wage. In a county with one of the highest costs of living in the state, having a job does not necessarily mean financial stability.

This is where CAM’s Economic Justice team helps individuals and families. Through one-on-one financial coaching, tax assistance, and support accessing public benefits, staff help people to rebuild credit, manage debt, and create realistic budgets. We create pathways for participants to access training and apprenticeships—such as our Early Childhood Education Pathways to Success program—while offering wraparound coaching and support that remove barriers and empower individuals to achieve their goals. This can include childcare, emergency food boxes, and referrals to legal services.

Skill development, access, and confidence building are at the heart of our work.

At CAM, we help our community members navigate complex financial systems and job searches with both self-determination and knowledge. Our team is proud to help people meet immediate obligations while also investing in their future planning and career development. The result is increased financial stability for the long term.

*livingwage.mit.edu/counties/06041

To learn more about ECEPTS, visit www.ecepts.org.

Hunger in Marin doesn’t always look as we might expect. It’s surprising to many that even in our affluent county, 1 in 5 people in Marin are food insecure.* Even for families with full-time earners, making ends meet often means facing impossible trade-offs between rent, utilities, and groceries.

Over 30,000 people—including children—quietly struggle to get nutritious food each day. In the past year, 67% of low-income residents in Marin experienced food insecurity.**

CAM’s Food and Climate Justice team confronts inequities head on, offering access to nutritious, culturally appropriate food for people across generations. They provide immediate relief with nutrient-dense snacks and meals, including breakfast and lunch, for over 550 children in our early education classrooms. They bring older adults together over meals that provide nourishment, companionship, and moments that enrich lives. These solutions are part of the fabric that strengthens families and communities.

Hands-on engagement lies at the heart of our approach. Our organic Production Farm and Learning Garden serve as living classrooms where children and families learn how to grow their own produce and prepare food. Programs also promote environmental stewardship and community resilience. Children and adults gain knowledge in composting, waste reduction, seasonal eating, and sustainable agriculture.

By connecting food access with education and environmental responsibility, CAM cultivates a local food system that nourishes families today and builds skills and resources for the future. Through this work, our team helps families overcome immediate challenges, embrace healthier habits, and participate in a community where access to nutritious food is a right, not a privilege.

*extrafood.org  **camarin.org/community-data