Press Archive
A big thanks to the many news outlets in Marin and the surrounding Bay Area that have featured our agency in their news outlets over the years. It takes all of us working together to raise awareness, amplify our message, and make our community stronger.
Media Coverage
Marin’s emergency shelter sees fewer takers amid cold streak
[12/18/22] Marin County had its severe weather emergency shelter open most of the past week because of extremely cold temperatures, but fewer people used the shelter than in previous years.
The shelter was opened on Tuesday night. Dr. Lisa Santora, Marin County’s deputy public health officer, said Friday that the county planned to keep it open through Monday morning.
Marin’s hotel room shortage forces communal homeless emergency shelter
[12/7/22] A shortage of available hotel beds is making it more difficult for Marin County to keep the homeless socially distanced when providing emergency shelter. This year, the county has returned to the practice of housing the unsheltered in a communal setting at the Marin County Health and Wellness Campus at 3240 Kerner Blvd. in San Rafael.
Marin Gives Back: How your donation can help local organizations
[11/22/22] For this holiday season, we asked local organizations making a difference in the community exactly how your contribution could help them. The response we got was overwhelming — 44 groups answered, detailing where a total of $853,600 would be allocated.
Changing how we think about poverty
[11/18/22] Despite being one of the wealthiest counties in the country, Marin County is one of the least racially equitable in California across all indicators of well-being. It might surprise you to learn given Marin’s affluence that 37 percent of households struggle to meet basic needs – or that one in five families often can’t put food on the table. As more people age into poverty, it’s also true that one in three seniors is food insecure.
Marin nonprofits call for rent control in San Rafael
[11/4/22] A coalition of Marin nonprofits is asking San Rafael to urgently adopt a rent control ordinance for the Canal neighborhood amid concerns of gentrification. Executives of Canal Alliance, Legal Aid of Marin and Community Action Marin submitted a letter to city officials Wednesday saying that there is a “potential mass displacement crisis” at the 99-apartment complex at 400 Canal St.
Napa biz buzz: Redwood Credit Union donates more than $45,000
[11/1/22] On Oct. 20, Redwood Credit Union celebrated International Credit Union (ICU) Day, "a day for credit unions to reflect on their history and commitment to their members and communities." One of the ways RCU honored the day was by donating 25 cents per card transaction to local nonprofit organizations that empower communities in Napa, Sonoma, Marin, Lake, Mendocino, and San Francisco counties, each time members used their RCU Visa debit or credit cards on Oct. 20.
Teacher shortages force dozens of California preschools to close classrooms
[10/10/22] A severe teacher shortage has forced dozens of preschools in California to shut down some of their classrooms since the start of the school year.
The funding for these subsidized classrooms is available, and plenty of children from lower-income families are waiting to enroll. But there aren’t enough teachers — a situation that could get worse as the state begins to pour billions of dollars into transitional kindergarten, threatening to destabilize the early education workforce.
Bank of America provides $155,000 in grants to Marin nonprofits
[8/28/22] Bank of America has awarded a total of $155,000 to nine Marin County nonprofit organizations as part of its Charitable Foundation grant program. The nine Marin nonprofits awarded grants were: 10,000 Degrees, Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM), Canal Alliance, College of Marin Foundation, Community Action Marin, Downtown Streets Inc., ExtraFood.org, Homeward Bound of Marin and YWCA Golden Gate.
Marin unveils first long-term plan for economic development
[8/23/22] One action included in the plan is to expand existing training programs to provide more openings for residents displaced by the pandemic.“The Marin Builders Association has one for the trades. The hospitals have them for health care. Community Action Marin just started one for Vivalon drivers,” said Mike Blakeley, CEO of the Marin Economic Forum, a nonprofit, public-private partnership designed to foster local economic growth
San Rafael approves Ritter Center move
[8/11/22] Chandra Alexandre, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Community Action Marin, urged the commission to approve the plan.
Marin organizations receive $2.7M in Medi-Cal funding
[8/5/22] The organization that coordinates the benefits of Medi-Cal recipients in Marin has awarded more than $2.7 million in state grant funds to local entities as part of an effort to reconfigure the Medi-Cal system. Chandra Alexandre, the chief executive officer of Community Action Marin, said the changes underway will allow her organization to bill Partnership for work it’s already doing: providing housing navigation and housing deposits to low-income residents. She said she will use the money she is receiving to hire a billing specialist and a service coordinator.
Partnership HealthPlan of California disburses second round of funding in CalAIM Incentive Payment Program
[8/4/22] Partnership HealthPlan of California, or PHC, has awarded more than $8 million in a second round of state Department of Health Care Services grant funding for community organizations through the CalAIM Incentive Payment Program.
Community Action Marin Advocates for Greater Racial Equity Through Its Public Service Program
[7/25/22] On May 20, more than 80 people attended the first-ever Step Up Marin!, hosted by social services agency Community Action Marin. The event, held at Las Palmas Center at Hamilton Field Novato was a celebration of steps toward racial and economic equity made in Marin County.
More communities need to extend eviction moratorium
[6/23/22] The Fairfax Town Council, Marin County Board of Supervisors and San Rafael City Council all deserve recognition and appreciation following their respective approvals to extend a residential eviction moratorium through Sept, 30. This policy deserves replication across additional jurisdictions in Marin County to provide timely relief and housing stability to renters throughout our community who continue to experience negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic... by Chandra Alexandre and Lucie Hollingsworth
The unheard voices of Marin
[5/9/22] Marin County is one of the most beautiful places on Earth and yet there’s a portion of the population that isn’t often seen or heard. The non-profit organization Community Action Marin is highlighting community voices this spring to strengthen power in communities of color and across low-income populations.
Vivalon, Community Action Marin launch free driver training academy
[4/13/22] Facing a pressing need for vehicle operators in an expensive county, Vivalon — which services older adults and people living with disabilities — and San Rafael-based Community Action Marin have launched a partnership to create a local and free commercial driver’s license training academy.
Marin nonprofits seek equitable pandemic recovery
[3/28/22] With societal inequities coming into sharper focus during the pandemic, vulnerable residents in Marin should be at the center of a countywide COVID-19 recovery strategy, a new report says.
Community Action Marin empowers low-income Marin County residents...
[1/27/22] Marin County is well known for its affluence, and yet alongside the wealth, poverty is a constant presence. According to the most recent census figures, 6.9% of the county’s residents live below the poverty line, and for them, trying to get ahead is a perpetual struggle.
Interview with Chandra Alexandre on how further the community has been impacted from the pandemic on KPIX TV
[12/22/21] A report from Advancement Project California ranked Marin County as the second worst in California in terms of racial inequity. CBSN Bay Area's Len Kiese spoke with Community Action Marin's CEO Chandra Alexandre about how the pandemic has made things even tougher.
A 93-year-old lost his Supplemental Security Income after one phone call...
[12/5/21] Ebrahim Safapay might be 93, but if a guest admires his shrine of family photos, he’s liable to gingerly stand up and offer his comfortable seat. It has the best view of the images of his three children and late wife.
Marin Voice: As pandemic takes toll, Marin organizations band together for good food for all
[12/3/21] The CEOs of Community Action Marin and San Francisco-Marin Food Bank discuss the fact that hunger and poor access to healthy food are realities for people of low income in Marin, despite the county’s general affluence. They remind readers that good food is a human right and invite Marin residents to gather together and take #FiveMinutesforFood during the holidays.
Asking Marin Neighbors to Step up for Equity
[12/1/21] Community Action Marin, the largest social services provider in the county, is asking its Marin neighbors to step up for equity through a wide-reaching year-end campaign, hoping to open residents' eyes to the inequality in its midst.
Marin Agency Launches "Five Minutes for Food" Conversation
[11/4/21] As we approach the holiday season, Community Action Marin's Five Minutes for Food initiative, part of its overall Good Food for All campaign and commitment to food security, invites Marin County residents to reflect on the meaning and importance of healthy, nutritious, and good food for all.
Helping People, Changing Lives
[10/1/21] This profile of Community Action Marin in The Giving List, offers an overview of the organization’s mission and programs, and invites concerned citizens to donate to support their efforts in Marin County.
Marin scrambles to distribute $16M in rental aid
[5/17/21] Marin County is struggling to distribute $16 million in state and federal rental assistance under tight deadlines and burdensome application requirements to help Marin residents who are struggling to pay rent and may be facing the risk of eviction.
Services nonprofit starts office at Marin City school
[5/1/21] Community Action Marin has opened an office at the school district’s Bayside Martin Luther King Jr. Academy in Marin City. The partnership will allow the social service nonprofit to be more accessible to Marin residents.
Marin Voice: County must push toward realization of warm, relational justice
[4/23/21] Chandra Alexandre, the CEO of Community Action Marin, writes about the challenges of the past year such as police brutality, the U.S. Capitol insurrection, and voter suppression efforts nationwide, and calls for a reexamination of our social values as a caring community.
Marin County using $5.6 million in COVID-19 relief funds to aid homeless
[3/2/21] Marin County is preparing to put more than $5.6 million in federal grant money to work addressing homelessness as part of the $4 billion allocated in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to help prevent an outbreak among people experiencing homelessness and very low-income households. It will be spent on street outreach, emergency shelter and rapid rehousing. Community Action Marin’s new two-person team will focus on homeless individuals in North and West Marin.
Fourth of July Black Lives Matter caravan highlights civic engagement
[7/5/20] Community Action Marin organized a caravan of Marin residents on the occasion of July 4 to highlight the Black Lives Matter movement and the importance of racial and economic justice in Our America. Caravan participants focused on the important of building collecting power, and holding candidates accountable for the issues that systematically and unfairly impact Black and underserved communities.
Interested in featuring Community Action Marin in a news story?
Please email our CEO, Chandra Alexandre, by clicking the email link below. She’d love to connect with you.