The rapid increase in rent and home prices across Marin is taking a heavy toll on local young people.
For many members of Gen Z and Millennials—now well into their 30s—affordable housing isn’t available in Marin. Many leave the county and don’t return. For those who do stay, they are increasingly living with their parents or are pushed into a cycle of renting that leaves them with little financial security to shape a different future. For all but the well-to-do, owning a home in Marin is a distant dream.
These are not just personal inconveniences. There is a societal cost.
We sat down with three young Marinites, each with a unique experience of the county’s affordable housing crisis. Collectively, their stories illustrate an unfolding generational challenge facing Marin.
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Melinda Smith, a third-generation Marinite, is a math teacher at Terra Linda High School. She and her husband, also a teacher with deep roots in Marin, find themselves commuting from Cotati. Melinda had always imagined being the kind of teacher who goes the extra mile—attending her students’ evening games, performances, and events. But with such a long drive, that dream is slipping away, along with the sense of connection she has within her community.
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Mitzi Mazariegos, is a first-generation American who grew up in Marin and attended college with dreams of becoming a psychologist. Like so many other young adults, the lack of affordable housing and limited economic opportunities has placed her aspirations on hold. Today, she’s living at home with her family, trying to save. She admits that her hope of one day affording a place of her own in Marin feels like a long shot.
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Abby Shewmaker, a Marin native and a college student, carries a sense of resignation about her future in the county she once called home. She doesn’t believe her future career will pay enough for her to afford to move back to Marin. The place that shaped her childhood now feels economically stratified and out of reach.
Watch video in English | Ver vídeo en español
Affordable housing is critical to Marin’s future.
Without housing solutions, the current challenges facing our local workforce across diverse sectors of our economy will only intensify. Families will face increasingly difficult decisions about where they live and work. Marin residents, young and old, will continue to be pushed out of the community they know and love.
Let’s work together to build a bright future for all generations in Marin.
In solidarity,
Chandra Alexandre
Chief Executive Officer
P.S. Join us in saying Yes on Prop 5 – it’s an important next step to increase housing stability and make a difference for Marin’s future.