NOVATO, CA – June 17, 2025 – Community Action Marin (CAM) has officially launched its 2025 Community Needs Assessment Interactive Data Dashboard. This publicly available resource is a powerful tool to help individuals and organizations across sectors better understand the most pressing needs of Marin County residents. With a focus on low-income and extremely low income people across the county, the dashboard reflects the voices of over 760 respondents, making the data reliably representative of low-income people’s concerns and insights in key geographies: West Marin, Marin City, Novato, and San Rafael.
“The dashboard offers a public window into the challenges and opportunities facing individualsand families across the county,” said Chandra Alexandre, CEO of Community Action Marin. “We know that real change begins with listening to community, and we have the ability with this resource to look across indicators of well-being by zip code, disaggregate data, ask questions, and do something.”
Data Highlights:
- 763 community members participated in surveys and focus groups, including 332 parents and caregivers receiving CAM’s early childhood education services.
- 61% of respondents earn under $35,000 per year—well below the $125,000 benchmark for a living wage for a family of four.
- Housing remains the top concern—especially among those earning under $15,000 per year and among Latino respondents; notable stressors include rent costs, lack of assistance, and rising utility bills.
- Safety concerns are increasing, including fear of deportation (up significantly over previous years), underscoring the urgent need for trusted, culturally responsive spaces.
- Food insecurity persists, affecting over half of all participants, with the greatest impact on communities of color.
“Families told us what they need: housing, food, safety, and opportunity,” said Patrick Wales-Dinan, Director of Learning and Evaluation. “Most notable to me is the data revealing that Novato has the highest percentage of children 0-5 living in poverty in the county. It’s not what people think, and countywide, it’s roughly 1 in 6 children in families that can’t make ends meet.”
The dashboard’s launch follows CAM’s May 29th Public Hearing, where a draft Community Action Plan was also shared. Together, these tools will guide the agency’s programs, partnerships, and advocacy efforts over the next two years.
Community feedback at the public hearing emphasized the importance of improving access to and use of data in decision making. “Our community knows what it needs,” said Alexandre. “Our data and analysis are being shared to ensure that we walk alongside community members, partners, and leaders to build a Marin where everyone can thrive.”
Explore the interactive dashboard: camarin.org/community-needs-assessment.
CAM will continue conducting presentations on its findings in the coming months. For your own data tour, contact: Patrick Wales-Dinan, Director, Learning & Evaluation at pwalesdinan@camarin.org.
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