Tiny Homes To Replace Tents in Marin

San Rafael and Marin County are moving people from tents into 65 lockable tiny-home cabins at a new interim shelter site on Merrydale Road. (cityofsanrafael.org) The site at 350 Merrydale Road is designed to serve up to 70 people over the life of the program, with shared bathrooms, common facilities, and on-site support services. City and county officials said it is aimed mainly at people now staying in the Mahon sanctioned camping area and along Andersen Drive in downtown San Rafael. (marincounty.gov) Marin County agreed to cover property acquisition and setup costs up to $8 million, while San Rafael agreed to entitle the site for at least 80 affordable housing units by June 30, 2028. The interim shelter is funded through June 30, 2027, and must close by June 30, 2029. (cityofsanrafael.org) A tiny-home interim shelter is a cluster of small cabins, usually about 80 to 140 square feet, where each resident gets a private door, heat, and electricity instead of a cot in a large room or a tent outdoors. San Rafael’s project will keep shared showers and other services on site while requiring residents to work with case managers on housing plans. (cityofsanrafael.org) The shift comes as Marin tries to reduce unsheltered homelessness without waiting for permanent housing to open. Marin County’s 2024 point-in-time count found 1,090 people experiencing homelessness, including 788 people who were unsheltered. (hhs.marincounty.gov) County data show the overall homeless count fell 2.8% from 2022 to 2024, while the unsheltered count dropped about 5%. The same report said Marin had housed 280 of its most vulnerable chronically homeless residents in supportive housing between the 2022 and 2024 counts. (hhs.marincounty.gov) The Merrydale project is also tied to a state encampment grant. California awarded Marin County and San Rafael nearly $6 million in April 2024 through Encampment Resolution Fund Round 3 to address homelessness along and near Mahon Creek Path. (cityofsanrafael.org) That grant targeted 65 people at the Mahon Creek area encampment and required an alternative shelter option in the same general area, according to city materials. San Rafael later said a year-long site search did not identify another viable location, leading to the Merrydale plan and the temporary sanctioned camping area. (cityofsanrafael.org) Officials have pitched Merrydale as a bridge, not a permanent village. After the cabins come down, the same property is supposed to move into its second phase: a future affordable housing development with at least 80 units. (cityofsanrafael.org)