San Rafael proposal to build cabins for unhoused residents draws mixed response

By Kenny Choi

San Rafael has proposed building cabin shelters on a parcel of land to house dozens of people who are currently unhoused, a first-of-its-kind project for the North Bay. But while some in the community are all for the proposal, which has been seen in other Bay Area cities, others are hoping to stop it before it gets off the ground.  

It’s hard to imagine that Alicia Owens, not long ago, called an area underneath U.S. Highway 101 in San Rafael her home. 

“I was by myself every night when I would sleep, and I didn’t sleep in the same place every night,” said Owens. 

She and Lynn Murphy, a mental health liaison for the San Rafael Police Department, recently strolled past what was once a sprawling homeless encampment. Murphy has been building relationships with people living on the streets for years.

“I met Alicia when she was literally living on a freeway on-ramp,” said Murphy. 

According to the city’s last point-in-time count, there are more than 300 unhoused people in San Rafael. Many live in unsanctioned tents on Anderson Drive and in a nearby temporary city encampment that will soon close. 

The city and Marin County have secured grants to build cabin shelters and provide services at 350 Merrydale Road, just off the freeway near the county civic center. 

But nearby residents have banded together to push back against the proposal.

“We are against the lack of transparency with our city,” said Betty Shea of Marin Citizens for Solutions Not Secrecy. “If it could happen to our neighborhood, it can happen to anyone in the county, and that’s what we are fighting.”

“This is something the city has been discussing publicly for over two years,” said San Rafael community services director Daniel Cooperman. “It’s been mentioned at city council meetings, homeless and housing subcommittee meetings.”

Shea and other neighbors are posting signs opposing the Merrydale plan for 65 temporary cabins, to be later developed into 80 units of permanent affordable housing. 

“We want to find the best location to move forward with the homeless shelter project and help these folks,” said Shea. 

As the latest housing battle intensifies, Owens says service support areas, like the one she eventually found underneath the freeway, and outreach workers are why she now has a small apartment and a stable job as an office assistant. 

“Lynn Murphy believed in me. She still believes in me when I had no one,” said Owens. 

“She started to trust me and was willing to take that extra step to do the paperwork to help get her into housing,” said Murphy. 

Owens believes the cabin shelters at Merrydale will help others experiencing homelessness find a way out. 

“We all have talent, we all have purpose, and we all have a reason for being here,” said Owens. 

She’s walking on a different path these days, and believes a helping hand is why. Owens serves on the Marin County Lived Experiences advisory board to help shape policy. 

San Rafael city officials will host an in-person meeting to hear from residents on Thursday. The city council could vote on the project on Nov. 17.  The county board of supervisors could also consider agreements the following day.