Marin City families receive $725,000 in rent relief as their aging apartment complex is renovated

By Kenny Choi

Dozens of families living in Marin County’s only public housing development for families are receiving financial assistance to help eliminate unpaid rent as their community undergoes a major renovation.

The Marin Community Foundation is providing approximately $725,000 in rent relief for 64 households at Golden Gate Village in Marin City. The assistance averages more than $11,000 per household and comes as residents prepare to temporarily relocate during renovations.

For Capri Price, a single mother raising two children at Golden Gate Village, the rising cost of everyday necessities has made it increasingly difficult to stretch her budget.

“I’m literally shopping half at one store and the other half the first two weeks of the month,” Price said. “Then I’m penny pinching for the rest of the month.”

Golden Gate Village has approximately 300 apartments. As the aging complex undergoes extensive renovations, some residents have worried that falling behind on rent could jeopardize their housing stability and complicate their ability to return once construction is completed.

“So many of them have had delays with their bills and paying it. They were very much concerned,” Price said.

The Marin Community Foundation is helping address those concerns by providing funding to eliminate outstanding rent balances for eligible residents.

Shashi Jivan, the foundation’s director of affordable housing and homelessness, said the assistance is part of a broader effort to preserve affordable housing and support families facing financial hardship.

“There’s over one million Americans living in public housing throughout the country. Golden Gate Village represents homes for 300 families,” Jivan said.

The foundation’s approximately $725,000 grant will help cover unpaid rent for about 64 households, averaging more than $11,000 per family.

Jivan said the funding is particularly important as Golden Gate Village undergoes renovations that require residents to temporarily move out of their apartments.

“Marin Community Foundation believes everyone deserves a safe and affordable home and to live with dignity and being able to support residents to ensure they have every right to return to the same building when it’s fully renovated,” Jivan said. “Rental assistance is one tool by which they’re able to do that.”

Beyond providing financial assistance, the foundation is working to strengthen relationships with Golden Gate Village residents. Lenice Smith helps connect families at the housing development with the Marin Community Foundation and its resources.

“Once they see the conversations they’re having with us is bettering their lives, then we’re building a better trust with the community,” Smith said.

The assistance is intended to help residents address past-due rent while reducing financial uncertainty during the renovation process.

Price said she did not need rent assistance herself, but she understands how important the financial relief could be for her neighbors.

“Just having that security had to be helpful because you have to deal with all these other things that come along with life,” Price said.

The rent relief is part of a broader effort to support residents and preserve affordable housing in Marin City. The Marin Community Foundation reports managing approximately $4.3 billion in assets and awarding $326.6 million in grants during its 2026 fiscal year.

The foundation has also committed $1 million to a separate Golden Gate Village Resident Empowerment Fund aimed at supporting residents and strengthening their involvement in decisions affecting the community.

Residents are expected to continue paying approximately 30% of their income toward rent and utilities following the renovations.