Marin Community Foundation awards $725,000 to support Golden Gate Village families, including $147,000 in rent relief

By Kenny Choi

Dozens of families living in Marin County’s only public housing development for families are receiving financial assistance and expanded support services as their community undergoes a major renovation.

The Marin Community Foundation is providing a $724,500 grant to support residents at Golden Gate Village in Marin City. Approximately $147,000 will go toward unpaid rent for 64 households, averaging about $2,300 per household. The majority of the funding will support services designed to help residents achieve greater financial stability.

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. Then I’m penny pinching for the rest of the month,” Price said.

Golden Gate Village is home to approximately 300 households.

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 through a combination of rental assistance and expanded resident services.

Shashi Jivan, the foundation’s director of affordable housing and homelessness, said the grant 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 $724,500 grant will fund two full-time resident services employees for two years, helping families access resources such as job placement assistance, Social Security benefits and other programs intended to improve their financial well-being.

Resident services account for the bulk of the grant, while approximately $147,000 is designated to address unpaid rent for 64 households that have fallen behind on payments.

That works out to an average of approximately $2,300 in rental assistance per household.

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 combination of rent relief and expanded support services is intended to help residents address financial challenges, access additional resources and maintain housing stability 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 grant 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.