West Marin Needs More Affordable Housing That Working People Can Afford
It’s no secret—for many people who work in West Marin, there just isn’t local housing that they can afford. Firefighters, medical professionals, and teachers travel from Petaluma, San Rafael, and beyond to their jobs here. Many others, such as store clerks, health care workers, carpenters, and landscapers, whose work sustains our community, spend far more than they should—some more than half their income—to live near their work.

CLAM, The Community Land Trust Association of West Marin, believes that people who work locally should be able to live in the area. By providing housing that’s affordable for working people, we reduce the environmental pollution of long-distance commutes. Equally important, we strengthen the fabric of a caring and diverse community.

By "affordable housing" we mean housing that people who work locally can live in and still be able to buy food and other necessities. Currently, a person would need an hourly wage of $29.54 in order to spend no more than one-third of their income on a $1500-per-month rental. Moreover, home ownership, with its community benefits of enhancing stability, school enrollment, and property values, is completely out of reach for most local workers.

Affordable housing is key to preserving the viability, diversity, and character of West Marin.

In 2007 we surveyed local workers to assess their housing needs. Over 54% of the survey respondents lived outside of the area and commuted in to work. Read the full report or executive summary here. (PDF)

CLAM - Housing Now and Forever
Established in 2001 as a nonprofit, community-based organization, CLAM works to expand housing in the Tomales Bay area for people of low and moderate income—the diverse residents who make this a dynamic community. As a community land trust, CLAM can acquire property through donation or purchase, then rent or sell the housing on it at below-market rates. The housing remains permanently affordable for future generations.

Residents in CLAM-owned housing reflect CLAM’s strong commitment to a diverse population in West Marin. Selection criteria include economic necessity, the ability to pay the rent or mortgage, employment in the area, and contribution to the community.

From Vision to Reality
In 2005 CLAM acquired its first property: a three-bedroom house in Inverness Park. That house has been converted to two affordable rental units for families earning less than 60 percent of Area Median Income (currently $67,860 for a family of four). The purchase and remodel were funded by local donations and a low-interest loan from Marin Community Foundation. Many in the community, including CLAM’s membership of more than 200 people, contributed time, expertise, and financial support to create these homes. CLAM has also received support from the County of Marin, Marin Community Foundation, and Bank of Petaluma.

Looking Forward
 

CLAM’s vision is to expand affordable housing through purchasing or receiving donations of housing or land, and other methods, such as helping homeowners add affordable second units and assisting home buyers to make shared purchases.  The CLAM Story: Affordable Housing Makes a Rich Community (PDF) explains our vision to create 50 affordable homes in 25 years and how it can be fulfilled.

CLAM’s creation of two permanently affordable rentals in 2005-6 was a great first step. In 2007 we helped two local families become tenants-in-common homeowners. Now in 2009 we are creating two more affordable homes. With your help, we'll keep building on these successes to create more housing that contributes to the sustainability of the communities surrounding Tomales Bay.

Board of Trustees and Staff
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CLAM Annual Reports
    2008    2007    2006    2005  (PDF)

CLAM 990s

CLAM Bylaws