An Update on Housing for Displaced Ranch Families
A 1-bedroom, 1-bath tiny home is staged in the parking lot of the Coast Guard redevelopment project in Point Reyes Station awaiting placement at the 6th and B Street lot. Photo credit: Catherine Brozena
CLAM and our partners have made significant progress in our efforts to find homes for the forty-nine families, representing approximately 150 individuals, who are facing displacement from ranch properties at Martinelli Ranch and Point Reyes National Seashore. We know that many of you care deeply about the well-being of these vital members of our community and ensuring they’re able to remain in our community. As we face a number of urgent deadlines, we wanted to provide you with a short update on our efforts and share some opportunities where we could use your support.
New Homes, New Beginnings
Over the past few months, CLAM has acquired four properties that are already providing stable housing for displaced families:
2nd Street, Point Reyes Station: CLAM acquired a 3-unit property in early 2025 through a below-market-rate purchase made possible by a generous seller who provided a low-interest loan. We retained the existing tenant and welcomed two displaced families into the remaining units, all at deeply affordable rates.
Giacomini Road, Point Reyes Station: Through partnership with the North Marin Water District, we purchased a 2-story home in December 2025 that now houses multiple generations of a displaced ranch family. The location is just steps from West Marin Elementary School, which means the family’s young child can continue attending school in the community they know.
Tomales-Petaluma Road: In November 2025, CLAM acquired a property in Tomales. The property includes two homes, one of which is now occupied by one of the displaced ranch families. The home’s proximity to Tomales High School allows the family's young adult children to attend high school nearby. The other home on the property can be rehabilitated at a later time to provide additional housing.
Forest Knolls: Although this area is outside of CLAM's typical geographic focus, we purchased a duplex here that, with modest rehabilitation, will be ready to house two larger displaced families.
The acquisition of these properties means that CLAM has been able to find long-term homes for six families facing displacement. An additional ten families have moved off the ranches into bridge housing, which will provide them with safe placement in temporary homes until other available housing units come online in the next few weeks and months.
Ten of the displaced ranch families found other opportunities on their own and moved away from West Marin. We’re doing everything we can to create pathways for these families to return should they wish to move back in the coming months, as many of them still work here or have children in our schools.
Twenty-three families are still living at the seashore or Martinelli Ranch, awaiting housing solutions.
Other Housing Initiatives Underway
CLAM and our partners are in negotiations on several other properties across West Marin that we hope to share more about in the coming days. These homes, coupled with the housing initiatives listed below, should ensure that we will be able to find housing solutions for all of the displaced families by the middle of 2026.
6th and B Lot
Construction is now underway at the housing site at 6th and B Streets in Point Reyes Station to provide interim housing for ranch families for up to five years. The site will house a total of 14 units — 12 standard two-bedroom units and 2 ADA-accessible one-bedroom units. Many families from both the Martinelli ranch and the seashore have expressed strong interest in these homes.We’re making significant progress on construction on the site and will share more details as progress proceeds.
West Marin Community Rentals Program
CLAM and the West Marin Housing Collaborative launched this program to help local homeowners rent existing units or create new housing — such as ADUs or tiny homes — for local workers and their families. The program provides support, guidance, and potential financial resources to make the rental process smooth and successful. As we continue to look for housing solutions for displaced families, the Community Rentals Program offers viable possibilities. If you are an interested homeowners with a potential offering for this program, please contact CLAM to learn how you can participate.
Neighbors-for-Neighbors
Led by West Marin Fund, this community initiative invites West Marin residents to open their homes to those experiencing housing instability or displacement. Hosts provide safe, temporary or medium-term no-cost housing while guests work toward long-term stability. To get involved as a host or guest, contact Loretta Murphy at West Marin Fund.
Your Support is More Critical Than Ever
We are now 75% of the way towards raising the funds needed to ensure that all displaced ranch families are housed. But we can't complete this critical work without the community's continued support. Your donation helps us provide not just temporary shelter, but the foundation for permanent housing stability that will benefit these families and many others across West Marin for decades to come.
If you’d like to make a donation to CLAM’s Interim Housing efforts,
please visit our donate page or contact us today!
Thank you to all of you who have already contributed your time, resources, and funds to support the housing of displaced residents. These families have contributed to West Marin for generations and have earned the right to remain in the community they've helped build. With your support, that will be possible.