The unheard voices of Marin

Community Action Marin

Special to Marinscope

Marin County is one of the most beautiful places on Earth and yet there’s a portion of the population that isn’t often seen or heard. The non-profit organization Community Action Marin is highlighting community voices this spring to strengthen power in communities of color and across low-income populations. 

The digital media effort seeks to make the often-invisible struggles in our county part of our shared awareness and lift up bright spots. The agency is helping to shift the narrative around poverty and the unhoused to restore people’s dignity and foster solutions that change systems that perpetuate injustice. 

First to be highlighted in the series is Marin resident Alia Brown. She shares her personal story about moving out of crisis. The death of her mother started her on a journey that included being homeless. Alia came to Community Action Marin for help, and together she was able to set a path for recovery that included a variety of supports, including financial coaching.

Next up is Maria, a mother of three children getting comprehensive services from Head Start along with cash assistance and food access. She loves the way teachers focus on her children – each one with a unique approach that addresses cognitive as well as social-emotional needs – and how Community Action Marin helped to support her whole family. When the pandemic started, Maria’s husband lost his job. She shared “In Marin you live from day to day if you don’t work, there’s no rent. I believe that many families live the same way.”

These are just two examples of why Community Action Marin does the work they do, “Being there for people when they need us the most,” explains Chandra Alexandre, Chief Executive Officer at Community Action Marin, “helps our community feel a greater sense of security. The crisis is not over. Housing insecurity and economic instability continue to put our Marin families, friends, and neighbors at risk—and Community Action Marin will be in their corner.”

Community Action Marin is the largest non-profit social services provider in the county, working for over 50 years to alleviate the causes and consequences of poverty. The agency fosters self-sufficiency and serves over 20,000 individuals annually across program sites and through mobile outreach to ensure the unhoused are safe and connected. The agency’s service areas include Children & Family Services, Safety Net, Economic Justice, Mental Health, and Food Justice.

You can see more on Alia Brown’s story at: vimeo.com/702608739.