Sacramento, CA— Senate President Designee Mike McGuire is excited to announce the awarding of the final $14.4 million of state funding needed to complete the Novato Veterans and Workforce Housing project spearheaded by Senator McGuire, Homeward Bound of Marin and the County of Marin.

McGuire secured an initial $4 million in 2021 that allowed Homeward Bound of Marin to fund 24 units of homeless veteran housing units located on a city-owned lot adjacent to the Homeward Bound campus located on the former Hamilton Army Airfield in Novato. Homeward Bound broke ground on those units in 2022, and is set to finish construction by late spring of this year. 

With this development, Marin County will become one of the few counties in the entire state to effectively end homelessness for veterans. Now the additional $14.4 million will fund another 26 units to provide affordable housing for both families and single adults who are leaving homelessness behind them and entering the local workforce. 

Homeward Bound also received a $3 million grant through the state’s Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program; $2 million from Marin County; $2.2 million from the Marin Community Foundation; and $750,000 from the City of Novato along with the donation of the 2.8 acre parcel where there housing is being built, among others. 

“This project is the key to ending veterans’ homelessness in Marin County. With this funding, we’ll also finish building desperately needed affordable housing units that will help get folks off the streets and into stable housing. We’ve been grateful to partner with Homeward Bound, the City of Novato, County of Marin and the Marin Community Foundation on this life-changing project. We can’t wait to say ‘Welcome Home’ to dozens of new neighbors later this Spring!” said Senator McGuire.

The $14.4 million in funding was awarded by the California’s Project Homekey. In total, Homekey has funded 14,652 housing units across the state, helping move people off the streets to a pathway toward stable housing. 

“We are so thrilled to receive this funding from the State and Senator McGuire. We could have never done this without Senator McGuire’s leadership and the leadership of the City of Novato, the County of Marin, the Marin Housing Authority, and the state Housing and Community Development Department. We’re beyond excited to open the doors and welcome our local veterans as well as individuals and families who are working their way out of homelessness,” said Mary Kay Sweeney of Homeward Bound of Marin.