A month after opening a permitted homeless camp, San Rafael officials approved agreements with the county establishing roles and responsibilities in the grant-funded effort.

The move was necessary so the city could seek reimbursement for costs associated with starting the camp on the Mahon Creek Trail. San Rafael and county officials are expecting about $7 million in funding to combat homelessness in the city.

The San Rafael City Council unanimously approved the agreements on November 4. County supervisors will be asked to approve the same contracts on November 19.

One of the contracts is a professional services agreement worth $3.58 million, which would cover the city’s share of encampment expenses. The funding comes from the county’s $18 million allocation from the state’s Camp Resolution Fund.

The other contract is for $1 million, half of which comes from a state budget appropriation secured by Sen. Mike McGuire, whose district includes Marin. The county provides a 50% match.

Marin County Supervisor Mary Sackett attended the board meeting to voice her support.

“I think this is an unprecedented collaboration and an unprecedented amount of money that is really going to result in things that we see on the ground and get people on the path to housing,” he said. Sackett said.

“Our county staff will continue to support the city through this process,” Sackett said. “We know there may be bumps along the way, but because we can work together, we move forward. »

The county filed a joint application with San Rafael and the Bolinas Community Land Trust for $18 million in Encampment Resolution Fund grants, which were awarded in March.

San Rafael’s share is $5.99 million to resolve the Mahon Creek encampment, the largest municipal encampment in Marin.

Both the county and San Rafael are using unspent funds from previous state grants to help tide them over until the new funds arrive. The Encampment Resolution Fund allocation announced in March was the third round of grants.

An $8.67 million grant of the $18 million is intended to support a project in Bolinas called Bo-Linda Vista, and $3.72 million was allocated to fund ongoing efforts to address a large group of residents in vehicles along Binford Road in the unincorporated town of Novato.

San Rafael officials said that after a month, the grant-funded encampment appears to be working.

“There were many years where we needed it, and now we have it,” Councilwoman Maribeth Bushey said of the funding.

“By working together, we are able to bring funds and services to our community that we otherwise would not be able to provide. The sum is greater than the parts,” she said. “This is an incredible illustration of that for our community.” »

City councilor Maika Llorens Gulati said: “I think this type of collaboration will bring the best that can be done on the path to housing. »

“I think this is going to be a model for a number of other cities and counties across the state,” Councilwoman Rachel Kertz said.

Mayor Kate Colin said it was important to note that applying for public funds was a competitive process.

“The reason we were able to get them is because we had a success rate in the previous sanctioned camping area,” Colin said. “We’ve demonstrated that when you provide the right programs and support, people can access case management and take the next step. »

“San Rafael is committed to continuing to work with people to provide access to housing,” Colin said.