With the opening of Casa Canal in April 2025, SHELTER, Inc. now provides services in Marin County.
Casa Canal provides permanent supportive housing for people exiting homelessness. The site includes 32 studio units, eight one-bedroom apartments, and a two-bedroom unit for an on-site property manager.
Casa Canal also features shared spaces like a community room and a landscaped private courtyard, offering welcoming environments for residents to gather and connect. Vibrantly colored murals by local artists illuminate the building exterior.
SHELTER, Inc. was selected by Marin Health and Human Services to provide on-site services to all residents. Case managers work alongside participants to help develop essential life skills including goal setting, budgeting, creating a saving plan, financial literacy, and independent living skills. In addition to individual coaching and support, case managers will also facilitate groups that are geared towards the participants’ needs. Participants can also partner with an employment specialist for coaching on resume building, job search strategies, and interview tactics.
Additional support is provided by Eden Housing Resident Services, Marin County Behavioral Health and Resident Services, and the John Stewart Company.
“It’s wonderful to see the residents settling in to their new space,” says Mary Hill, Program Director at SHELTER, Inc. “For someone who has experienced homelessness, starting to feel at home is priceless.”
The site is an innovative example of adaptive reuse under California’s Homekey project, which expands housing for people experiencing homelessness by converting existing properties. Eden Housing, the project developer, reimagined a vacant office building into a tranquil space that 41 people now call home.
