The release of Marin County’s 2026 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count offers an important snapshot of homelessness in our community and highlights both progress and ongoing challenges. According to the report, 1,128 people were experiencing homelessness in Marin County in January 2026, a modest increase from 2024, with nearly three-quarters of individuals living unsheltered. Chronic homelessness increased significantly, while youth, family, and veteran homelessness showed encouraging improvements.
At Center for Domestic Peace, we see many of these same community challenges through the lens of survivor safety. While domestic violence is not the primary focus of the PIT Count, the findings reinforce a reality we witness every day: housing stability is essential to safety, healing, and long-term well-being.
Homelessness in Marin Is Increasingly Tied to Economic Instability
One of the most significant findings from the PIT survey is that 56% of respondents identified economic issues as the primary cause of homelessness. Additionally, 62% reported that their current episode was their first experience of homelessness, and 88% said they were already living in Marin County before losing housing.
These findings tell an important story. Homelessness in Marin is overwhelmingly local, and for many people it begins with a financial crisis, job loss, housing instability, or a combination of economic pressures.
For survivors of domestic violence, economic insecurity is often a direct consequence of abuse. Financial control, restricted access to income, damaged credit, legal expenses, and the loss of housing following separation can create impossible choices between safety and stability. Survivors frequently face the risk of homelessness not because they lack resilience, but because they lack access to safe and affordable housing options.
The Hidden Connection Between Domestic Violence and Homelessness
The PIT report found that 3% of survey respondents reported currently experiencing domestic violence or abuse. The report also cautions readers to interpret this figure carefully.
Importantly, this measure captures only people who reported experiencing abuse at the time of the survey. It does not include individuals who previously fled violence, survivors staying temporarily with friends or family, or those who avoid traditional homelessness systems because of safety concerns. The report itself notes that PIT Counts likely undercount people who are hidden, doubled up, or otherwise difficult to identify through traditional counting methods.
This means that the relationship between domestic violence and homelessness is often larger than data alone can capture.
Housing Is a Safety Strategy
The report highlights a critical challenge facing Marin County: a shortage of housing vouchers and deeply affordable housing. County leaders identify these shortages as a major factor contributing to increased chronic homelessness and delayed housing placements for vulnerable residents who are already engaged in services.
For survivors, these same barriers can prevent a safe exit from abuse or delay the transition from emergency shelter to permanent housing. Housing is not simply a social service. For survivors, housing is a safety intervention.
That is why Center for Domestic Peace invests in a comprehensive approach that includes emergency shelter, housing advocacy, legal services, economic empowerment, prevention programs, and long-term support. These services help survivors establish both safety and stability, reducing the risk that a crisis becomes homelessness.
Prevention Matters
A particularly noteworthy finding is that 62% of people surveyed reported experiencing homelessness for the first time.
This underscores the importance of prevention and early intervention. When individuals and families receive support before they become chronically homeless, outcomes improve and long-term costs to the community decrease.
For survivors of domestic violence, prevention can take many forms:
- Emergency financial assistance
- Legal advocacy
- Safety planning
- Housing navigation
- Employment support
- Economic empowerment services
Investments in these services help individuals and families remain safe, housed, and connected to their communities.
Moving Forward Together
The 2026 PIT Count highlights both progress and challenges. Encouraging decreases in veteran, youth, and family homelessness demonstrate that targeted strategies can work. At the same time, rising chronic homelessness and ongoing housing affordability challenges remind us that sustained investment is essential.
At Center for Domestic Peace, we remain committed to ensuring that survivors and their children have access to the resources they need to live free from violence and housing instability. We are grateful to our community partners, funders, and supporters whose investments make this work possible.
Read the County of Marin’s Point-in-Time Count announcement:
Marin Point-in-Time Count Highlights Progress and Persistent Homelessness Challenges
Together, we can build a Marin where every individual and family has both safety and a place to call home.
2026 Marin Point in Time Count- ES-FINAL (1)
2026 Marin County Point in Time Census and Survey Report FINAL (1)