Hundreds of locals in one of San Francisco’s wealthiest counties have been forced to pack up their lives into RVs and trailers after being pushed out of the housing market.
Shocking photos show the ever-growing line of trucks and other vehicles along 101 Highway – which now stretches over two miles in one of the largest encampments in the country.
Cities in Marin County, where on average homes cost $1.4million, are pushing for the line along the highway to end after the number of residents living in their cars ballooned during the pandemic.
Photos and video taken by DailyMail.com show families living in tents and using portable barbeques as their belongings spill out of the RV’s and trucks.
Some appear to have used flags to mark the area of road that they use for their home, with many pulling tarpaulin over their cars to protect their possessions.
Shocking photos show the ever-growing line of trucks and other vehicles along 101 Highway – which now stretches over two miles in one of the largest encampments in the country
Pictures taken by DailyMail.com show families living in tents and using portable barbeques as their belongings spill out of the RV’s and trucks
Officials say that there are at least 135 vehicles along Binford Road, on the outskirts of Novato, as the number who call it home has expanded.
The average household income in the county is $131,000 – which has left those with lower incomes nowhere to turn.
Residents of the surrounding area are now coming together to try to help bring the encampment to an end by helping people find services they need.
Every month they are given free groceries, assistance with their housing case management, medical assistance and much more.
There will be a push for the services to be expanded after state funding was awarded to Novato, Sausalito and San Rafael and to Marin County for unincorporated areas like Binford Road.
Each city, and Marin County, received $500,000 to address their encampment issues – with the county bringing in $1million in resources to help each of the regions.
Low-income residents in Marin County say that they have been left with nowhere to go as a cost-of-living crisis grips the region.
Gary Naja-Riese, director of homelessness for Marin County said that their ‘first and immediate priority is Binford’.
The number of vehicles have stretched over two-miles and exploded during the pandemic and has continued to grow
Many have set up solar panels on top of their vehicles to be able to run electricity and cook in the RV’s
Officials say that there are at least 135 vehicles along Binford Road, on the outskirts of Novato, as the number who call it home has expanded
Residents of the surrounding area are now coming together to try to help bring the encampment to an end by helping people find services they need
Local organizations are on hand to help with social and medical issues, with the encampment mostly struggling with hypertension, diabetes and mental health issues
Local organizations are on hand to help with social and medical issues, with the encampment mostly struggling with hypertension, diabetes and mental health issues
Some officials have pushed for an overnight parking ban, which has not been put into place
They are also planning on hiring a full time social worker to support the encampment residents with their issues directly.
The county estimates that there are around 80 residents permanently staying in Binford, with others abandoning their vehicles at the side of the road.
Local organizations are on hand to help with social and medical issues, with the encampment mostly struggling with hypertension, diabetes and mental health issues.
But some are well enough to work full time – though none are able to afford a place to live in the county with skyrocketing costs.
Other cities in California enforced an RV ban in 2016, with many coming to blows when residents refused to move.
Officials have speculated that because Binford Road’s encampment gets support, it has a reputation as one of the last remaining areas where people sleeping in their cars won’t get hassled by law enforcement.
Every month they are given free groceries, assistance with their housing case management, medical assistance and much more
Each city, and Marin County, received $500,000 to address their encampment issues – with the county bringing in $1million in resources to help each of the regions
Some appear to have used flags to mark the area of road that they use for their home, with many pulling tarpaulin over their cars to protect their possessions
Some are well enough to work full time – though none are able to afford a place to live in the county with skyrocketing costs
Zoe Neil, director of Marin County’s Downtown Streets Division told the San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Historically, in Marin, it has been tough to sleep safely in vehicles or campsites outside.
‘Binford is one of the only places that folks can go. But it’s not like it’s a safe haven.’
However some officials have pushed for an overnight parking ban, which has not been put into place.
The county is also seeking an additional $1.5 million in state funding that would allow it to hire two more outreach staffers and a housing-based case manager who would work full-time at Binford.
On average, the county house an average of a dozen people a month across Marin County, primarily through landlord partnership programs at Marin Housing Authority.
Around 78 percent of people who are homeless in the area had residences in Marin County before becoming unhoused.