Marin County may offer public housing residents path to home ownership

MARIN CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- In the North Bay, county leaders are looking at ways to give residents living in public housing, a path to home ownership.

Carol Thomas has lived in Marin City all her life. Her younger years spent at Golden Gate Village Public Housing complex, 32 acres of Low rise buildings, and eight high rise towers visible from highway 101.

"Our family's here, our church, our history is here," said Thomas.

Marin County's Housing Authority is working on a plan to revitalize and rehabilitate the property that's more than 60-years-old.

Officials are considering offering residents a path towards home ownership by giving them a chance to buy their units.

"You have a community that's faced some obstacles to homeownership, here's a way to move forward and create different opportunities for the residents," said Supervisor Connolly.

Connolly says the option to buy program would likely be managed thru the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, allowing low-income families to purchase.a home of their own.

"We don't want to be priced out but give people an option to buy with the same income level of people who live here," said Marin City resident Royce McLemore.

Terrie Green says home ownership in the Pricey Bay Area is a win-win.

"If you take that, families will flourish. That's what we want to see, we don't want to see more families displaced in our community," said Green.

Officials say families would have to qualify for the program and likely come up with a small down payment.

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