I’ve always been someone who likes to plan. As I handed in my last final exam of my second year at college, I had a chilling realization. I was halfway through college and I had no idea where I would be after I graduated.
Panic set in. What am I working toward? Where do I want to end up? In this wave of sudden distress and unsureness, the possibility of moving back to Marin and living near my family never crossed my mind — not because I desired to move far away, but rather I knew that, due to the extreme housing costs in Marin, I will likely never be able to afford to live in my hometown independently. My family moved here from Oakland seeking good public schools, as well as natural beauty and open spaces.
In the nine years since, Marin has truly become our home. I hope Marin can continue to be my home as I grow into an adult, but that seems nearly impossible – barring marriage to a multi-millionaire, the discovery that I am heiress to a grand fortune or buying a winning lottery ticket. As fortunate as these events would be, I should not need millionaire aspirations to be given the opportunity to return to the place I grew up.
Without affordable housing options, I, and many other young Marin residents, will be forced to live separately from their families, even if we have chosen traditionally lucrative careers. Allowing for multiple generations of families to live and grow in one place can have great positive impacts on the community. Some of the parents of my closest f.