Petaluma People’s Village
Homelessness is one of the most challenging issues facing Petaluma and communities throughout the country. The annual Sonoma County Point-in-Time Count provides a snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness on a given night. In Petaluma, 295 community members are experiencing homelessness, which includes 133 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
Petaluma is committed to caring for our unsheltered community and has increased our investment to provide services, case management, and a permanent path to housing. Our partners such as COTS, Downtown Streets Team (DST), Petaluma People Services Center (PPSC), and the Petaluma Health Center (PHC) collectively serve hundreds of people with wrap-around services such as meals, showers, employment counseling, mental health and substance use disorder services, and a host of other holistic case management services.
One of our most exciting projects of this year is People’s Village at the Mary Isaak Center. People’s Village is a City-funded project, in partnership with the County of Sonoma and COTS, to place 25 tiny homes on the COTS campus in Petaluma to provide shelter and services to people currently living in encampments. This project provides an alternative to traditional dorm-style shelters by providing non-congregate individual shelter units, while taking us forward on our path toward ending homelessness in Petaluma.
Taking Action to Address the Shelter Crisis
On September 13, 2021, our City Council declared a Shelter Crisis in Petaluma in recognition of the urgent need for shelter faced by a significant and growing number of people in our community. Declaring a “crisis” empowers us to take necessary steps to address these important issues.
Welcome to People's Village
We are thrilled to announce work is beginning on People’s Village at the Mary Isaac Center, and we anticipate welcoming our first residents to the village by late February 2022.
Before 2022, there was a gap within our system of care for those experiencing homelessness, in that our ability to reach and serve unsheltered individuals living in the encampments around Petaluma was limited. There are many challenges faced by residents experiencing homelessness, from domestic abuse and financial hardships to PTSD and various mental and physical health ailments. To serve all of our residents, the City of Petaluma, in partnership with COTS and the County of Sonoma, is launching the People’s Village – a site of 25 tiny home units that will provide temporary shelter to former encampment residents or other unsheltered individuals or couples.
Like the congregate shelter at the Mary Isaak Center, People’s Village will offer guests temporary shelter paired with case management to help them reach their housing and employment goals. The project has been a major team effort by many individual players and community partners.
Learn More
Enter your information below to stay updated on the People’s Village project.
