In 2023, the Community Foundation of Mendocino County launched a grant program to support coastal residents at risk of losing their housing.
Last week, the Fund for Housing Stability on the Mendocino Coast awarded its first grant to the Mendonoma Health Alliance, the foundation said.
The fund, created by coastal residents Linda Jo Stern and Shannon Underhill, provides grants to nonprofits that offer one-time housing assistance for low-income residents, such as paying rent or utility bills, making a security deposit, covering move-in costs or making accessibility upgrades.
The need often stems from a medical emergency, missed work or rising living expenses that make it hard for renters to pay bills.
The grant will support Mendonoma Health Alliance’s work with residents from Westport to Gualala, including Comptche, and households within a 30-minute drive inland from state Highway 1.
The housing crisis on the coast is not always visible, the foundation said. It may not only be a lack of housing but also residents on the cusp of homelessness because of an emergency that makes it hard to make ends meet.
Rising living costs, stagnant wages, and the growth of second homes and short-term rentals have left few options for year-round residents, the foundation said. Younger families are moving away, while longtime older residents face greater risk of displacement.
For Stern, the issue is personal. She helped found the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center’s Coastal Street Medicine program and served as interim director of Fort Bragg’s Safe Passage Family Resource Center, which closed in 2021.
“Sometimes it’s just one missing piece,” Stern said. “People don’t always need much, just help with a deposit or catching up on a utility bill. Without that help, things can spiral quickly. This fund won’t solve the entire housing crisis, but it can keep someone housed through a rough patch. And that can be life changing.”
Stern and Underhill met while working for a global aid organization. They said fairness, dignity and action are the foundation of their relationship — and helping others.
“Housing is foundational. Without a stable place to live, everything else — work, health, education — becomes infinitely harder,” Underhill said. “This fund is about keeping people housed so they can build or rebuild their lives.”
Editor’s note: This article originally stated that Linda Jo Stern received services from local nonprofits, when she actually co-founded or worked for the nonprofits. The article has been edited to reflect this correction.
This story originally appeared in The Mendocino Voice.