As rents surge and homelessness continues to outpace housing development, displacement has become the focus of a new countywide survey and initiative. Led by the Housing Working Group—a coalition comprised of county officials and representatives from Marin’s cities and towns—the iniative targets the growing crisis. Part of a broader effort to prevent residents from being priced out of their homes and neighborhoods, the survey, available in both English and Spanish, examines the complex dynamics driving residents out of Marin. “In addition to looking at how we can add homes that are affordable, this work is crucial for addressing how we can prevent the displacement of people who are already part of our communities,” said Leelee Thomas, a housing official with the Marin County Community Development Agency. Dubbed “Rooted in Marin,” the initiative is designed to spotlight local concerns about displacement. More than half of Marin’s workforce has long been forced to live in more affordable areas, enduring lengthy commutes. Unaffordable rents blight the prospects of not only the poor but also growing shares of the lower middle class after decades in which rent increases in the county have outpaced income growth. As developers continue to face the steepest obstacles to building in the places where new homes are most needed, Rooted in Marin represents a crucial effort to address the crisis. The data gathered by the survey will guide planners in developing housing strategies that officials can take into consideration, according to Jillian Zeiger, a principal county planner and the project’s lead. “The county faces a pivotal moment in shaping its housing future and the survey data will play a part in guiding that process,” Ms. Zeiger said. “[The findings] will be presented to the Board of Supervisors and will ultimately lead to the creation of a toolkit that each jurisdiction can customize to address its unique housing needs.” Already the survey, which runs through Sept. 16, has garnered over 700 responses, surpassing the county’s target. The initiative comes at a time when county officials face a state mandate to create over 14,000 new housing units by 2031. The push for new housing development, such as in the contentious gas station proposal in Point Reyes Station, is fueling increasingly heated battles between NIMBY skeptics and YIMBY housing advocates. “Communities thrive on the people who give them life,” Ms. Thomas said. “Yet we are losing these essential members—artists, workers, and long-term locals who sustain us.” Participate in the survey in English and Spanish at https://www.rootedinmarin.org