For Families in Need

Information for Families Seeking Assistance
Información para Familias Buscando Ayuda

Adopt A Family helps low-income Marin County families in crisis by providing subsidies for rental assistance, security deposits, utility payments, food vouchers and safety-related auto repair.

To qualify, you must have custody of and provide housing for at least one dependent child under 18 years old. There are additional qualifications for each of the programs we offer.

If you are seeking assistance, please choose from the following options:

  • If you are a family and would like to receive services in English, please call (415) 456-7805, ext 10, or complete the Family Request for Assistance form.
  • If you are a service provider and would like to refer an English-speaking family to our agency, please fill out the Referral Form for Service Providers. Please be sure to include your name, agency and contact information. Before speaking with the client family, we may contact you with additional questions.
  • If you are a service provider and the family you are referring speaks only Spanish, please complete the Referral Form for Service Providers – For Spanish-Speaking Families Only. Please be sure to include your name, agency and contact information. Before speaking with the client family, we may contact you with additional questions.
  • If you are a service provider and the family you are referring speaks a language other than English or Spanish, please use Referral Form for Service Providers. Please indicate on the form whether you or another provider will be available for translation during the family’s appointment with us.

Please note that we are unable to see families on a drop-in basis. A phone call or completing the online form is the best way to start the intake process.

If you call to request assistance, we will fill out an intake form over the phone in order to determine whether you meet the basic qualifications for one of our assistance programs. We also want to offer you additional referrals to resources that might help you with your current difficulties. We will talk with you about what crisis is happening and what efforts you may have made to solve your financial problems. If you would prefer to request assistance online, please fill out the online intake form to the best of your ability. The more information you provide, the better we can assess your situation and determine if and how we can help your family.

After the initial intake, a case manager will call you within two or three business days. If it is appropriate, you will be given an appointment and sent an application to fill out. The first page of the application explains what documents and information you should bring to your appointment, so please read it carefully and fill out the rest of the application to the best of your ability.

The information on your application will help you and your case manager assess your current situation and find ways that your family can avoid similar crises in the future. We then will determine how we are able to assist you, whether it is through financial assistance or other services.

Our main goal is to help you increase your capacity to be financially stable and remove barriers to your family’s stability and self-sufficiency. Our work with you will be focused in these areas. We will try to assist you with appropriate referrals to other services that you may need. Our hope is that, with our support, you and your family will experience some positive life changes and regain confidence in a brighter, happier future.

Is it possible to receive assistance for more than one month? Every family’s situation is different. You can always receive case management and supportive services for as long as needed. Our capacity to provide financial services varies from month to month, depending on available programs.

We look forward to helping you the best that we can. 

Cancellation Policy

If you need to cancel your appointment for any reason, please give us as much notice as possible. We are very busy and we will reschedule your time when we can. If you do not call and don’t come to your appointment, we cannot guarantee when you will be rescheduled, as we always have a waiting list for appointment times.

If you are seeking assistance, please call (415) 456-7805, ext 10, or complete this Family Request for Assistance form.