Fall 2025 Stakeholder Update from Omar Carrera, CEO

Dear Friends, 

A lot has happened since I last wrote in April. In the past several months we have endured heartbreaking and terrifying events, both here in our community and as an immigrant-serving organization working under an aggressively anti-immigrant federal administration. 

Yet thanks to you — our most generous and steadfast supporters — and to our dedicated staff and board of directors, we are stepping up to address those challenges. We’re also making remarkable progress in advancing our core programs. 

Today, I’d like to share some of what has transpired since April and our plans for the following:  

• Developments from our resident-led neighborhood planning initiative, Nuestro Canal, Nuestro Futuro 

• Updates and celebrations from our resident capacity-building Leadership Academy 

• Exciting news about the City of San Rafael’s acquisition of the 620 Canal Street property, which will bring access and green space to the Canal neighborhood 

• Progress in leveraging our new headquarters to advance partnerships and impact 

• An update on our collective effort to support people displaced by the 516 Canal Street fire 

• And an invitation to make a gift that will add capacity to our Immigration Legal Services team as we continue to deliver core services and respond to ongoing anti-immigrant actions and policies. 

News & Developments: Nuestro Canal, Nuestro Futuro Place-Based Neighborhood Planning 

Our Policy & Civic Engagement (PACE) team continues to lead the Nuestro Canal, Nuestro Futuro (NCNF) initiative alongside Canal residents. On October 4th, we hosted our third successful NCNF Community Fair where hundreds of attendees shared their visions for the neighborhood’s future. As you know, NCNF is advancing a resident-led Neighborhood Vision Plan focused on leadership development, power sharing, and community-driven strategies for community development, climate resilience, and cultural preservation. This work is especially critical as the Canal neighborhood — designated both a federal Opportunity Zone and a regional Priority Development Area — faces accelerated investment and development. While these designations bring opportunities for housing development, transit investment, and more, they also carry risk of gentrification and displacement of longtime Latino immigrant residents.  

Through NCNF, Canal Alliance is ensuring these forces are met with strong, community-informed plans and policies that protect residents, preserve culture, and promote equitable growth; NCNF serves as a stabilizing and strategic force — aligning investment with community priorities to secure a safe, healthy, and vibrant future for all. We look forward to soon sharing our first Canal Neighborhood Community Snapshot report, and invite you to save the date for our next NCNF Community Fair on May 2, 2026. 

Community Capacity Building: Leadership Academy Celebrates Reaching Over 100 Community Members, Consejo de Residentes Leads Nuestro Canal, Nuestro Futuro 

I’m thrilled to share that more than 100 community members have now graduated from our NCNF Leadership Academy. These graduates — all Latino immigrant residents of the Canal — are emerging as civic leaders, equipped to take active roles in local governance, where their leadership is shaping the development of an actionable, resident-driven plan that will guide future investment in the Canal. 

In parallel, many graduates of the Leadership Academy serve on the 20-member Consejo de Residentes, a resident advisory group that now leads the broader NCNF initiative. Through targeted training and education, Consejo members have built the planning and leadership skills needed to advance community priorities around climate adaptation, housing, transportation, green economic inclusion, and more. 

620 Canal Street 

An example of the tangible change that Leadership Academy graduates and Consejo members are already driving is their effectiveness in directly influencing the City of San Rafael’s recent purchase of 620 Canal Street. Now having partnered with The Trust for Public Land to secure the remaining funds to complete the purchase of the property, plans are underway to transform the site into a waterfront park and future connection point for a planned bridge that links the Canal neighborhood across the water to local businesses, transit and schools in and near 2^nd Street.  

Envisioned as a future cultural corridor for public art and community gatherings, and a critical pathway for daily transit and emergency evacuations, this project represents years of persistent, resident-led planning, supported by significant investments from government and private partners. While further funding and design work remain, this milestone marks a major step toward expanding and improving equitable access to public spaces citywide. 

One Year in Our New Headquarters: A Hub for Community and Collaboration 

August marked one year since Canal Alliance opened the doors to our new headquarters at 711 Grand Avenue. More than a building, this facility represents a lasting investment in the strength and visibility of Marin’s Latino immigrant community.  

Over the past year, we have leveraged this space to expand our impact through new programmatic partnerships, such as that between College of Marin and our Adult Education programs. With leadership by our facilities and operations teams, we also invite community groups and partner institutions that serve local residents to utilize the space. As a result, our headquarters has become a true hub for impact and collaboration — where organizations such as Marin Promise Partnership, ExtraFood, 400 Canal Tenants Union, Canal Fútbol Club, Parent Services Project, and The Canal Arts regularly come together to connect, learn, and advance shared goals in partnership with community leaders and residents. 

Looking ahead, we continue to explore opportunities to make space available to mission-aligned partners to ensure our facility continues to serve not only as a home for Canal Alliance, but as a resource that strengthens partnerships, amplifies impact, and anchors our long-term presence in Marin. 

Affordable Housing Resource Pool 

Affordable housing is an issue everywhere in California, and particularly here in Marin. To ensure that Marin County continues to thrive economically, current and future workforce members need to be able to afford to live here. To support housing affordability, Canal Alliance has established an affordable housing resource pool that will enhance our competitiveness in acquiring existing multi-family buildings that we then plan to convert to permanent affordable housing, much like the 9 unit building at 1400 Lincoln Avenue that we recently acquired. By launching the resource pool, our goal is to secure investments from public and private investors and philanthropists that will allow us to respond proactively and quickly when the right properties come on the market. 

To support our housing goals, we have also been working closely with the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders to help shape our overall strategy and property acquisition framework by developing criteria and identifying properties that meet those criteria. Using GIS mapping and local data, we aim to identify small multi-family buildings, typically 7 to 20 units, that serve households earning between 30 to 60% of the area median income. We prioritize properties located outside of flood zones and within areas that allow for rezoning for the potential addition of new units to increase long-term housing opportunities. As part of a broader effort to preserve community-serving housing and prevent displacement, we aim to ensure that working families can continue to live and thrive here in Marin. 

Responding to One of Marin’s Most Devastating Local Disasters 

The 516 Canal Street fire stands as one of Marin County’s most significant disasters this year—upending the lives of 55 residents who lost their homes, belongings, and financial security overnight. For people already facing the daily challenges of navigating life in a new country, this crisis compounded their hardships and left many starting over once again with no safety net. 

In moments like this, with long-standing trust, and cultural and linguistic capacity, Canal Alliance serves as the trusted anchor that community members turn to for leadership, coordination, and long-term support. Within hours of the fire, we connected with local emergency response providers and mobilized to provide case management for every displaced family — ensuring immediate housing in local hotels, cash assistance to replace essential items such as IDs, cell phones, cars, and medications, and meal donations through ExtraFood to sustain families through recovery. 

The response demonstrates a remarkable example of community solidarity, with residents, local government, and community partners coming together to stand with our neighbors and restore hope in this time of crisis. Altogether, 1,200 individuals, companies, foundations and community groups contributed over $374,000 to our Emergency Client Support Fund. An additional $318,000 was provided by donors via Marin Community Foundation, the County of Marin, and the City of San Rafael.  

While immediate relief work has been vital, difficult work remains as the families rebuild their lives. However, I am happy to report that all 55 residents have moved into permanent housing. To support long-term recovery, our team will continue to work alongside these families to support their financial stability, ensuring that this tragedy does not derail their hard work and hopes for the future.   

Opportunity for impactful giving: Increasing Capacity for Immigration Services  

The federal administration continues to escalate its aggressive attacks on immigrant communities — through mass deportations, terrifying arrests, inhumane family separations, and, most recently, with ICE bribes to unaccompanied minors. These actions deepen fear, destabilize neighborhoods, and threaten the safety and dignity of immigrant families.  

To meet this moment, we plan to add a new staff attorney position to serve as a pro bono coordinator, responsible for managing partnerships with private law firms and volunteer attorneys. By providing training and support for pro-bono attorneys, this position adds capacity for legal representation and allow existing legal staff to focus on case intake, client support, and coordination.  

While we have secured some funding to add legal capacity, including a grant from Marin Community Foundation, we continue to seek additional funds to support this effort over the next four years. If you would like to learn more about how you can support this critical initiative, please contact me or Sara Matson, Chief Development Officer, at saram@canalalliance.org. 

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As a key investor and partner in our mission and programs, I want to reiterate my gratitude and appreciation for your support of Canal Alliance and the Latino community. I invite you to contact me to learn more about the news shared in this letter. To schedule a visit or tour, please contact me directly or reach out to Jennifer Caynan, Senior Manager of Leadership Giving, at jenniferc@canalalliance.org. 

You make our progress and success possible. Thank you for everything that you do to make Marin a place where everyone can live, learn, work, and succeed.   

Gracias

Omar Carrera
Chief Executive Office