Marnie Hatch offers former foster youth and young people going through the court system, stability and hope.

As the Program Manager for two different housing divisions at our agency, she gives our clients a chance at a better future.

“I love helping clients. I love watching them, when things start to click, and I see them gain maturity. I love to watch that. Because being homeless is traumatic. I know because I was.”

Marnie was living on the streets of Berkeley for about four months when she was just 15 years old.

Her family life was unstable, she moved around a lot, and eventually had nowhere else to go.

She wishes someplace like Larkin Street existed back then.

“When youth are homeless, it’s not simply because they wanted to run away from home after an argument. They’ve been through some things and people don’t understand that. Larkin Street has the best resources for youth. With the support we provide, it allows me to do what I want to do and be the most effective with youth.”

Marnie works with 18–25-year-olds.

She always knew that working with young people was her calling.

And finding stable housing is a life changer.

“If we house youth, once they feel safe, they can move on to address mental health challenges, drug addiction, court challenges, whatever barriers they’re facing. Because often, they haven’t had a place where they’ve felt safe their entire lives.”

Having housing lifts a weight off our client’s shoulders.

Many spend their days in school, in counseling, or working.

Knowing that they have a roof over their heads at night makes all the difference.

“When we can provide that, and you can see that feeling come over them and they can trust. It’s really powerful. I can’t tell you how rewarding it is.”

The work Marnie and her team do is hard but worth it.

Just the other day she got a call from a former foster youth who graduated from the program last year.

He needed help balancing his budget.

Marnie helped him come up with a plan, a workable budget, and a sense of relief.

She is that safe harbor when life is unstable and scary.