WHO WE ARE

The Marin Interfaith Homeless Chaplaincy was founded in 1992 as a California Public Benefit Corporation and is currently operating as The Street Chaplaincy (TSC). We are fiscally sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church of San Rafael, a registered 501c3

(Tax ID# 941322199). The Street Chaplaincy’s primary mission is to bring compassionate spiritual care to unsheltered and temporarily sheltered persons in Marin County and to build community between homeless persons and non-homeless faith communities and other organizations.

WHAT WE DO

We Build Bridges of Support and Foster Community

Our mission takes on many forms. The street chaplain visits homeless persons where they are most often found, on the streets, at the shelters, motels, encampments, hospitals, nursing facilities, and the county jail. We accompany the homeless and support them by helping the unsheltered find financial assistance, housing, and medical care by connecting them with city/county programs, healthcare providers and local service organizations. We also host a Wellness Gathering that brings together the housed and those who are living on the street to share stories, prayers, and a warm meal every week.

OUR TEAM

Kieawnie Clar, Executive Director

Kieawnie Clar is a trained spiritual director, coach, and former Case Manager with over a decade of experience with the unhoused in Marin County. She has worked extensively as with unsheltered mothers and their children on the journey to self-sufficiency. In recent years, Kieawnie has specialized in working with unhoused, single adults struggling with medically complex health concerns as well as other issues creating barriers to housing. Kieawnie also serves as Pastor of Community Engagement at Hamilton Community Church of the Nazarene.

Mary Nettleman

Mary Nettleman is a retired physician and Dean Emerita of the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota. Now living in Marin, she became involved with The Street Chaplaincy because she is inspired by its sustained commitment to provide food, support, and connection to people who struggle with housing insecurity. Drawing on her background in medicine, public health, and community service, she values TSC’s dedication to providing practical assistance with dignity and compassion.

Leslie Purdy

Leslie Purdy is a member of First Presbyterian Church San Rafael and has been a strong supporter of The Street Chaplaincy for years. At the church, she sings in the choir and chairs the Mission and Social Justice Committee. She and her husband, Ralph, live in Novato and enjoy gardening, hiking, traveling, and a wide variety of community service activities. Before retiring to Marin County, she had a career as a college administrator and producer of educational television for a community college in Orange County where she served as President of Coastline Community College for eight years.

John Hinman

John Hinman is a senior partner at the San Francisco law firm Hinman & Carmichael LLP. He lives in San Rafael with his wife, Charmaine, and their four dogs. John is a member of First Presbyterian Church of San Rafael and has been on the The Street Chaplaincy Board since 2015. John is committed to TSC’s mission of supporting the homeless community in Marin through food, warm clothing, finding shelter and counseling. John is the emeritus Chairman of the Board of the Raphael House of San Francisco, which is committed to housing and support services for homeless families, and received the City of San Francisco Community Service Award for his work. John’s commitment to the homeless started after his service in the Army in Vietnam when he encountered homeless veterans on the streets of San Francisco and in Marin without access to the services they needed to stabilize their lives.

Joe Simmons

Joe Simmons began his career in urban planning, which evolved into a deep concern for the ever-growing need for low income housing. That interest led him into teaching, policy planning and financing. The last 15 years of his career were with Enterprise Community Finance Services, a nonprofit providing financing of low income housing throughout the country. After retirement, he has been president of the board for Community Action Marin, a nonprofit managing Headstart programs in Marin, and a board member of LITA, a nonprofit providing volunteer activities to reduce loneliness in the aging in Marin. He’s also a member of the League Of Women Voters’ Transportation, Land Use and Housing Committee. He belongs to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where he participates in their Letters for Prisoners and Food for Our Neighbors ministries. Joe is the proud father of twins, who have also made him a proud grandfather of three girls and a boy.

Leticia Fish

Leticia Fish is passionate about serving individuals experiencing homelessness and hardship, helping them find affordable housing and community assistance. For many years, she has been a strong advocate for The Street Chaplaincy. She served as Coordinator of St. Rita's Rotating Emergency Shelter Team (REST) Program for nine years, providing the community with meals and a safe place to sleep for women and men in need. Leticia was also a strong advocate for establishing Victory Village, a 64-unit senior housing community in Fairfax. In addition, she partnered with Mercy Housing of California, San Francisco to establish a community center and support services for Sunnydale in Visitation Valley, replacing over 700 units of World War II housing with over 1,700 units of new housing.

Leticia is serving as a board member for St. Rita Parish Council, where she provided leadership in communication, ministries, social gatherings, and assistance for the poor and home-bound in our Parish. She worked on various projects with the Marin Interface Council and Marin Organizing Committee.

Professionally, Leticia was the Former Director of Human Resources for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Southwest Region in San Francisco and served as a spokesperson on national EPA HR Policy. Through her experience, she became skilled in resolving sensitive legal and technical issues with diverse groups. As Labor Management Officer, she negotiated 15 labor management agreements with two unions. She also established various memorandum of agreements with colleges.

Her additional experience includes Real Estate Asset Management and Interior Design. She was the former owner of Napa Valley Vacation Rentals.

Leticia studied at U.C. Davis and San Francisco State University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She is certified in team building and labor relations, is a Toastmasters graduate, and is bilingual in Spanish.