Neighbor rallies support for seniors at Kruger Pines

Randy Chase, seen outside Kruger Pines in Strawberry on Dec. 18, is launching an ‘Adopt-A-Senior’ program and other initiatives to help fellow residents at the low-income housing complex. (Clara Lu / For the Ark)

From the outside, Kruger Pines looks like just another low-slung apartment complex tucked into a comfortable Strawberry neighborhood on North Knoll Road. Inside, 62-year-old resident Randy Chase sees something very different: 56 seniors and disabled tenants at risk of slipping through the cracks — and a community just outside their front door that, he believes, has the power to catch them.

Chase, a longtime political organizer and construction laborer who moved into Kruger Pines about six weeks ago, is launching an “Adopt-A-Senior” program aimed at connecting local volunteers with residents in need of simple, consistent help: a weekly ride to the grocery store, someone to sit and have a cup of coffee while a neighbor shops, a steady friendly face who shows up when they say they will.

He planned to hold an initial gathering Dec. 23, after The Ark’s press time, inviting volunteers from throughout Marin to meet residents over refreshments at the Kruger Pines community room and figure out who needs what.

Chase’s urgency stems from fears about upcoming political changes. In a Nov. 29 Nextdoor post, he cited a change in federal homelessness funding announced in November by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The department released its funding opportunities for the Continuum of Care, stating that only 30% of the $3.9 billion in funding would be authorized for permanent housing or rental aid — potentially resulting in Marin County losing $3.5 million of its funding for permanent housing. As a result, 220 Marin residents, most over 50, are at risk of losing their housing security.

“These are people who finally escaped the streets. Now they’re being put right back on the edge. This isn’t theory. It’s not partisan noise. It’s real lives in real apartments — including the seniors in Kruger Pines,” Chase wrote.

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