SAN FRANCISCO—Acting San Francisco Mayor London Breed, various advocacy groups and community members celebrated on Wednesday, January 10 the opening of the El Centro Bayview Family Resource Center, a facility that will help local residents and Latino and immigrant families.
“While the federal government launches an unprecedented assault against our immigrant communities, we will stand strong and support our residents in San Francisco,” said Acting Mayor Breed. “El Centro Bayview will provide critical services for families in the Bayview while acting as a reminder that we stand by our most vulnerable communities during these difficult times.”
According to a press release from the Mayor’s Office, El Centro Bayview was opened with the assistance of $1 million in funding support from the region, including $500,000 in this year’s budget and an additional $500,000 in next year’s budget. The funding was awarded after a Request for Proposals (RFP) process and followed collaborative consultation with the San Francisco Latino Parity and Equity Coalition (SFLPEC). The SFPLEC is an organization that makes city policy recommendations to address the needs of the low-income Latino community.
“El Centro Bayview will provide critical, dynamic support to local families in need,” said Supervisor Malia Cohen. “I worked with the Latino Parity and Equity Coalition to secure money for this during last year’s budget process and I’m honored to host this in District 10.”
The family resource center is located at 1341 Evans Avenue, and will feature workshops and classes for Bayview parents, including instructional courses connected to nutrition, health, family economic success and youth development. The center will also provide case management and advocacy services and host community events. It will also deliver referrals to other support services and offer volunteer and leadership opportunities through its Parent Advisory Council.
The El Centro Bayview Center will be managed and operated by three nonprofit organizations that specialize in supportive services for Latino families: Mission Neighborhood Centers, Good Samaritan Family Resource Center and the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA).
“Gentrification has severely affected our Latino working and poor families, adding additional economic stressors to our displaced families,” said Santiago Ruiz, Executive Director of Mission Neighborhood Centers. “Our San Francisco Latino Parity and Equity Coalition, in an effort to mitigate these disparities is partnering with the City government to prioritize safety net support services in the five San Francisco neighborhoods, which as a direct result of displacement, now have a high concentration of Latino residents, with Bayview now at 24 percent. The advocacy from the SFLPEC funded the creation of El Centro Bayview, a partnership among Mission Neighborhood Centers, MEDA, and Good Samaritan Family Resource Center.”
El Centro Bayview is one of 26 Family Resource Centers (FRCs) operating in San Francisco. The FRC initiative, which was founded in 2009, is a concerted effort between San Francisco agencies and nonprofit organizations to provide family services based on unique community needs.
