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Chinatown CDC
[ View Opportunity ]
| Last updated on June 10, 2008 |
We believe in a comprehensive vision of community, a quality environment, a healthy neighborhood economy and active volunteer associations. We are committed to the empowerment of low-income residents, diversity and coalition building and social and economic justice.
Description:
At the core of Chinatown CDC's history is a strong commitment to neighborhood advocacy. Chinatown CDC was founded by five neighborhood groups committed to creating environmental improvements in Chinatown. These groups are the Chinatown Coalition for Better Housing, Committee for Better Parks and Recreation, the Ping Yuen Residents Improvement Association, Chinatown Coalition for Neighborhood Facilities, and Chinatown Transportation Research and Improvement Project.
Chinatown CDC's joint advocacy efforts with these groups have resulted in hundreds of neighborhood environmental projects and improvements in streets and alleyways, new community centers and playgrounds, and public transportation improvements.
Chinatown CDC has played a key role in organizing a number of grassroots groups. Among these groups are the Community Tenants Association (CTA), one of the largest tenant organizations in San Francisco with over 700 members committed to protecting tenants' the Chinatown Alleyway Improvement Association (CAIA), comprised of residents, businesses, and property owners; and the Adopt-An-Alleyway Youth Project (AAA), with nearly 1,000 youth and young adults dedicated to improving Chinatown's Alleyways. Chinatown CDC also provides staff support to the Ping Yuen Residents Improvement Association (PYRIA), which represents the interest of the 850 residents of Chinatown's Ping Yuen public housing development. Chinatown CDC has worked extensively in organizing these groups and developing the leadership of the the groups' primarily monolingual speaking membership so that they can effectively advocate for public policies and actions that will benefit their community.
With 15,000 residents living in a 20 square block area, San Francisco's Chinatown is the most densely populated and heavily used urban area west of Manhattan. Chinatown CDC's planning is a binding component that holistically brings together the different parts of the organization while working to balance the community's many uses.
With strong efforts to include the community in planning for their neighborhood, Chinatown CDC in the past has successfully implemented major transit improvements, added open space opportunities, and affected zoning and planning policies for Chinatown, all adding up to achieve the organization's comprehensive vision of a quality environment for those who live, work and visit our neighborhood.
Current planning projects include the Third Street Light Rail Project, which will bring the Third Street Light Rail extension into Chinatown via subway; the Housing Strategy, a policy document that will guide the future housing plans for the community; and the Alleyway Master Plan, a plan to renovate 31 alleyways in Chinatown over the next ten years.
Our Property Management Division currently manages over 1,100 housing units. We keep our buildings clean and secure while offering some of the lowest rents in the City without rental subsidies. We also manage over 40,000 SF of commercial space leased to community businesses and organizations
Our Tenant Services Division, working with a network of pre-existing resources in the communities that we serve, offers a wide variety of on-site services, including vocational training, health screenings, citizenship and English classes, after-school activities and social outings. Tenant Services also works to facilitate the establishment and operations of tenant councils. We aim to enhance the quality of our resident's lives, help build a stronger sense of community and foster self-sufficiency.
History:
On April 1, 1977, five grassroots organizations came together to create the Chinatown Resource Center (CRC), a nonprofit community development organization. These five founding organizations were the Committee for Better Parks and Recreation in Chinatown, formed in 1971 to advocate for Chinatown's open space and recreation needs; the Chinatown Coalition for Better Housing, formed in 1972 to advocate and organize for affordable housing; the Ping Yuen Residents Improvement Association, established in 1968 and one of the most active public housing tenants association in San Francisco; the Chinatown Transportation Research and Improvement Project, founded in 1974 to advocate and plan for Chinatown's transportation needs; and the Chinatown Coalition for Neighborhood Facilities, formed in the 1970s to advocate for funding for a neighborhood facility in Chinatown resulting in the development of the Geen Mun Center in 1979.
In 1978, the Chinese Community Housing Corporation (CCHC) was established as a subsidiary of CRC to provide safe, decent and affordable housing. CRC and CCHC have worked closely to integrate housing development activities into an overall neighborhood improvement strategy. Those efforts have resulted in over 2,200 units of new or rehabilitated affordable housing, primarily in the Chinatown, North Beach, and the Tenderloin communities of San Francisco. CCHC's development portfolio in these three neighborhoods is one of the most diverse in the State of California, both in terms of housing type and tenant demographics.
On January 1, 1998, the Chinatown Resource Center and the Chinese Community Housing Corporation was consolidated to become the Chinatown Community Development Center. This restructuring occurred so as to streamline governance and operations to better serve our constituencies as a community development corporation. We now have a single Board of Directors with 27 members, and as one entity, Chinatown CDC is perhaps the closest representation of a traditional community development corporation in the San Francisco Bay Area, doing advocacy and organizing, planning, housing development and construction, property management and tenant services work.
Contact people:
Main office number: (415) 984-1450 TDD number: (800) 735-2929 Office fax number: (415) 362-7992
Address:
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1525 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.chinatowncdc.org
Directions:
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Located at the corner of Grant Avenue and Union Street in the North Beach neighborhood.
Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Montgomery,
Walk distance (in minutes): 15
Nearest Bus Stop: 15, 30, 45, 3 minute walk |
Miscellaneous Information
| Besides English, which languages are spoken at your agency? |
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Arabic, Cantonese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog
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| What is the minimum age for volunteers at your agency? |
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15
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| Is your agency wheelchair accessible? |
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Yes
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| Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 10? |
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Yes
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| Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 20? |
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Yes
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