Neighborhood Centers Become Community Hubs for Youth During Pandemic

During the pandemic, our Neighborhood Centers have acted as essential hubs for their communities to fight isolation, meet basic needs, and connect to resources. Nowhere is this more evident than in our centers role as Community Hubs in partnership with San Francisco’s Department of Children, Youth & Their Families.

In a new report, the work of our centers is highlighted, including: Booker T. Washington, Cameron House, Good Samaritan, Richmond Neighborhood Center, and TEL HI Neighborhood.

The Community Hub at Richmond Neighborhood Center serves three pods of students from 2nd-8th grade. Providing space and opportunity for interaction alone has been transformative to the students enrolled.

My favorite part of the hub is playing with the staff — board games and card games. If I were at home, I would just be bored. Being at the hub makes me feel like part of a community, like a second home. It’s like summer camp, except there’s school. The staff have really helped me study for exams, tests, homework, and projects.

-Student at Richmond Neighborhood Center’s Community Hub

Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center has stepped up to operate not just one, but two, Community Hubs. One is located at the center, while another is located at the nearby North Beach Library. Collectively, the Hubs have served 5,000 meals to children.