HOW WE HELP

We are dedicated to enriching the lives of older adults in the Bay Area. They are the reason we’re here. They’re our parents and grandparents, our teachers and mentors. The experiences they’ve shared with us have set the tone for everything we expect out of life – opportunity, adventure, and the kind of memories that last a lifetime. That’s where we come in.

Senior Services for Northern California was created to support programs that enhance the lives of Bay Area seniors from all backgrounds and income levels. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, seniors throughout the Bay Area can access services and programs that support their well-being, promote lifelong learning, and encourage new friendships.

Our Programs & Centers

SAN FRANCISCO SENIOR CENTERS

America’s most senior senior center. Founded in 1947, the San Francisco Senior Center (SFSC) is America’s longest operating nonprofit senior center, offering classes, workshops, fitness programs, nutritious lunches, and critical social services to older adults at both its Aquatic Park and Downtown locations. Every year thousands of participants come through SFSC’s doors for socialization, companionship, and intellectual, physical, creative, and emotional stimulation. The Center also collaborates with Project Open Hand to provide over 59,000 low-cost meals to seniors and people with disabilities.

The Downtown Senior Center offers a safe respite in the Tenderloin for older adults, many of whom live in nearby single room occupancy hotels and experience social isolation. Presenting an ever-changing calendar of recreational, creative, educational and exercise programs, the Center is a beloved institution in the Tenderloin district.

Elderly couple watering plants and laughing.

The Aquatic Park Senior Center is located in the Maritime Historic National Park on the San Francisco Bay: a breathtaking spot for older adults to participate in fine art, ceramics, photography, fitness, and other lifelong learning programs.

Between our two SFSC locations last year:

  • 2,400 older adults participated in life-enhancing programs and activities.
  • 59,000 meals were served to Bay Area seniors.

This program serving the community is funded by the City of San Francisco’s Department of Disability and Aging Services

EMPOWERING CHILDREN BAY AREA

Empowering Children Bay Area (ECBA) is an intergenerational volunteer-based tutoring program that is proven to help children who aren’t reading at grade level achieve fluency in reading by the end of third grade. The program inspires and empowers adults 50 and older to serve in their community and disrupt the cycle of poverty by making a lasting difference in the lives of America’s most vulnerable children.

Sequoia Living’s Empowering Children program has expanded to include four additional San Francisco and San Mateo Counties schools. Today, over 200 Bay Area senior volunteers serve 2,900 students in 16 schools in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties.

Volunteer. Puzzle pieces on wood table.

RESIDENT SERVICES PROGRAM

The Resident Services Program serves low-income seniors and people with disabilities who reside in nineteen affordable housing properties in the Bay Area. Through non-profit housing partnerships, Resident Services Coordinators provide on-site services, crisis management, housing sustainability support, and educational and health related activities.

This program serving the community is funded by the City of San Francisco’s Department of Disability and Aging Services.

INTERGENERATIONAL PROGRAM

The Intergenerational Program focuses on seniors and adults with disabilities who live in fourteen San Francisco affordable housing sites where Sequoia Living provides services. The program partners with local schools to organize activities and foster relationships with residents. An adult mentoring program provides additional support for residents who are in recovery from substance abuse.

This program serving the community is funded by the City of San Francisco’s Department of Disability and Aging Services.

Elderly man with young caretaker. Working with medicine.