SV@Home continues to bring together over 15 Santa Clara County-based nonprofit organizations interested in learning more about community development and making it a reality in our region. SV@Home took the cohort on a tour of the Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) in San Francisco to see the great work this well-established organization has been doing since 1977. 

Starting at Portsmouth Square, the heart of community engagement and the outdoor living room of Chinatown, the cohort was in awe of its beautiful cultural vibrancy, especially along its cultural anchor of Grant Avenue. Visiting the single-room occupancy living spaces at the Clayton Hotel and the historic Ping Yuen Public Housing inspired the cohort, knowing that the latter was rehabilitated by and is both owned and managed by CCDC. Grassroots organizing and services are at the core of the work of many in our cohort, so they were stoked to meet members of the Community Tenant Association (CTA). This community-based tenant group partners with CCDC and organizes to defend the rights of low-income tenants throughout San Francisco. 

Although the tour ended at the newly constructed Rose Pak Station and Central Subway Line, they concluded their exciting trip with a delicious meal, joined by CCDC staff.

Future planned meetings include four more workshops, a film screening, and one more tour.  Future topics will likely include affordable housing development and preservation, community planning, and alternative ownership models (e.g., land trusts and limited equity cooperatives).  

Thank you to Chinatown Community Development Center for the outstanding tour and for giving us a glimpse of a reality that could come to fruition in Santa Clara County.