Community Living Campaign: 2023 Year in Review
Download a PDF version of Community Living Campaign’s Year in Review
As we welcome the new year, let’s take a moment to celebrate our past year’s progress in creating a stronger and more connected community.
2023 was a year of change and connection. Our neighbors emerged from the pandemic with new skills and preferences. While in-person activities are returning to pre-pandemic levels, interest in online classes remains high. We responded by providing multiple ways for seniors and people with disabilities to join in, based on their interests and needs. Our programs have helped participants reconnect with old friends and form new bonds.
Improving Social Health. One of our primary goals is to improve social health by building connections and engagement. CLC’s programs helped participants reconnect with old friends and form new bonds. Participants have people they can ask for help, more connection to friends and neighbors, and a greater sense of purpose. We are proud to play a part in strengthening these vital links.
Empowering Seniors and People with Disabilities. We provide tools, resources, and opportunities for participants to engage and learn, including computer classes, internet access, and job placements through SF ReServe. This year, we introduced nine microgrants to create opportunities for local leaders to try new ideas.
Welcoming Our Diverse Neighbors. San Francisco’s diverse array of race, cultures, languages, and abilities are part of what makes our City so special. CLC continued our commitment to providing programs and training staff to better meet our neighbors’ needs.
Creating a Better San Francisco. Throughout the year, we continued to advocate for senior- and disability-focused resources and systemic changes to enable us all to age and thrive. As we face City budget austerity, this work will become increasingly important.
Your generous and flexible support enabled us to try creative approaches as we faced unprecedented challenges and ever-changing needs.
We look forward to 2024 and beyond, working in concert to build on the skills and connections we’ve all made over the past several years.
Please join us in supporting this important work. Together, we can meet challenges and continue to bring about the changes and funding needed to make San Francisco a place where we can all age and thrive in community.
Read on to learn more about how your support improved lives for neighbors across the city.
Community Building. We build programs that connect neighbors throughout San Francisco. Together, we are cultivating the friendships needed to age and thrive at home.
“One of the best things about CLC for me is meeting other people, whether that’s in person or online, it’s been a real treat.”
Community Connector Networks build strong relationships among neighbors and friends who can be there for each other. Whether meeting online or in person, participants make connections, learn together, and just have fun.
Over 1,120 seniors and people with disabilities joined in 1,900 hours of activities. In 2023, we expanded in-person activities, including walks, outdoor tai chi, field trips, healthy aging talks, and a Never Better Aging event. We maintained a robust virtual calendar offering tech support, writing classes, and art and music programs, including a monthly series with aging-focused authors.
Neighbors helping neighbors are at the heart of our work.
Neighbors in Food Delivery Networks bring groceries and human connection to seniors and people with disabilities who can’t travel to food pantries on their own.
This year, our Bayview packing and delivery team moved with Meals on Wheels to their new location, with dedicated refrigeration, storage, and office space. This has been an incredible help, enabling our staff and volunteers to better serve their community.
Our dedicated teams of staff and volunteers delivered over 8,000 bags of healthy foods and made more than 10,100 visits. They also provided 800 hours of phone calls and assistance.
We turn strangers into neighbors, and neighbors into friends.
Our neighbors continue to drive CLC’s programs and initiatives. San Francisco seniors and people with disabilities contributed suggestions, identified needs, organized activities, and shared skills. Here are four of the community-generated initiatives that we were proud to fund and support in 2023.
Writing Groups. Our weekly writing groups continued to nurture the writers with one in-person and four online workshops each week. CLC published our second Art of Remembering journal and held online readings every two months. We continued our partnership with Litquake, both online and in person. More writers also published in outside journals, as their dedication to the craft increased and fueled their inspiration and art.
CLC Microgrant Program. The Community Living Campaign’s Microgrant Project awarded 11 grants funded by individual donors. These projects fostered community connections, developed staff leadership skills, and responded to identified community needs. Grants included field trips, writing groups, cultural events, tech workshops, and seminars. Microgrants fueled field trip adventures and community gatherings, launched a popular weekly Chinese-English Cultural Exchange, published writers, fostered tech literacy, and increased outreach to isolated neighbors.
Transportation Support. Getting around the City remains a challenge for many seniors and people with disabilities. Through a strong partnership with SF Paratransit and additional funding, we were able to provide 225 transportation subsidies, worth $76,410 in rides. In the new year, we’ll work to ensure the City’s Essential Trip Card continues and that we can keep assisting those who need help getting to essential appointments.
Chinese Program. In 2023, our Chinese Program expanded to 25 weekly online computer classes, two weekly singing classes, and four cultural celebrations. We host a weekly cultural language exchange program that includes English practice, a Mandarin class, and other healthy aging topics. We also added two in-person Tai Chi classes and three in-person tech-help desks. We held a photo walk, scanning workshops, and other cultural events throughout the year. This community is thriving. Here’s to a great 2024 and beyond!
Empowerment. We grow the skills and tools needed to live a good life, whether that’s learning how to use technology, finding employment, or advocating for yourself and others.
This past year, we encouraged tech learners to join us in person. We held photo walks and scanning events that created connections while teaching tech skills. And we expanded in-person tutoring and help desk options. Virtual classes remain a strong option for many: folks joined classes to learn skills like Google Suite, MS Office, Using Smartphones in an Emergency, and many more. Altogether, staff and volunteers taught over 820 neighbors. We are providing 400 tablets and laptops, along with free or low-cost Internet as needed.
Neighborhood Tech Connect Increases Tech Access and Confidence
Before joining this program, 54% of participants were new to the Internet, and 43% hadn’t used Zoom. After getting tablets and training, participants now report they are more confident
connecting to people and resources online.
The ideas, talents, and energies of older adults and people with disabilities are a resource for our communities.
Our SF ReServe Job Program helps seniors and adults with disabilities earn income and contribute to their communities. During the past year, 49 ReServists provided 18,891 hours of expertise at local nonprofits and community-focused businesses. During the height of the pandemic, our ReServe team shifted participants to at-home work, providing laptops, Internet, and training. As our partner organizations increased in-person options, we were able to shift more ReServists back to on-site work.
Work Matters Coalition. To increase senior and disability employment opportunities, SF ReServe partners with other organizations including Felton Institute, PRC, and JobsNow. Together, we’re able to offer a continuum of options from training to part- and full-time work.
SF Senior Beat began with one neighbor’s desire to write the stories about older San Franciscans that she wasn’t seeing in local papers. Led by a veteran editor, the online news magazine now employs multiple ReServists to “smash aging stereotypes” by sharing stories about our city’s vibrant and diverse older adults. Over the past year, ReServists published over 55 stories. Read their work at sfseniorbeat.com.
Advocacy. We organize coalitions that fight for the policies, services, and supports needed to make San Francisco a place where we can all age and thrive.
We all can play a role in building a more age- and disability-friendly City.
Since 2019, the Sidewalk Search Party has educated and encouraged neighbors to take small actions like identifying and reporting dangerous sidewalks.
This year, we developed a 311 training and guide (available in three languages) to help spread the word. These efforts are paying off. Our work has been featured in various newspapers in the city, more sidewalks are being repaired, and we are celebrating our progress!
The Dignity Fund Coalition continued efforts to preserve and expand funding within the Dept. of Disability and Aging Services and to advocate for emerging needs. Over the past few years, Coalition members worked to restore $750,000 in dedicated funds and co-sponsored the Master Plan for Aging Forum on Homelessness.
We now stand ready to address dire City funding shortfalls. Over the next few years, the Dignity Fund Coalition will be even more important in ensuring that senior- and disability-related programs don’t lose out during the City’s budget reductions. Join us for monthly meetings and find ways to get involved at sfdignityfund.org.
The SF Tech Council made significant strides in advancing digital equity and empowering communities in 2023.
We organized Tech Support/ACP Enrollment Events, received recognition at the Project Up Summit, and actively participated in California’s Digital Equity Planning Process. Additionally, we secured funding from the Metta Fund to draft a Digital Equity Plan for Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities, launched a multilingual radio outreach campaign, and were featured in an AARP Community Challenge Grant video.
Over the past year, we re-granted funds for digital inclusion programming and developed a training intervention for digital health navigators. The Tech Council’s partnership with Blissen for the Kickstart Your Business @50+ program trained four cohorts of aspiring entrepreneurs.
These initiatives demonstrate SF Tech Council’s dedication to building a digitally inclusive and empowered San Francisco, and our efforts will continue to bridge the digital divide and foster innovation for a brighter, more connected future. Find out more and join in at sftechcouncil.org.
Join Us in Strengthening Communities
Together, we can create an inclusive San Francisco where people of all ages and abilities can truly live “in community”—with all the rich relationships and opportunities that define a good life.
Bring greater joy, health, and connectedness to San Francisco seniors and people with disabilities through community-building, empowerment, and advocacy. From the beginning, we’ve seen how one person’s idea can transform a community. Your donation nurtures these efforts so that neighborhood-based solutions can really take off. Together, we can face whatever challenges come next.
Find ways to support this important work with time or funding on our giving page or make an online donation.