Programs

FCDC believes there cannot be a separation between housing development and community development, and the community will not prosper if the people are not empowered. These programs will ensure a holistic and inclusive approach so that our residents can enjoy the amenities of a healthy community.

Housing Equity Programs
Community Development Programs

Homelessness and Affordable Housing Development

Tenderloin Urban Rest and Sleep Center (URSC)

The Center hopes to create a system that ends a person’s chronic homelessness; in order to make that happen Filipino Community Development Corporation aims to open and operate an Urban Rest and Sleep Center that will provide safe sleeping space for 40-60 people experiencing homelessness in the evening. The Center will also offer social services that connect program participants to permanent housing, jobs, healthcare, and resources (laundry, shower, computer access) during the daytime. On the ground floor of the Helen Hotel, the Center will focus on providing stability for recently displaced people and helping them enter the workforce. The Center will focus specifically on homelessness because of a significant life change and recuring homeless.

30% Rent Across the Board Campaign

FCDC is campaigning for 30% Rent Across the Board wherein households should not have to pay more than 30% of their income on housing costs. This includes rent or mortgage payments, as well as any utilities or other housing-related expenses. The 30% rent across the board policy is often used as a benchmark for determining whether a household is able to afford its housing. If a household is paying more than 30% of its income on housing, it is considered to be “cost-burdened” and may struggle to afford other necessities such as food, healthcare, and transportation.

Preservation of Low Income Housing

Ensuring that low-income households have access to safe, affordable, and stable housing is a vital mission for FCDC. It can help prevent displacement and homelessness by maintaining the affordability and accessibility of housing units for low-income households.

Acquisition and Development of permanent supportive housing, and below market rate homeownership

FCDC is working to increase access to homeownership for households that might otherwise be unable to afford it, and to help ensure that communities are diverse and inclusive through the aquisition and development of permanent supportive housing, and below market rate homeownership.

Community Development

Community Development Organizing

Bringing people together to address common issues and problems in the community by building relationships and networks is integral to the mission of FCDC. FCDC is involved in identifying and mobilizing community resources, and working towards creating positive changes in the community through the following: -Filipino Service Providers Network (FSPN) -SoMa Neighborhood Residents Council (SNRC) -Tenderloin People’s Congress (TPC) -Mid-Market Coalition (MMC) -Tenderloin Filipino Community Association (TFCA)

Capacity Building and Leadership Development Training: LEAd (Leadership, Empowerment, and Advocacy)

The LEAd program builds sustainable leadership, collective empowerment, and advocacy while being output-oriented. The program will run for ten months from February-November that provide practical tools and social awareness to current SoMa and Tenderloin community leaders to take their leadership capacity to the next level by leading a grassroots-driven campaign or project autonomously. The class will meet once every two weeks for training and to learn successful organizing methods used by social justice leaders, the community engagement process, and project management. Program participants will have peer-to-peer monthly meetings, so they can share experiences and learn from each other. Program participants will be placed in a leadership role (ie., steering committee, project committee, organizing, and outreach, meeting facilitation, advocacy, etc.) under FCDC’s community development deprtment. All graduates of the LEAd program are eligible to apply for the Steve Arevalo Housing and Community Development Initiative (SAHCDI), a job readiness stipend program focusing on affordable housing administration and different aspects of community development such as (Public Safety and Traffic Safety, Land Use and Open Space, Jobs And Housing Linkage, etc..) in partnership with other city non-profits and the San Francisco City College Civic Center Campus is a 2nd tier of FCDC’s step-up program available for SoMa and Tenderloin community leaders. Graduates of the LEAd program can enroll at the Sharen Hewitt Institute and Fellowship Training (SHIFT), a program that focuses on community empowerment, movement building, and community development under social justice policy framework. Subsequently, graduates of these three leadership training programs will be eligible for the VISTA and Senior position of the AmeriCorps/Corporation for National and Community Service Program.

Capacity Building and Leadership Development Training: SHIFT (Sharen Hewitt Institute and Fellowship Training)

SHIFT stands for Sharen Hewitt Institute and Fellowship Training Program, a project-based leadership training program for community leaders, activists, and community organizers in TL and South of Market. Sharen was a co-founder and the first co-chair of TPC. The SHIFT program is named in honor of Sharen’s life-long contribution to social justice, equality, and inclusion of low-income people, African-Americans, and People of Color/minority groups in San Francisco. The leadership program is the second tier of three programs from the basic organizing training called the LEAd (Leadership, Empowerment, and Advocacy) training program piloted in 2020. The Steve Arevalo Housing and Community Development Initiative (SAHCDI) is the third tier of this leadership training program developed by FCDC for leaders, activists, and resident community organizers to prepare them for ull-time jobs in the social justice movement.

bBuildUP Outreach Project

BBuILDUP stands for Base Building and Intersectional Leadership Development for Underserved Population in the Tenderloin. The outreach project aims to get traditionally underserved populations like different ethnic groups and BIPOC people, seniors and people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, SRO residents to actively participate in community building. We will also reach out to community-serving and minority-owned businesses in the neighborhood to get their feedback, concerns, and aspirations as small businesses in the Tenderloin.

SAHCDI (Steve Arevalo Housing and Community Development Initiative)

Steve Arevalo Housing and Community Development Initiative (SAHCDI) intends to create real houses, especially for the homeless, the poor, and the low-income population, in vibrant communities that create their enterprises, jobs, houses, healthcare, modern education, finance, trade, transport infrastructure, waste management, and wealth in communities living in harmony with their environments. FCDC has started the Steve Arevalo Community Development Initiative. This Initiative will train and mentor interns in community development, capacity building, and affordable housing development. The intent is to continue Steve’s legacy of community activism and affordable housing advocacy. Steve is a community advocate who has worked for the Filipino American community for over 40 years. He worked for WestBay MultiServices back in 1975. He provides valuable historical perspective about the Filipino Community in San Francisco and San Jose. He has engaged the community in various social and political organizing efforts focused on community empowerment, leadership, and implementation of community services. He worked to ensure Filipino community participation in local government, co-founded the Filipino American Democratic Caucus of California, and organized 12 Filipino American Democratic Causes in the state. He has worked on engaging youth and in gang prevention by advocating for Youth Employment Training programs in San Francisco and San Jose.

Resident Leadership and Empowerment Development

The Community Empowerment and Leadership Development Project (CELDP) and the Resident Leadership Development Project (RLDP) will train up to 400 residents to manage outreach, conflict management and resolution, civic engagement, and communication skills and further their leadership in the neighborhood. In partnership with the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC) both organizations will manage resident leadership and empowerment programs to grow community organizer leaders and support resident-driven policy solutions. Participants will largely be residents new to leadership development and will receive stipends for participation.

Tenderloin SINULOG and Flores de Mayo Festivals

Celebrating the Filipino community and sharing its culture, this project will hold the Flores De Mayo Festival at Boeddeker Park in May 2023 and the Tenderloin Sinulog Festival in January 2024. The uniqueness of the Tenderloin is in its diversity. Through these events, the neighborhood will be able to celebrate its different cultures, and the Filipino community will be able to share their culture through food, dances, songs, and its tradition.

Tenderloin People's Holiday Tree and Lighting Ceremony

This project will focus on the fifth and sixth Annual Tenderloin People’s Holiday tree, an ongoing holiday tradition. Every year, this community event brings over 400 attendees to Boeddeker Park including local organizations, City officials and residents. This project has multiple partners who put it on including Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, Tenderloin Community Benefit District, Hospitality House, YMCA, Friend of Boeddeker Park, Glide, La Cocina, and the Tenderloin Merchants Association. The event is also attended by the Mayor and other elected officials.