Community Outreach & Services

Announcements

On the advice of Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless and to protect our Seniors, St. Mary’s Center is responsive to COVID-19 directives to protect our Seniors and preschoolers. 

Effective April 2, 2023 masks are recommended but no longer required in the Community Center, Preschool, Offices, or Housing. 

  • Sunday Dinners, 925 Brockhurst St.– Doors open 11am. Meal at 12:30.  Email volunteers@stmaryscenter.org for more info.
  • Community Center – Doors open 11am. Ask about membership and how to register. Call (510) 923-9600 x 228.
  • Transitional Housing – Call (510) 923-9600 x 297.
  • Friendly Manor is temporarily closed while plumbing issues are fixed.
  • Emergency Winter Services will be provided through case management and housing navigation. Emergency Winter Shelter is closed. Services will be provided through case management and housing navigation. Call (510) 923-9600 x 297.
  • Preschool is open for full day childcare. Call (510) 595-4030 to enroll your three or four year old child.
  • Other questions? Call (510) 923-9600 x 222.

Our St. Mary’s Senior Community Center is the gateway to all that St. Mary’s Center offers.

Seniors come to the Community Center for a meal and a game of dominoes and find through participating in our social, recreational and advocacy activities they steadily improve their physical and mental health. Old friends who have known each other for decades reminisce. Others reduce loneliness by bonding with new friends. Most importantly, our unhoused seniors are welcomed in from the elements with a hot cup of coffee and a smile.

The center is typically open Monday through Friday, 9:00 am until 1:00 pm for breakfast, lunch and an array of community activities including a robust Food Donation program. The center hosts a variety of special events that celebrate history, diversity, culture and community.

We build strong relationships through our Wellness Coordinator Program, which uses senior friendly practices to respond to individual needs and help reduce the effects of chronic poverty. Wellness Coordinators work with seniors in English, Spanish, Cantonese, and Tagalog. They perform comprehensive assessments through in-home visits, considering the seniors’ ability to perform daily living activities. They share strategies to prevent injuries by removing tripping hazards and how to use exercise to improve balance. In partnership with the senior, Wellness Coordinators address barriers to healthy living including medical, food, transportation and financial issues as well as addiction, emotional and mental health challenges.

The WeConnect Program is a direct response to the effect the COVID-19 crisis has had on our medically, emotionally vulnerable seniors. Through access to affordable technology, Internet, personalized lessons and online experiences we help seniors navigate the complexities of technology. The program’s goal is to reduce isolation by safely connecting seniors to family, friends, and their St. Mary’s Center community, creating new channels of communication via Zoom, texting and email.

Our Senior Advocates for Hope and Justice Program informs and infuses all of our work. Seniors engage in social justice activities that enrich their lives with purpose and influence policy at all levels of government. Seniors share their lived experience in campaigns that preserve and build affordable housing, increase income stability, and decriminalize homelessness.

Visit our Facebook page for current activities. Call (510) 923-9600 x1014 for more information.