Our VisionWe are a dedicated group of community members, non-profit organizations, and government partners seeking to build a youth and family center that truly integrates primary and behavioral health care with on-site wellness, education, recreation, and career growth programs. Stack Center will be a multi-cultural neighborhood hub for social innovation, connection, and well-being. It will be a place where we can build community that is inclusive, resilient, and unique to South Hayward.
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The History Behind Our Vision
Community members in South Hayward have long held the dream of building a new youth and family center at the corner of Tennyson and Ruus Roads. In 1979, Eden Youth and Family Center moved into the existing center (formerly Tennyson Elementary School) to address the area’s disproportionate lack of health care, education, and other social services.
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The aging buildings and underlying utilities at the current center have reached their useful life and no longer meet the needs of the existing providers. In addition, the community recognizes the need to expand the center's scope to include new providers and create a truly integrated, 21st century service model. In response to this vision, the City of Hayward, Alameda County, and the Hayward Area Recreation and Parks District (HARD) formed a Governance Group in 2015 to jointly work with community leaders to conduct a needs assessment and identify potential operators for an expanded facility.
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Through a competitive process in 2017, the Governance Group identified La Familia Counseling Services and Eden Youth and Family Center as the recommended joint non-profit operators of the facility.
Why This Project Matters
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South Hayward is an dynamic community that is home to some of the most diverse census tracts in the nation. There are more than 50 languages spoken in the mile radius surrounding the future Stack site.
The population has grown 40% in the past three decades, 12% more than the regional average, at the same time that the area has experienced commercial and service disinvestment. Long-time residents are now struggling with rising housing prices, but have not benefited from their share of the Bay Area's economic growth. Faced with these challenges, resilient community members have combined forces with elected officials, faith-base organizations, and service providers to implement improvements and garner political support. The Stack Center project represents the culmination of our vision to create a neighborhood anchor that will be a cultural center, service hub, and economic catalyst. |
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