Councilman Campillo and FACT Join Bayside in Addressing Senior Transportation Concerns

Read the Times of San Diego article here.

SAN DIEGO- In 2018, San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) route 25 was discontinued, potentially impacting thousands of Linda Vista, Clairemont, and Tierra Santa residents.

Bayside Community Center has advocated for transportation solutions as a part of the Linda Vista Planning Group since 2015. Regarding the loss of route 25, Bayside’s Executive Director, Kim Heinle, commented, “We believe that every single person in our neighborhoods should be able to access the basic necessities of life. When transportation options get cut, it jeopardizes lives and contributes to senior isolation. We’re going to do everything we can with our partners and residents to prevent that.”

After four years of advocating at both the neighborhood and institutional levels, an innovative solution is in sight. District 7 City Councilmember, Raul Campillo, and San Diego non-profit Facilitating Access to Coordinated Transportation (FACT) join the effort to address the mobility needs of San Diego’s aging senior population. Learn what Bayside has done to support seniors in recent years here.

“I’m thrilled to officially launch this pilot program today which will make our communities safer, more equitable and more accessible for all,” Campillo said. “Not having access to a car should never be a burden to accessing basic necessities like groceries and prescriptions.”

Heinle added, “Advocacy is at the core of Bayside’s mission to empower its diverse community to improve its quality of life. Through long-term, structural changes like bringing down the cost of door-to-door transportation alternatives that are senior-friendly, FACT and Councilmember Campillo are elevating and addressing the needs of some of our most vulnerable populations.'“

Seniors can call (760) 754-1252 or visit factsd.org for information. FACT provides the rides, which range from $2.50 for up to five-mile rides to $10.00 for rides longer than 20.1 miles.

Bayside Plants Seeds of Joy this Summer with the San Diego Foundation and San Diego Unified

After being separated from family, friends, and fun outdoor activities for nearly a year, many students will reconnect this summer through the San Diego Foundation’s free summer enrichment program Level-Up SD.

In partnership with San Diego Unified and over 65 nonprofit organizations, including Bayside Community Center, the San Diego Foundation expects to provide fun and engaging experiences for approximately 30,000 students this summer.

Regarding the importance of this program, Bayside’s Amy Zink says, “We know that education and health experts have all agreed that after the past year of lockdown, children really benefit from activities that focus on outdoor play, exercise, the arts and collaborative activities. This is an opportunity for them to have some outside enrichment in a program where we can help them deal with some of their stress and anxiety.”

This summer, Bayside served 45 students with two different summer programs; Garden Therapy in Linda Vista and the Academic Club. Level-Up SD programs will continue districtwide through the end of August. Read more about the program here.

Interview with Bayside Community Center's Executive Director

Bayside Community Center’s incoming Executive Director, Kim Heinle, was recently interviewed by The Linda Vista Update. Read the full interview here and learn more about what is on the horizon for Bayside and Linda Vista. Your can also read about some of her favorite memories, experiences, and meals in the neighborhood too!

Mayor Gloria Announces Housing Stability Assistance Program at Bayside

Bayside Community Center hosted Mayor Todd Gloria and City Council member Raul Campillo last month to promote the City of San Diego’s COVID-19 Housing Stability Assistance Program. Read the full press release here or watch the recap video.

This program will make more than $83 million available to help qualifying households with rent and utility payments. In the program’s first four days, more than 4,000 households submitted applications and the first payments were disbursed earlier this month.

To be eligible for assistance through the program, households must meet the following criteria:

• Tenant has a City of San Diego address.

• Household income is at or below 80 percent of San Diego’s Area Median Income (AMI), currently $92,400 per year for a family of four.

• Household has an obligation to pay rent.

• Household does not currently receive any rental subsidies. (Households that receive rental subsidies can only apply for help with their past-due utilities. Assistance will depend on funding availability.)

• At least one member of the household has a reduction of income or other financial hardship due to COVID-19.

• Household experienced or is at risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability.

 Additionally, priority is given to these types of households:

• Income is at or below 50 percent of San Diego’s AMI ($57,750 per year for a family of four).

• At least one member of the household has been unemployed for 90 days and remains unemployed.

For assistance applying for the Housing Stability Assistance Program or for other housing related questions contact Bayside Community Center at rose@baysidecc.org or (858)278-0771.

Learn more about how Bayside Community Center is addressing housing insecurity here.

County Supervisor Nathen Fletcher Promotes Bayside's Tiny Gardens

Wednesday, April 14, 2021 County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher visited Bayside Community Center’s weekly distribution of emergency food and fresh produce to promote the Tiny Gardens program and encourage environmentally sustainable solutions to food insecurity in the region.

“All you need is the bag and you can grow some of your own produce. Its good for your family, you have good, healthy, locally grown produce, but its also incredibly good for the environment when you look at the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transporting produce and the movement of food,” Fletcher comments.

Adam Osorio, Associate Director of Communications at Bayside adds, “Our Tiny Gardens program is really important, especially in food deserts like Linda Vista, because we’re doing more than just giving food away. We’re teaching residents how to grow and produce their own food right at home and with minimal porch or yard space.”

Bayside Community Center will conclude their first cohort of the Tiny Gardens program in November 2021. The second cohort is expected to launch in December 2021.

Champions for Health CARE TB Partner

March 24 is World Tuberculosis Day. Kim Heinle and Tram Le of Bayside Community Center spoke with the Union-Tribune about what this means in Linda Vista (watch the full interview here).

Bayside Community Center is a Champions for Health CARE TB partner and works to empower community residents to become their own healthcare advocates. Some of the ways Bayside helps empower others is as a TB education hub where residents learn the skills and knowledge needed to provide input concerning the healthcare needs in their community. Bayside also helps residents overcome language barriers within the healthcare system in addition to serving as a health survey distribution and collection point in Linda Vista.

When asked about this work, Le responds, “It’s important to break down the language barriers that might exist among our Vietnamese clients, providing translation and interpretation around critical topics like TB. We have a direct connection to, and the trust of, the community members who are at the foundation of CARE TB’s work.” For more information about this partnership or how to get involved please call (858) 278-0771.

Providing Fresh Produce in a Food Desert

Bayside Community Center is coordinating with local residents and partners to provide tons of fresh produce in Linda Vista, a federally defined food desert. During the month of July over 7,000 pounds of fresh produce was harvested, recovered, and distributed to nearly 2,500 local residents. Read The Linda Vista Update’s full article about this work here.

Linda Vista Residents Lead the Way to an Accurate and Complete Census Count

After only 3 months, 66% to 69.6% percent of Linda Vista residents have responded to the 2020 Census. On average, this is ahead of national and state response rates which are 61.9% and 63.1% respectively. In some areas, Linda Vista's response rates have increased by as much as 7.1% compared to 2010 Census data. Read the Union-Tribune article and learn more about Census 2020 progress and challenges facing our region here.

San Diego Union Tribune Recognizes local Bayside as Frontline Hero

Anyone who has walked through Bayside’s doors in the last 44 years has probably met Director of Social Services, Rose Ceballos. When asked about the impact that she has had both on the Linda Vista community and on the community center, Executive Director, Corey Pahanish commented, “Rose has both played an active role in addressing significant struggles and celebrated the beautiful diversity of various communities. I have had the distinct honor of working alongside Rose and remain in awe of the way she balances what comes with our work. We love her so much!”

Director of Social Services, Rose Ceballos

Associate Director of Communications, Adam Osorio, who has been with Bayside since 2006 adds, “Rose has helped me learn and grow in every single role that I’ve had the privilege of playing at Bayside. She’s really nurtured all of us on the staff and keeps our work grounded and focused on the people that we serve.”

Associate Director of Development, Kim Heinle comments, “The level of respect a community icon like Rose commands in our neighborhood is unparalleled. You simply can’t quantify or articulate the profound impact she has had on literally generations of families in the community. I am humbled to work alongside someone who leads a life of service with the dignity, grace, and dedication that Rose embodies.”

It was, therefore, no surprise when the Union-Tribune chose to recognize Rose as a Frontline Hero. When asked about Bayside’s work Rose commented, “Our clients are more than case files; they matter to us.” Read all of Rose’s comments here.

Foreign-born Residents in San Diego County May Raise Over $1.2B in Census Related Funding

There are few places in the United States with a foreign-born population like San Diego County with the potential to raise over $1 billion in census related funding. Recently, our staff was invited by the San Diego Union Tribue to co-author an article on the subject along with the Nile Sister’s, another San Diego non-profit agency working to promote a complete and accurate census 2020 count in San Diego. Read the full article here.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly a quarter of all San Diego residents were born outside of the United States. Additionally, the National States Geographic Information Council reports that each person who responds to the census contributes approximately $1,500 in public funding toward their neighborhood. According to these projections, the more than 830,000 foreign-born residents living in San Diego County would collectively generate over $1.2 billion in census related funding for the region.

To put this amount in perspective, $1.2 billion is roughly the amount of money it costs to operate the San Diego Unified School District, California’s second-largest school district, for one year. Alternatively, $1.2 billion would off-set the recently proposed 10% cut to the city of San Diego’s budget three times over.

Furthermore, seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are apportioned based on state populations, which is determined by the census data. Any shifts in political representation at this level may produce effects that are felt nationwide for many years to come. This fact is particularly noteworthy in California, which includes 12 of the nation’s 25 cities with the highest percentage of foreign-born residents.

To be sure, every person in San Diego, in California, and across the nation have much at stake when it comes to ensuring every foreign-born resident is counted during the current 2020 census.