The San Francisco Chinatown YMCA’s dedication to its community is driven by a shared vision of providing programming that allows the community elders to live independent, informed, and meaningful lives.
“There is also a larger vision and mission at the YMCA (Y),” says Executive Director Andy Chu, “which is the notion of ‘Be. Belong. Become’”—a strategic pillar focused on equity and inclusion. The Y’s commitment to building equity through diversity, inclusion, and global engagement efforts found a match in Metta Fund’s similar commitment to historically excluded communities. Via the Y’s programming, in the halls of the Y, and in the daily interactions that occur between staff and participants, this motto comes to life.
Mr. Chu has been with the Chinatown YMCA for over 20 years, starting out as a youth director before stepping into his current role. For Mr. Chu, the chance to make a difference is a responsibility he honors.
“The opportunity to have different responsibilities, grow the programs, and give back to the community is what keeps me here,” he says. The Chinatown Y’s focus on equity and inclusion guides his work, and he’s one of many who hope that the community “views the Y as theirs; a place without barriers where everyone can participate,” even during the toughest of times.
During the pandemic, the community banded together to sustain their programming. As it was around the globe, many elders in Chinatown were concerned.
In 2021, San Francisco officials received 60 reports of hate crimes targeting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) individuals—more than a 500% increase from the nine incidents reported in 2020. Nationally, between March 2020 and March 2022, Stop AAPI Hate recorded almost 11,500 hate incidents involving AAPI persons. This number is far higher than reported hate crimes, which advocates believe are significantly undercounted. This high reporting rate among seniors underscores the severity of the issue they faced.
“We shifted a lot of things to virtual learning,” says Monica Lai, the Associate Executive Director. “With the elders, we switched our wellness checks to online, and we turned our food pantry into a home delivery as much as we could.”
The Chinatown Y regularly schedules health and wellness classes, social activities, tech support, and special workshops. But during pandemic, the primary focus had to shift to caring for those who were sheltering in place and faced severe isolation. For the first few months of the pandemic, the staff called each person with frequency; “We wanted to make sure that someone was taking care of them and checking in on them,” she says. During the height of the pandemic, the Y made 6,300 “hello checks” to their community members. “But now, we’re back,” Ms. Lai says.
“It takes a lot to move here as an immigrant and create a life. We meet a lot of new immigrants who come here and have to start over in their professions. We are happy and proud to be able to say to them you can feel right at home here at the Y.” – Monica Lai, Associate Executive Director, Chinatown YMCA
The Y’s the “Active Older Adult” (AOA) programs, which, collectively, advance seniors’ efforts to maintain mental, emotional, and physical wellness via classes such as ping pong, aqua aerobics, and bingo, along with tech and health workshops. Of equal importance is what happens on site at the Y between community members.
Many of the seniors see the Y as a second home where sharing meals, securing support and nourishing other sides of themselves are priorities. The Y’s services stretch from the pragmatic, such as assistance with passport renewal, to the emotional.
“Chinatown is densely populated,” says Ms. Lai. “It takes a lot to move here as an immigrant and create a life. We meet a lot of new immigrants who come here and have to start over in their professions. We are happy and proud to be able to say to them you can feel right at home here at the Y, and be able to meet them right where they are in their immigration journey, and help them connect with any services they need,” she says.
“The Y is a great reflection of how a city could be: Inclusive with open doors, and we hope to be the place that the community can go for that.” – Andy Chu, Executive Director, Chinatown YMCA
One of the team’s favorite programs is an intergenerational initiative that connects elders with school-aged children at the Presidio Knolls School, a local Mandarin-immersion elementary school. Fourth graders and seniors come together to practice Mandarin, share stories, make art, and even cook together. It’s a fun way for younger and older generations to connect, becoming a highlight for many participants.
“Sometimes the seniors go to the school too, and it’s great for them to get out,” Ms. Lai says. These cross-generational programs celebrate the family spirit and multi-generational tradition that define many Asian communities. “There’s a real sense of family here. People bring food, share stories, and express their appreciation. It’s a true community, and we’re just an extension of that.”
Looking to the future, Mr. Chu and Ms. Lai hope to expand the YMCA’s wellness programs to meet the growing needs of the broader Y community. They’re exploring more exercise classes—water fitness and possibly chair aerobics, and there’s even talk of starting small group strength-training classes. “Wellness has always been a core part of what we offer,” says Mr. Chu, noting that physical health is one of the best ways to support mental and social well-being.
By treating the community elders with respect and care, Mr. Chu says “the Y is a great reflection of how a city could be: Inclusive with open doors, and we hope to be the place that the community can go for that.” For the Chinatown Y elders living alone (about 23% of members) or below the federal poverty line (about 50%), the Y provides a nonjudgemental and solutions-focused place to approach their later years with dignity and community support.
“The fact that community folks keep coming back after being with us for so long, shows us that we fill some sort of need that they have.” – Monica Lai, Associate Executive Director, Chinatown YMCA
Mr. Chu maintains that the ability to maintain and encourage a continuation of community members’ respective cultural traditions lets people know they are always welcome and that nothing is off the table for discussion. “People just feel comfortable coming to us,” he says, “we even have participants who bring their grandchildren here in strollers and spend the day communing with their friends.”
That freedom to be themselves is what Mr. Chu believes makes the Chinatown Y so special and vital to the community. “I feel that our branch has always been about making people feel at home,” he says. “The moment they walk through the doors – they feel that.”
At the Y, people come here as kids and then come back throughout every stage in their life. “To me, this is an indication that what we’re doing is right,” says Ms. Lai.
Story by Sahara Marina Borja; Photography by Hasain Rasheed.