Bayanihan Community Center (Filipino American Development Foundation)

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About Bayanihan Community Center (Filipino American Development Foundation)

The Bayanihan Community Center is a project of the Filipino-American Development Foundation. The community center is 7,000 square feet on the ground floor and basement of the Bayanihan House located at the corner of 6th and Mission Streets in San Francisco's South of Market (SOMA). The Bayanihan House is the site of the former Delta Hotel, a residential hotel that was owned by Dr. Mario Borja, a Filipino.

It is fitting to have a Filipino Community Center in SOMA. This neighborhood has historically been the first home to generations of Filipino immigrants dating back to the early 1900's. Today, SOMA has become a rapidly changing neighborhood with the emergence of the Convention Center and the growing number of high-rise hotels to support the anticipated influx of tourists and convention attendees. This growth and development has greatly impacted the Filipinos living in the neighborhood. Many have been displaced, but Filipinos who immigrated years ago and called SOMA home find their way back to remember their struggles as they see the new immigrants experience similar challenges.

The Filipino community of immigrant families and seniors live in apartments in the alleys and in the residential hotels. They work in the nearby office buildings and in the new high-rise hotels. St. Patrick's and St. Boniface are the churches where they worship. Nearby streets are even named after Filipino heroes and murals depicting Philippine history and community decorate the SOMA neighborhood walls. The Bayanihan Center will keep the Bayanihan spirit alive in the hearts and minds of the community.

The Filipino-American Development Foundation (FADF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1997 by a group of Filipinos who have worked with the San Francisco Filipino community. Mario A Borja, M.D. was the leading founder with the vision to provide a community space for newly arrived Filipino immigrants who came to America seeking better career and employment opportunities.

The Filipino American Development Foundation exists to strengthen the social, physical, and economic well being of the Filipino American community and the South of Market community with special attention to the underserved segments of the community.

Increasing awareness and knowledge about the Filipino American community through participation in educational and cultural programs.

Increasing access to a wide range of economic, health and social services through collaboration with existing programs and the development of culturally appropriate services.
Providing a community space to strengthen community ties, to facilitate the sharing of resources and expertise among service providers in SOMA, and to build leadership skills and the capacity of service providers to effectively provide relevant social services to the community.

Our vision is to provide the necessary support to strengthen and empower Filipino Americans to enable them to develop resources and assets that can benefit the local and broader community. We believe that the Filipino cultural value of bayanihan, which means mutual assistance and mutual caring, can be the catalyst for engaging the Filipino American community to self-development and broader participation.