NEXT Village SF

In 2023, NEXT Village SFs most active Village program was the services and support to members, largely provided by trained volunteers who provided at least 4,300 hours of support and services. These included friendly phone calls; in-person friendly visits; transportation for grocery shopping, picking up prescriptions or getting to activities; technical support; friendship and companionship; walking partners; help with chores and much more.Isolation is a common problem for seniors and has been shown to be detrimental to both mental and physical health. In addition to services and support for the members, NEXT Village SF also provides a variety of social, educational and cultural activities to address the problem of isolation. These activities include monthly lunches, reading groups and happy hours at various local venues; monthly writing classes; different exercise and meditation activities; walking tours of the neighborhood; and presentations and lectures on topics such as health issues, de-cluttering, travels, San Francisco history, communications, financial issues for seniors, and aging. In 2023, NEXT Village SF provided nearly 600 social, cultural, and educational events.In addition, NEXT Village SF produces a monthly newsletter that lists events and contains educational articles, information about resources and community events and activities, links to resources and other informative information including a Chinese language item. NEXT Village SF also work with three contractors to produce a biweekly podcast that hosts guest speakers and discusses topics of interest to seniors.

D2U Program is a combination of Zoom and live programs. D2U is a program funded by the San Francisco Dignity Fund through San Francisco Department of Disability and Aging Services (DAS) since 2020. It was funded after a study revealed that the District 2 Supervisorial District in San Francisco had among the lowest number of social and educational services per senior population of all the districts in San Francisco. Therefore, the mission for this program is to provide educational, cultural and social activities for seniors in District 2. An Advisory Committee of District 2 residents advises staff on program ideas. Several times a week, NEXT Village SF organize tours in San Francisco of D2U resources forseniors, historical sites, nature tours, or other San Francisco landmarks. Weekly language conversation groups include French, Italian, German and Spanish. A mens or womens group takes place twice a month. Monthly programs include a Stress Busters workshop and an improvisation class. Examples of education and cultural meetings include financial planning, and speakers on the history of aspects of San Francisco. Social activities include coffee and conversation, and dances at local, District 2 venues. Depending on the topic and type of activity, attendance at each program can range from 4 or 5 to between 80 and 100. All programs are free of charge and open to all. Based on the contract with SF DAS, NEXT Village SF must serve a given number of seniors from District 2. In 2023, NEXT Village SF served 86 unduplicated seniors from District 2 and many of them attended multiple programs on a regular basis. The total DAS contract does not cover all of the expenses. NEXT Village SF uses private fundraising to fund those expenses not covered by the contract