San Leandro Resilience Hub Network

San Leandro Resilience Hub Network: Building a Stronger, More Connected Community

The San Leandro Resilience Hub Network is a community-led initiative designed to strengthen local neighborhoods by providing safe, trusted spaces that serve residents year-round and during times of crisis. With equity and community care at its core, the network aims to build social cohesion, enhance disaster preparedness, and address climate adaptation by transforming community spaces into hubs of connection, resources, and support.

This initiative was created and led by former San Leandro Sustainability Manager, Dr. Hoi-Fei Mok. As a member of the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, Dr. Mok organized the San Leandro Network based on the Resilience Hub principles and values established by USDN. Since Dr. Mok’s departure in 2024 to become Deputy Director at the California Strategic Growth Council, the San Leandro Resilience Hub Network leadership team is moving toward becoming its own independent governance body.

What is a Resilience Hub?

A Resilience Hub is more than just a building—it’s a community-serving facility equipped to support residents during everyday life, disruptions, and recovery periods. These hubs are intended to provide essential services such as cooling centers during heatwaves, food distribution sites, and emergency communication points. They also host year-round programs to build trust, strengthen relationships, and improve residents' well-being.

While Resilience Hubs generally are identified as physical spaces, San Leandro’s growing network includes social service “hubs” as well. These hubs provide specialized services for people who are in need, contributing to an increased sense of “belonging” for San Leandro’s disadvantaged residents.

1. Korean Community Center of the East Bay empowers immigrants in the Bay Area through access to education, services, resources and advocacy.

2. Teen Advocacy Going Strong is a non-profit, second-hand clothing store and workspace dedicated to serving teens and young adults ages 13-24.

3. Signing Roots builds accessible connections, fostering belonging, and equipping signing communities with inclusive disaster preparedness skills and other sustainability initiatives.

4. Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay provides support for Southeast Asian immigrants and refugees.

5. CA Brainwaves increases support for neurodiversity in the way of housing, employment, education, research, medical care, specialized training, legal aid, and community systems.

Why San Leandro Needs Resilience Hubs

San Leandro faces increasing climate risks, including extreme heat, wildfires, and flooding. These threats often hit frontline communities—including seniors, low-income families, and immigrants—the hardest. Resilience Hubs offer a proactive solution, empowering communities to “bounce forward” after disasters rather than just returning to the status quo.

Most importantly, the initiative works to address social vulnerabilities by improving access to food, energy, healthcare, and communication systems while fostering a sense of belonging and collective care.

How the Network Works

Under the management of Dr. Mok from 2019-2024, the City of San Leandro acted as a project manager, coordinating resources and providing technical support to the hub sites. Through bimonthly workshops, peer-to-peer learning, and cross-site collaboration, hub partners learn about emergency preparedness, conflict resolution, energy resilience, and more.

With Dr. Mok’s departure and ongoing budget challenges, the City of San Leandro’s continued support remains uncertain. In response, San Leandro Resilience Hub leaders, led by SL2050 Executive Director Patty Breslin and WeAccel CEO Deborah Acosta, are launching resilience and governance workshops. Starting with Asset Mapping and Community Needs Assessments, the Network leaders will establish a clear mission and achievable goals that address current resident needs while building long-term resilience into the hubs. This work will inform the development of a sustainable, community-led governance structure to ensure the Network’s long-term impact.

In-person meetings are held bi-monthly. Online meetings are scheduled for the the alternate months, enabling larger community participation.

Each hub is community-driven, ensuring that the solutions reflect the specific needs of residents in that neighborhood. Sites range from churches and community centers to libraries and nonprofits, each offering unique services based on local priorities. The challenge will be to create priorities that address the most common needs of these diverse communities.

Current Resilience Hubs in San Leandro

The network includes several physical Resilience Hubs, each with its own focus:

• Bethel Community Church: Provides food distribution, community garden, tiny home project and focused community programming.

• Temple Beth Sholom: Provides preschool and childcare services, mutual aid, and emergency resources.

• Davis Street Community Center: Offers medical care, childcare, and food distribution for families in need.

• San Leandro Church of Christ, and Lewis Ave. Neighbors: Offers a community garden, hosting neighborhood block parties and socials.

• First United Methodist Church: Operates a warming shelter for the unhoused during winter.

• Mission Bay Mobilehome Park: A manufactured home community for seniors and vulnerable to increased housing costs, inaccessible transportation and climate change impacts, Mission Bay is the newest Resilience Hub member. [See also: San Leandro Senior Mobility Project]]

• Mulford Gardens Improvement Assn: Domiciled in a physical park, Mulford Gardens Improvement Assn. seeks to improve the social, cultural, and environmental conditions of the historic Mulford Gardens neighborhood, providing space for community events and outreach work.

Core Components of a Resilience Hub

Each Resilience Hub strives to incorporate five core components, working toward the goal of meeting the community’s needs in all situations:

1. Programming: Offers educational workshops, food distribution, and mutual aid services.

2. Buildings & Landscapes: Strengthens facilities with earthquake retrofits, rainwater catchment systems, and community gardens.

3. Communications: Establishes off-grid communication systems like ham radios and emergency phone trees.

4. Power Systems: Ensures uninterrupted power with solar panels, battery backups, and mobile charging stations.

5. Operations: Maintains a year-round team to manage the hub and its emergency response efforts.

The Network leaders recognize that finance is a major constraint toward achieving even the most short-term resiliency goals. They recognize that an effective governance structure, possibly including incorporation as a California non-profit, will increase the attraction of key stakeholders and grant opportunities to support the Resilience Hub Network goals.

Key Goals of the Resilience Hub Network

1. Increase Social Cohesion: Strengthen community ties and build trust among residents through the offering of social services needed today.

2. Enhance Disaster Preparedness: Equip communities to respond to emergencies and recover quickly. Physical centers that offer services for residents today build “muscle memory”, and the knowledge of where to go in an emergency.

3. Promote Climate Adaptation: Implement sustainable solutions to reduce carbon pollution and increase resilience.

4. Empower Local Leadership: Build community leadership capacity through training and workshops.

Volunteers in 2024 building a community garden at Bethel Community Church.

Connected articles:

• https://www.weaccel.io/resilience-hubs

• https://www.weaccel.io/senior-mobility-project