1. What is San Francisco Village?

San Francisco Village is a community-based membership organization that empowers adults to remain in their homes as they age. We offer a network of high-quality resources, services, programs, and activities that revolve around our members’ daily living needs, their social and cultural desires, their ongoing health and wellness, and member-to-member volunteer support.

Through our own programs as well as collaborations with many other San Francisco organizations, our goal is to nourish, enrich, and enhance the experience of aging in our community with a membership that reflects the diversity of our city.

2. Why is San Francisco Village needed?

San Francisco Village provides an affordable option for people whose greatest wish as they grow older is to remain in the diverse, multi-generational communities they often have lived in for many years – close to the cafes, bookstores, restaurants, churches, and local businesses they know well. San Francisco Village helps older adults continue to live in their neighborhoods and contribute to the vibrancy of their communities.

3. What are the benefits of being a San Francisco Village member?

As a San Francisco Village member, you are connected to people, services and organizations that enable you to a vital and meaningful life in your neighborhood and beyond. Our services include the following:

• One central phone number to reach our knowledgeable Village staff or volunteers for information, services, and vetted referrals.
• An in-depth conversation with our trained staff so that we can learn about your goals, interests, concerns, and needs.
• Access to pre-screened and vetted vendors and to a member-only database to search for qualified service providers.
• Access to a member-only website to connect with other members.
• Both free and fee-based services to help you with day-to-day tasks as well as provide opportunities for you to stay active and engaged and be connected to others in a variety of ways.
• Access to opportunities to volunteer your time, experience, and expertise to other members of SFV which will continue to help build a vibrant village of people helping people, members helping members.

Free services include:

• Volunteer transportation assistance
• Connections with individuals willing to talk about their own experiences, e.g. travel, volunteering, work, health care, moving, caregiving, adjusting to the death of a spouse/partner, etc.
• Staff or volunteer assistance in creating Share The Care groups
• Phone check-in calls (as requested)
• Home safety and emergency preparedness reviews
• Participation in Village-sponsored classes, exercise groups, and social and cultural activities
• Member-only special events
• Our monthly calendar and regular newsletter
• Extensive volunteer opportunities with San Francisco Village as well as with other organizations

Fee-based services include:

• Minimum cost assistance with specific tasks such as personal transportation, grocery shopping, petwalking, etc.
• Prepared meals
• Home repair
• Computer assistance
• Home modification consultation and planning
• Health and in-home care assessment
• Care management
• Access to medical and non-medical home health care
• Financial and retirement planning
• Long term care insurance consultation
• Participation in partners’ programs
• Transportation for social and cultural events and outings

4. What are the annual membership dues?

Dues are $600 for a one-person household and $750 for a two-person household. Additional memberships in the same household are $150 each.  We also offer reduced-fee memberships, called Membership Plus. Please contact the Village office for more information about this form of membership.

5. What does the intake conversation consist of?

Each new member meets with San Francisco Village staff or a trained volunteer to learn about your needs, concerns, interests, and questions. All confidential information is protected and made available to staff or your surrogate when needed. Members with more advanced needs will receive a complimentary in-home assessment from a nurse, social worker or gerontologist, provided by our partner Sage Eldercare Solutions. This assessment covers health, safety, nutrition, psycho-social, emotional, and a range of other issues.

6. What if I’d like help arranging services that involve a fee?

Your San Francisco Village membership gives you access to a wide range of providers offering everything from transportation to home repair to computer assistance to house cleaning and more. We have pre-screened these providers so you don’t have to and we have made arrangements with many of them to provide discounts to San Francisco Village members.

San Francisco Village staff can help coordinate these services for you or you can contact the providers yourself to make your own arrangements.

7. San Francisco has lots of organizations that serve older adults. Are you working with them?

Absolutely! We currently have partnerships with the Institute on Aging, SilverRide, the Community Learning Center at St. James, and Enterprise for High School Students.  We are developing referral relationships that will benefit SFV members with many other organizations including the Elder Care Network, the Institute for Health & Healing, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Northern California Presbyterian Homes and Services, RENEW, UCSF, and the San Francisco Community Living Campaign, and others. Our goal is to make it easy for our members to learn about and use these services rather than duplicating them.

8. What are some examples of how members use San Francisco Village services?

Members use services differently, depending on their needs. Members who live alone might find our social, cultural, and educational activities most appealing. Members with some physical limitations might use our volunteer or fee-based transportation service to help with grocery shopping and medical appointments. A member returning home after a hospitalization might need help lining up in-home services, such as hiring a caregiver. Still another might need a fellow member’s help to change a light bulb.

9. What roles do volunteers play in San Francisco Village?

San Francisco Village is truly a program “of, by, and for” the people who are part of it and it is our members who make it strong and successful. We want volunteers to help run the Village, by helping with administrative tasks, organizing outings, leading book clubs, etc. We also know that while most members will need help at some point, everyone also has something to give. We encourage members to help each other, and ask all new members to tell us about the talents, skills, and interests they have and can share with the Village and with other members.

10. What if I need something that is not on the list of services?

Ask us! We’ll help you find what you need.

11. I am in good health. Why should I join San Francisco Village now?

Many people see their memberships in San Francisco as an insurance policy of sorts. By joining now, you can take part in the activities that appeal to you today. If you break your hip tomorrow, you can be assured that you will have help coming back home after your hospital stay, and the support of San Francisco Village volunteers and staff as you recuperate. San Francisco Village helps you be prepared for the unexpected while giving you a sense of belonging to a group and remaining connected to your community.

12. Can I buy a membership for my parents?

We encourage you to! This is a thoughtful gift for parents’ birthdays or for the holidays. Your parents can then use San Francisco Village services when they wish, and you have the peace of mind knowing your parents have access to assistance should they need it.