Bayside Community Center

OUR MISSION is to empower our diverse community to improve its quality of life through services, education, and advocacy.

Our vision is a city where every neighborhood has access to abundant resources that promote community connection and economic self-sufficiency, expand educational and cultural opportunities; and facilitate healthy living and general well-being.

It is extremely important to our organization that this is accomplished while preserving the cultural identity and moving the economic needle in one of San Diego’s most diverse communities – Linda Vista.

Bayside is an independent 90 year old, non-profit, neighborhood-based organization that serves the whole person and community. Located at 2202 Comstock Street in the heart of Linda Vista, our facility is visited daily by many San Diegans. Social services, educational opportunities and advocacy efforts all exist under one roof, through which we encourage and empower members of the community to create abundant lives.

In 1932, Bayside Settlement House was founded by the Sisters of Social Service in the tradition of their reformist movement that began in the 1880s. These one-stop assistance centers were established to empower and meet the needs of lower income immigrants and native-born residents in urban settings. The centers were a place of pride and belonging for multiple generations, with an underlying philosophy of upward mobility.

In the 1970’s, in response to the changing financial landscape of the non-profit sector, our organization became a 501(C)(3) primarily supported by private and public funding sources. This era of Bayside’s history also saw our expansion into other parts of the city, opening the door to serving larger and more diverse populations.

Since then, our organization has outgrown the settlement house model and consolidated its efforts in Linda Vista under the name Bayside Community Center. Our ability to continuously empower individuals and families for generations is testimony to the strength, resilience, and commitment of the organization.