Community centers

Engaging community members in community center activities is a suggested strategy to strengthen social connections, reduce social isolation (US DHHS-NPC 2011, ILR-Ottmann 2006, Pitas 2021, Aday 2019, Grzeslo 2019), and improve health and well-being among participants (US DHHS-NPC 2011, CDC-Health equity guide 2013, ILR-Ottmann 2006, Noel 2020, Pitas 2021, Aday 2019, Rhynes 2013). Additional evidence is needed to confirm effects.

Participation in senior centers may improve older adults’ well-being, physical and mental health, and provide a social space to make friends and build supportive networks (Pardasani 2021, Noel 2020, Aday 2019, Rhynes 2013). One survey of mostly white, middle-aged, and female community wellness center visitors found that more social interactions with other visitors from different backgrounds is associated with better self-rated health (Pitas 2021). For grandparents raising a grandchild, attendance at a senior center appears to decrease caregiver burdens and improve quality of life (Rhynes 2013). Community technology centers appear to support positive youth development and strong peer-to-peer relationships, as well as provide space for natural mentoring relationships with adults, especially among minority youth in families with low incomes (London 2010, Denner 2023). Available evidence indicates that residents who complete more activities at a community technology center are more likely to feel connected to others and to their wider community than residents who complete fewer activities (Grzeslo 2019).

Community centers appear to improve the health and well-being of users by building positive social relationships that include the exchange of resources, information, and emotional support (Colistra 2017). Such relationship building appears to be based on shared identities, mutual support and trust, and program participation among center users (Colistra 2019). Community centers may also provide a space for civic dialogue, increase community engagement, and increase participants’ sense of citizenship (CDC-Health equity guide 2013, Moore-Vissing 2023, Glover 2004). Senior center and youth center users who have minoritized racial and ethnic identities may have opportunities to engage in civic behavior and make positive community change by sharing their opinions about center programming, assisting at centers, and developing connections with each other (Lavalley 2021, Wray-Lake 2020).

Experts recommend consistent, long-term programming to develop and maintain social relationships among community center users (Colistra 2019). Researchers suggest that senior centers offer health promotion programs and education, provide programs on weekends and evenings, develop diverse programs meeting the needs and interests of older adults, make outreach efforts, and create inclusive environments for socialization (Pardasani 2021, Pardasani 2019).

In a Boston-based study using data from 2000, neighborhoods with a low density of community centers and recreation facilities were shown to have lower median incomes and larger minority populations than neighborhoods with a higher density of facilities (Hannon 2006).

Community centers are a suggested strategy to reduce disparities in access to services and recreational facilities for residents with low incomes and communities with fewer resources (CDC-Health equity guide 2013). Studies on senior centers and community technology centers serving Hispanic communities report benefits for older adults and youth, including improved health outcomes and positive relationship building between youth and adults (Noel 2020, Denner 2023). Community centers can provide individuals who have minoritized identities with opportunities to be civically engaged and build social capital (Lavalley 2021, Wray-Lake 2020). Community centers can also address the needs of historically underserved communities who experience chronic health conditions (Milanes 2022).

Addressing community-level barriers to healthy lifestyles, considering social and economic environments, and engaging community members in program development are suggested best practices for community centers that support healthy living in urban communities with low incomes (Broeckling 2015). A Philadelphia-based study recommends local transportation and aging agencies work together to design public transit for older adults with accessibility difficulties who want to travel from suburb areas or underserved neighborhoods to senior centers (Li 2021).

Throughout U.S. history, discriminatory housing, lending, and exclusionary zoning policies entrenched racial residential segregation and concentrated poverty (Zdenek 2017, Kaplan 2007). The built environment in under-resourced communities is a significant contributor to health inequities for people of color with low incomes (Prochnow 2022, McAndrews 2022, Brookings-Semmelroth 2020).

Community centers began as school centers that used school buildings as evening recreation centers for residents of all ages (Hansan 2013). The National Conference on Civic and Social Center Development, a conference of community organizers and advocates held in 1911, accelerated the growth of community centers across the U.S., including New York, Boston, and Chicago (Johnson 1989). During the early 20^th century, community centers, along with public schools and other organizations, focused on assimilation of immigrant families and children by providing education, recreation, and instilling fundamental American values. (Butler 1920, Paul 2017a). Through the late 20^th century, community centers became more supportive toward communities of racial and ethnic minorities by providing places to socialize, offering training and education, and connecting them to social services. For example, El Centro de la Causa is a Mexican American community youth center built in Chicago in 1971 (Fernandez 2005).

• How can a state or a local government build an equitable funding system to support community centers?
• How can your community secure funding for outreach efforts, programs, and services to meet the needs of community residents?
• Who uses a community center? How can your community improve outreach and accessibility to a center and programs?
• Are community center staff trained in diversity, equity, and inclusion? Does the center’s programming reflect the voices and interests of community residents? What efforts are needed to create inclusive environments?

Community centers are common throughout the U.S., especially in urban and suburban areas. Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), BronxWorks’ community centers (BronxWorks), the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), and the Jewish Community Center (JCC) are examples of community centers that provide a variety of programs and services for all ages.

The National Institute of Senior Centers supports about 11,000 senior centers across the country (NISC). SAGE Centers in New York provide LGBTQ+ older adults with programs, resources, and advocacy (SAGE). Center on Halsted offers programs and services for LGBTQ+ individuals of all ages in Chicago areas (Center Halsted). The College of Menominee Nation’s community technology center is an example of tribal efforts to provide internet access and outreach services to underserved communities (CMN-CTC). Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción’s community technology center provides free computer classes and technology programs to individuals and families with low incomes in Boston (IBA-CTC).

HOST-PA - Healthy Out-of-School Time (HOST) Coalition. Resources: Physical activity (PA).

Innovation Center 2001 - Innovation Center for Community & Youth Development, National 4-H Council. Building community: A tool kit for youth & adults in charting assets and creating change. Takoma Park: Innovation Center for Community & Youth Development; 2001.

NISC - National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC). Supporting the nation's senior centers.

* Journal subscription may be required for access.

Aday 2019* - Aday RH, Wallace B, Krabill JJ. Linkages between the senior center as a public place and successful aging. Activities, Adaptation and Aging. 2019;43(3):211-231.

BCYF - City of Boston. Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF).

Broeckling 2015* - Broeckling J, Pinsoneault L, Dahlquist A, Van Hoorn M. Using authentic engagement to improve health outcomes: Community center practices and values (at the agency). Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. 2015;96(3):165-174.

BronxWorks - BronxWorks. Lifting lives, building futures.

Brookings-Semmelroth 2020 - Semmelroth L. How Wilmington, Del. is revitalizing vacant land to rebuild community trust. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution; 2020.

Butler 1920 - Butler FC. Community Americanization: A handbook for workers. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Education. Bulletin 1919, no. 76. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Interior; 1920.

CDC-Health equity guide 2013 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A practitioner’s guide for advancing health equity: Community strategies for preventing chronic disease. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (U.S. DHHS); 2013.

Center Halsted - Center on Halsted. Building and strengthening community.

CMN-CTC - College of Menominee Nation (CMN). Community technology center.

Colistra 2017 - Colistra CM, Schmalz D, Glover T. The meaning of relationship building in the context of the community center and its implications. Journal of park and recreation administration. 2017;35(2):37-50.

Colistra 2019* - Colistra C, Bixler R, Schmalz D. Exploring factors that contribute to relationship building in a community center. Journal of Leisure Research. 2019;50(1):1-17.

Denner 2023* - Denner J, Torres D. How natural mentoring is used by Latinx youth at a community technology center. Journal of Latinos and Education. 2023;22(1):339-356.

Fernandez 2005* - Fernández L. From the Near West Side to 18th Street: Mexican community formation and activism in mid-Twentieth Century Chicago. Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1998-). 2005;98(3):162-183.

Glover 2004* - Glover TD. The 'community' center and the social construction of citizenship. Leisure Sciences: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 2004;26(1):63-83.

Grzeslo 2019 - Grzeslo J. Building communities, bridging divides: Community technology centers and social capital. The Journal of Community Informatics. 2019:78-97.

Hannon 2006 - Hannon C, Cradock A, Gortmaker SL, et al. Play across Boston: A community initiative to reduce disparities in access to after-school physical activity programs for inner-city youths. Preventing Chronic Disease. 2006;3(3):A100.

Hansan 2013 - Hansan J. The beginning of the recreation movement in the United States. Social Welfare History Project. 2013.

IBA-CTC - Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA). Community technology center.

ILR-Ottmann 2006 - Ottmann G, Dickson J, Wright P. Social connectedness and health: A literature review. Ithaca: Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR); 2006.

JCC - Jewish Community Centers Association (JCC). Jewish community centers of North America.

Johnson 1989* - Johnson RM. Black and white apart: The community center in the District of Columbia, 1915-1930. Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 1989;52:12-28.

Kaplan 2007* - Kaplan J, Valls A. Housing discrimination as a basis for Black reparations. Public Affairs Quarterly. 2007;21(3):255-273.

Lavalley 2021* - Lavalley R, Bailliard A. A communal perspective of occupation: Community change in a senior center welcoming Spanish-speaking immigrants. Journal of Occupational Science. 2021;28(1):29-41.

Li 2021* - Li S, Duan H, Smith TE, Hu H. Time-varying accessibility to senior centers by public transit in Philadelphia. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice. 2021;151:245-258.

London 2010* - London RA, Pastor M, Servon LJ, Rosner R, Wallace A. The role of community technology centers in youth skill-building and empowerment. Youth & Society. 2010;42(2):199-228.

McAndrews 2022* - McAndrews C, Schneider RJ, Yang Y, et al. Toward a gender-inclusive Complete Streets movement. Journal of Planning Literature. 2022;38(1):3-18.

Milanes 2022* - Milanés LL. Latinxs in Chicago: Managing health inequities with community centers. Human Organization. 2022;81(4):327-337.

Moore-Vissing 2023 - Moore-Vissing Q, Portrie C, Holt-Shannon M, et al. Local civic health: A guide to building community and bridging divides. The Carsey School of Public Policy. 2023;459:2-79.

NISC - National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC). Supporting the nation's senior centers.

Noel 2020* - Noël PH, Wang CP, Finley EP, et al. Provider-related linkages between primary care clinics and community-based senior centers associated with diabetes-related outcomes. Journal of Applied Gerontology. 2020;39(6):635-643.

Pardasani 2019* - Pardasani M. Senior centers: If you build will they come? Educational Gerontology. 2019;45(2):120-133.

Pardasani 2021* - Pardasani M, Berkman C. New York City senior centers: Who participates and why? Journal of Applied Gerontology. 2021;40(9):985-996.

Paul 2017a - Paul C. Americanization. Social Welfare History Project. 2017.

Pitas 2021* - Pitas NA, Mowen AJ, Powers SL. Person-place relationships, social capital, and health outcomes at a nonprofit community wellness center. Journal of Leisure Research. 2021;52(2):247-264.

Prochnow 2022* - Prochnow T, Valdez D, Curran LS, et al. Multifaceted scoping review of Black/African American transportation and land use expert recommendations on activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations. Health Promotion Practice. 2022.

Rhynes 2013* - Rhynes LT, Hayslip B, Caballero D, Ingman S. The beneficial effects of senior center attendance on grandparents raising grandchildren. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships. 2013;11(2):162-175.

SAGE - SAGEServes. Advocacy, services, and innovations for LGBTQ+ elders.

US DHHS-NPC 2011 - National Prevention Council (NPC). National Prevention Strategy. Washington, D.C.: Office of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (U.S. DHHS); 2011.

Wray-Lake 2020* - Wray-Lake L, Abrams LS. Pathways to civic engagement among urban youth of color. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development. 2020;85(2):7-154.

YMCA - Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). Strengthening individuals and communities.

Zdenek 2017 - Zdenek RO, Walsh D. Navigating community development: Harnessing comparative advantages to create strategic partnerships. Chapter: The background and history of community development organizations. New York: Palgrave Macmillan; 2017.