Our History
The history of the Mission Neighborhood Centers is woven into the fabric of the Mission District itself. In the late 1800’s the Mission was home to struggling immigrants from across Europe. Two of those immigrants, sisters Eva and Rae Wolfsohn, founded the first settlement house in California in 1896, that served as a home for unwed, teenage mothers. The settlement house the Wolfsons developed and nurtured is now MNC’s Capp Street Center, home to Mission Head Start and a senior center location. MNC respects the vision and commitment of Eva and Rae Wolfson. We are proud stewards of this tradition of community service and leadership.
MNC was founded in 1959, resulting from a merger of the Capp Street Settlement House and two other community centers. Since its inception, Mission Neighborhood Centers has served the Inner and Outer Mission residents through social services with a strong focus on under-served immigrant children, adolescents and seniors. Our programs are considered models by nearby communities. MNC is a leader in preserving the integrity of San Francisco’s diverse cultures through coalition building and preventing ethnic isolationism. Most of our clients are Latino, but we also serve hundreds of African-Americans, Filipinos, Asian-Americans, and other ethnic groups.
