SOMOS Mayfair

Founded in 1997 as the Mayfair Improvement Initiative, SOMOS Mayfair is dedicated to improving conditions for San Jose residents living in the largely working class, low-income, and immigrant community of Mayfair—a district in “chronic crisis.”

Though the group’s original mission was to draw new investment into the Mayfair neighborhood, rebuild dated and dilapidated infrastructure, and create coalitions, over the past three years SOMOS Mayfair has narrowed its focus to two top priorities: early school success and family wellness.

The Mayfair community is home to 56,545 of San Jose’s more than 1 million residents. While first- and second-generation Mexican families still make up the largest portion of the community’s 13,081 households, immigrants from India, Vietnam, and the Philippines have taken up residence there in increasing numbers. The median household income of $43,063 is just half of Santa Clara County’s median, and only about 50 percent of Mayfair residents graduate high school.

Since 2012, through the In Our Hands initiative, SOMOS Mayfair has focused on preparing Mayfair’s children to benefit from their education. In eight years, the program has assisted 4,179 children and adults from the neighborhood, producing a 43 percent increase in school readiness, and a 50 percent boost in third-grade reading proficiency—both strong indicators of later educational success.

SOMOS Mayfair also focuses on fostering leadership from within the community. Through the group’s Promotores program, SOMOS recruits and trains Mayfair residents to “take ownership of their neighborhood,” organizing neighbors and holding workshops to support families in adopting practices that build good health and educational success.

• Facebook