Chinese-language resource map for the Bay Area

• For city questions in San Francisco, call 311: help in over 160 languages by phone, or 415-701-2311 from outside SF; the SF311 app is available in Chinese.
• Not sure where to start with senior services? Call your county's Area Agency on Aging: statewide 800-510-2020; San Francisco 415-355-3555, Alameda 510-577-1900 (Senior Information & Assistance 510-577-3530), Santa Clara 408-350-3200, San Mateo 844-868-0938, Contra Costa 925-229-8434.
• If an elder is scammed out of money, neglected or abused, call California Adult Protective Services at 1-833-401-0832 and enter a ZIP code to reach the county, 24 hours.

• San Francisco · Self-Help for the Elderly: main line (415) 677-7600. Adult day services staff speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Taishanese and other Chinese dialects, at 408 22nd Avenue, (415) 677-7556.
• San Francisco · On Lok: PACE, one program that includes medical care, home care, transportation and senior services; also a senior center and services such as meal delivery.
• East Bay · Family Bridges Visiting Program: for Cantonese- and Mandarin-speaking seniors 60+ who are homebound or isolated in Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland or Piedmont; volunteers visit, call and help with light shopping, free; (510) 839-2022, Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

• San Francisco, Peninsula and South Bay · NEMS (North East Medical Services): medical, dental, behavioral health and optometry, with clinics in San Francisco, Daly City, South San Francisco, San Mateo and San Jose; appointments 1-888-500-1886. Its MyChart self-scheduling videos come in Cantonese and Mandarin.
• East Bay · Asian Health Services: founded in 1974, providing medical, dental and behavioral health care; administration (510) 735-3100; to become a patient, call Membership at (510) 986-6880 first; dental (510) 986-6888; its website is available in Chinese.
• South Bay · AACI: its San Jose health center is accepting new patients, with a senior center and behavioral health services too; main line (408) 975-2730.

• South Bay · Asian Law Alliance: free legal services for low-income residents in immigration, family law, domestic violence, housing, public benefits and civil rights; 991 W. Hedding Street, Suite 202, San Jose, (408) 287-9710.
• San Francisco · Asian Law Caucus: the country's first legal aid organization focused on low-income Asian Americans, 55 Columbus Ave, 415-896-1701.
• South Bay · AACI 24/7 domestic violence hotline: (408) 975-2739.

In San Francisco, Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) offers housing counseling and manages affordable housing; how to apply and each building's wait-list status are on its site; housing counseling hotline (415) 984-2728, main line (415) 984-1450. For deposits, leases and rental scams, see our renting guides.

• San Francisco · Chinatown/Him Mark Lai Library (1135 Powell Street): books, magazines, audiobooks, CDs and DVDs in Chinese, plus files of articles on Chinatown’s history and community; staff speak English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese, depending on who is on duty; 415-355-2888.
• Oakland · Oakland Public Library Asian Branch (388 Ninth Street, Suite 190, inside Pacific Renaissance Plaza): books in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese, and an English Asian Interest collection on Asian and Asian American history; closed Sundays; (510) 238-3400.
• San Francisco · Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA, 965 Clay Street): Chinese American history exhibits, open Wednesdays and Saturdays 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; book a dated ticket online or buy one at the front desk; seniors and veterans pay $10; (415) 391-1188 ext. 109.
• San Francisco · Chinese Culture Center (CCC) Chinatown History & Art Tour: booked on request for a date and time; individuals and private groups $55 per person, at least 4 people, about 90 minutes; it starts at the CCC Art Center and Design Store, 667 Grant Avenue.
• East Bay · My China Roots at Alameda County Library: a genealogy resource for Chinese ancestry, ancestral villages and surname origins, listed on the library’s eLibrary page.

• Peninsula · Millbrae Library (1 Library Avenue) Mandarin/Cantonese Storytime: stories and songs in Mandarin, Cantonese and English, for children of all ages; sessions are on the San Mateo County Libraries events calendar.
• East Bay · CACC Chinese School (Pleasanton): classes from preschool to high school AP Chinese; the 2026–2027 school year has started and its calendar follows Pleasanton Unified School District; enrollment is by school year, with classes, times and fees on the school’s site.
• At home · LOTE4Kids from Marin County Free Library: more than 3,000 digital picture books with audio and text in more than 65 languages, opened from the library’s online resources page.