Nonprofit executive Rose Padilla Johnson serves as the CEO of Davis Street Community Center, a $10.5-million agency serving low-income families around San Leandro and Alameda County, California. Rose Padilla Johnson has been working with low-income families in Alameda County for several decades and is passionate about supporting the community in and out of San Leandro.
According to 2019 estimates, Alameda County, California's population reached 1.67 million people. The largest group of people living in the county ranged in age from 18 years old to 65 years old and made an average of $92,574 a year between 2014 and 2018. Compared to 2010, the population size of the area grew by about 10.4 percent from 1.5 million people.
Despite this, the county also has a poverty rate of about nine percent. This is a decrease from 11.3 percent of residents who lived in poverty in 2017. At this time, women between the ages of 18 and 24 were the second-highest segment of individuals living in poverty, followed by men between 18 and 24 years old.
Further, most of the population living in poverty in Alameda County were white. While the county does have the Bay Area’s smallest population of white residents, they still make up the largest portion of Alameda County’s total population at 49.7. percent. Asian residents account for about 31.8 percent of the total population, followed by Hispanic residents and African American residents at 22 and 11 percent, respectively.
The CEO of the Davis Street Community Center, Rose Padilla Johnson has been a highly visible presence in the San Leandro community for many years. Under the direction of Rose Padilla Johnson, Davis Street tackles the issue of food insecurity by providing food and nutritional assistance to more than 6,000 San Leandro and Alameda County residents every year.In Alameda County, about 13 percent of residents were food insecure in 2016. The Alameda County food bank estimates that one-fifth of the county’s population has accessed food assistance services. Poverty and food insecurity are interrelated. In Alameda County, households must earn more than $92,000 dollars a year to afford housing, food, medical care, and other basic necessities. However, thousands of local families make less than half of this amount. Families facing financial issues may have difficulty purchasing enough food for their household and must turn to food pantries and other community services.
A leader in services for families with low incomes in Alameda County, California, Rose Padilla Johnson served as the administrator of the RotaCare Free Medical Clinic in San Leandro. Rose Padilla Johnson also oversees the city's Davis Street Community Center.Founded to serve vulnerable populations, Davis Street supplies comprehensive programs and services that support individuals at the physical, mental, and financial levels. The organization's Primary Care Clinic provides care to people in need even if they cannot pay and regardless of their immigration status.A federally qualified health center, the Davis Street Primary Care Clinic offers medical services that include lab screenings, health education, and nutritional training. The clinic's dental services include full examinations, cleaning, cavity fillings, and dentures. Other Davis Street Primary Care Clinic offerings include behavioral health services and emergency food supplies. For more information about Davis Street and its care services, visit davisstreet.org.
