Santa Clara County Approves Vietnamese-American Service Center

Supervisor Cindy Chavez addressing the community at the final session of stakeholder meetings two weeks before the approval vote at Board of Supervisors Meeting on Feb. 23, 2016

After 6 months of outreach through meetings and surveys in order to better understand the needs of the community,  the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the construction of Vietnamese-American Service Center.   This is a historic moment for the Vietnamese-American community.  The effort was initiated by Supervisor Cindy Chavez.  The whole process was led by both offices of Supervisors Dave Cortese and Cindy Chavez.

The original plan is for a 30,000 sf building to build at the junction of Senter and Tully Road.  However, it was revised to  50,000 sf to accommodate other county services.  The construction is planned for the summer of 2016


The San Jose City is currently considering the building of the Vietnamese-American Community Center in Kelley Park.  The effort is being led by Mayor Sam Liccardo.

County of Santa Clara Approves Site for Vietnamese American Service Center

Santa Clara County, CA – In a historic decision, today the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the designation of the County-owned parcel located at Senter Road near Tully Road as the future site of the Vietnamese American Service Center. The 50,000 square foot building will house the Vietnamese American Service Center as well as other County services. The other County services will be moved from leased space, saving the County millions of dollars in lease costs.

The future Vietnamese American Service Center will serve as a one-stop hub for the County’s health and human services to be provided to the Vietnamese American community in a culturally-competent and language-accessible manner. In 2012, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department completed the Vietnamese American Health Assessment, originally proposed by Supervisor Dave Cortese, which revealed significant health disparities within the community as well as cultural and language barriers preventing access to vital services.

The Health Assessment gave rise to the Vietnamese American Service Center Stakeholder Assessment, led by Supervisors Dave Cortese and Cindy Chavez, to further identify disparities and barriers relating to the County’s health and human services. The findings of the Stakeholder Assessment resulted in a recommendation by the Office of the County Executive to construct the Vietnamese American Service Center which was unanimously approved today.

The details of the Vietnamese American Service Center will be introduced during the budget process this coming May.