Health and Care

The Luoshan Community Service Centre is currently the only open style group house for elderly people in China, combining a service centre for youth with the service centre for elders. This creates an opportunity for the elders to communicate with people outside the house. The centre consists of four services: a Services Centre for the Elders, a Service Centre for Youth, a 999 Hotline and a Community Education Service Centre. It is run by the people of Luoshan community for themselves.

In China, society is changing rapidly and traditional administrative infrastructures are not easily adaptable to the needs of new communities. The Luoshan Community Service Centre works with a new type of community management, where people manage themselves, providing free or low cost services, and generating trust, responsibility and integration through community involvement. The centre is promoted by YMCA Shanghai (Shanghai Young Men's Christian Association), supported by street government but managed by people of the community themselves. The centre has been established for ten years and has had great success in guiding sustainable development in the social infrastructure through self-management and community involvement, and in shaping the direction of change for cities and communities.