About Us

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT COVID-19: The Community Boards office is closed for unscheduled walk-ins and in-person services until further notice. We are continuing to provide services remotely on Zoom at this time, with some options for in-person mediations. For in-person mediations, people will need to be vaccinated and wear masks. You may start the mediation process by calling our office or by completing the following online form: Start a Mediation.


Community Boards

Community Boards operates the longest-running nonprofit conflict resolution and restorative justice center in the United States.  We have an excellent reputation for designing and delivering high- quality resources to the public since 1976. 

We offer a range of affordable conflict resolution and restorative justice programs and services to residents, businesses, schools, and communities throughout San Francisco. Our mediation services are offered in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and English through our corps of 450+ highly skilled volunteer Community Mediators. No one is ever turned away for lack of funds.

In 2016, Community Boards was in the first group to be designated a Legacy Business in San Francisco as recognition for our 40+ years of public service.

We are a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization registered as Community Board Program, Inc. (EIN: 94-2382967)


Location & Business Hours

Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 2070
San Francisco, CA 94102
Currently, no office hours.
Telephone: (415) 920-3820 | Messages after hours: (415) 920-3820 x100
Mediation inquiries: smoss@communityboards.org
General inquiries: jgarrison@communityboards.org
Online support: CommunityBoards.org/start-a-mediation/


Immigration Status: Community Boards cares for all our clients and trainees regardless of immigration status. We will continue to do everything possible to ensure that every client and trainee feels safe and welcome. Our core value is to deliver safe, quality and equitable services without regard to a person’s ethnicity or citizenship. We do not collect information about immigration status or report undocumented individuals.


Our Mission

Our mission is to empower communities and individuals with the strength, skills, and resources needed to express and resolve conflicts peacefully and appropriately for their culture and environment.

To accomplish our mission, we provide and promote peaceful, collaborative conflict resolution.  We serve diverse communities and offer mediation, conflict coaching, facilitation, training, referrals and restorative justice services.  We strive to build more peaceful, respectful, healthy, and equitable communities.


Our Values

Confidentiality
Community Boards holds all communications with those seeking assistance in strict confidence, and does not disclose confidential communications unless given permission to do so. The only exception to this privilege of confidentiality is where there appears to be imminent risk of serious harm.

Impartiality
Community Boards’ mediators are impartial. Community Boards and our mediators do not engage in any situation which could create a conflict of interest, and maintain no personal stake in the outcome of any dispute. Community Boards promotes a fair process and does not advocate for individuals.  We advocate for the processs.

Informality
The use of the Community Boards is voluntary. The focus is on alternative methods to resolving problems other than formal institutional procedures. Community Boards does not participate in any formal adjudicative or administrative procedure related to concerns brought to our attention, and has no decision-making authority and maintains no official records.

Independence
Community Boards is independent in structure, function and appearance to the highest degree possible within the organizations we work with.

We are guided by the following commitments:

  • To provide accessible, fair and inclusive problem solving and conflict resolution services
  • To respect the many forms of communication and problem solving utilized by and appropriate to diverse people and communities
  • To maintain an organizational orientation to self-assessment, ongoing learning and internal practices consistent with our purposes and values
  • To enhance people’s capacities as involved, aware and effective residents of their communities.

Highlights from Our Record of 48 Years of Public Service

  • Founded in 1976 with the mission to provide the general public with an empowering, effective, and accessible methodology for resolving a wide range of personal, residential, neighborhood, consumer, and public disputes.
  • Developed a unique panel mediation model of three mediators working collaboratively to create a safe and confidential conflict resolution process for all San Franciscans.
  • Created a rewarding — both personally and professionally — avenue for concerned citizens to volunteer their time, energy, and skills in helping others.
  • Trained 20,000+ San Francisco residents as mediators since our founding.
  • Assisted 58,000+ San Franciscans in resolving their conflicts peacefully.
  • Scheduled and delivered 10,750 mediation panels.
  • Maintains an ongoing, active pool of 450+ volunteer Community Mediators.
  • Serves annually 2,000+ San Francisco residents, nonprofits, and businesses a year and offers its mediation services in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
  • Partners and collaborates with a broad array of social service organizations, public agencies, and community nonprofits including the SF Police Department, the SF Unified School District, the SF Superior Court, SF Rent Board, SF Planning Department, housing/tenant rights organizations, assisted living residences, and arts and cultural organizations among others.
  • Introduced its Conflict Manager Program, a peer mediation model, that is now one of the oldest programs in the United States and is found in 3,000+ schools nationwide
  • Designs and delivers trainings to the panelists of the SF District Attorney’s Neighborhood Courts Program.
  • Added to San Francisco’s Legacy Business Registry in 2016 in recognition of its public service.

Social Media

Please join or subscribe to our social media.  Help us stretch our “grassroots” into today’s virtual communities.  You can help us  spread the word to as many people and neighborhoods in San Francisco and the Bay Area as possible.