JARF is the parent organization for JARF Housing, Inc., which owns and operates the senior residence facilities at Nihonmachi Terrace, 1615 Sutter Street, an affordable-living, fair-housing agency.  And JARF is the parent organization for  Kokoro Assisted Living, a 24-hour supervised, non-medical care home for the frail elderly at the corner of Bush and Laguna Streets in San Francisco, the former site of the Congregation Shalom Ohabai Jewish Temple (1895-1934) and the home for the Sokoji Zen Temple (1934-1968).

 

In 1996, JARF Assisted Living Facility, Incorporated (JALFI) was organized and, in 1998, was awarded the contract by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency to develop a home for frail elderly in the landmark temple building at Bush & Laguna Streets.  In September, 1999, JALFI launched a community capital campaign for Kokoro Assisted Living.  In the first five months of the campaign, the community pledged more than half-a-million dollars toward the project.  Groundbreaking began in April, 2000, and the building was completed in mid-2003 with residents moving in that Fall.

 

While JARF Housing, Inc., and Kokoro Assisted Living were organized by JARF, each program is separately incorporated and governed by its own elected board.

 

In 1997, JARF representatives participated in the Mayor's Citizen Ambassador Tour to San Francisco's Sister City and hosted an interfaith gathering of leaders from ten different religious traditions in Osaka, Japan.  JARF leaders conducted a spiritual lineages tour of Kyoto and Nara for the Graduate Theological Union, visiting universities and headquarters for the religious traditions comprising JARF.