On the corner of 86th Avenue and International Boulevard, across the street from Allen Temple Baptist Church and the Boys and Girls Club, a “sanctuary” for young people is coming to life.

The Young People’s Wellness Center, a project of Roots Community Health, has broken ground, with the expectation that it will open in 2026. The goal is to provide confidential health care services, along with safe social spaces and workforce development opportunities, exclusively for 13- to 26-year-olds. That age range was selected, Roots CEO Dr. Noha Aboelata said, as the health center will become the only one in East Oakland focused on that age group.

“There are too many cliffs that our young people are prone to falling off,” Aboelata said during a groundbreaking event on Wednesday. “They leave the sc

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