J-Sei Selects HAYLEN to Support the Transition of J-Sei Home, a Longstanding Culturally Significant Senior Housing Property Serving the East Bay

J-Sei, a multi-generational and multi-cultural community care organization rooted in Japanese-American values, today announces the transition of J-Sei Home, a senior housing community that has served the East Bay for more than 30 years.

Opened in 1994, J-Sei Home was created to meet a critical need for culturally responsive senior care, offering elders a place to age with dignity, familiarity, and cultural connection. For generations of families, the home represented far more than a residential facility; it served as a trusted environment grounded in shared language, food, traditions, and lived experience.

Over the decades, J-Sei Home became deeply woven into the fabric of the East Bay’s Japanese American community. Its presence reflected J-Sei’s broader mission: to ensure that elders are cared for with respect, understanding, and a deep appreciation for the histories they carry.

As community needs, demographics, and economic realities have evolved, J-Sei made the difficult but necessary decision to close J-Sei Home as an operating senior living facility. This transition reflects a thoughtful reassessment of how best to continue serving seniors, families, and caregivers across generations while remaining faithful to the organization’s core values of dignity, trust, independence, social connection, open communication, and respect for elders.

As part of this transition, J-Sei has selected HAYLEN to carry out the real estate transition of J-Sei Home. An Asian-owned, minority-led real estate advisory firm, HAYLEN was selected for its people-first approach and experience working on real estate matters that carry cultural, emotional, and generational significance.

Rather than approaching this moment through a purely transactional lens, the focus of this transition remains on stewardship, honoring what J-Sei Home has meant to the community while thoughtfully planning for what comes next.

Says Ken Tsuboi, Board of Directors, Co-President of J-Sei, “Celebrating its 55th anniversary this year, J-Sei proudly serves the social, cultural, emotional, and physical needs of older adults through diverse programs based on Japanese-American values. With a storied history of serving the assisted living needs of our elders, the J-Sei Home is now ready for a new future. We are excited to partner with the Haylen Group’s experienced and thoughtful real estate team.”

"I’m honored to represent J-Sei in this transition,” says Helen Chong, founder and CEO of HAYLEN Group. “For over 30 years, J-Sei Home has served families with care and purpose, and it’s our responsibility to steward this next chapter with the same respect and thoughtfulness—honoring their legacy while supporting what comes next."

Additional information regarding future phases of the transition will be shared at an appropriate time.

About J-Sei

J-Sei is a multi-generational and multi-cultural community care organization rooted in Japanese-American values and culture. Since its beginnings in 1971, J-Sei has supported older adults, families, and younger generations through culturally responsive services, housing support, nutrition programs, and community connection. Guided by values of dignity, trust, independence, social connection, open communication, and respect for elders, J-Sei continues to evolve its programs to meet the changing needs of the communities it serves.

About HAYLEN

HAYLEN is an Asian-owned, minority-led real estate advisory firm specializing in commercial and luxury residential real estate. Founded on the belief that real estate decisions often carry emotional, generational, and financial weight, HAYLEN combines disciplined analytics with emotional intelligence to guide clients through complex transitions with care, integrity, and long-term perspective.