Good morning, Chairman Turner, Congresswoman Maloney, distinguished members of the Committee and guests. Thank you for traveling to New York to hear our testimonies and see our communities first hand. My name is Christopher Kui and I am the Executive Director of Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE).

I am here today because community-based organizations such as AAFE are concerned about the future of the Community Development Block Grant program. My colleagues and I are here to fervently advocate for the CDBG program, which has allowed us to utilize the skills, knowledge, and abilities of local communities to strengthen the fabric of our City.

INTRODUCTION

When AAFE opened its doors in 1974, Chinatown was an insular ethnic enclave. Founded more than 100 years before by immigrants from China, it became the hub of social, cultural, and economic life for New York’s Asian community. Most of the immigrants did not speak English; they had to adjust to an entirely different culture than that which they had left behind. Naturally, they lived in Chinatown where they felt more at ease. At first the community consisted of working men employed in restaurants, and service industries. The liberalization of immigration laws in the sixties caused immigration to swell, which resulted in enormous social pressures for the community, such as lack of housing and decent employment. From the very first days of the organization, AAFE assisted community members with these needs.

Increasingly, more and more people came to AAFE for help with affordable housing and adequate living conditions, which had reached a crisis point. Many local residents lived in rundown tenement buildings dating from the 19th century. Others were crowded into non-residential spaces that were illegally subdivided into tiny rooms. The high demand for living space caused many landlords to ignore housing codes and occupancy standards, and to demand illegal key money from renters. As downtown neighborhoods became fashionable, unscrupulous landlords tried to evict their low-income tenants, sometimes resorting to extreme tactics like harassment and intimidation.

CDBG DOLLARS AT WORK

In partnership with HPD, our eviction prevention programs have helped our clients in very immediate ways. In December 2004, a few days before the Christmas holidays, an anxious Chinatown resident whose building had no heat or hot water for more than two months came to AAFE for help. The tenant, a senior citizen who spoke practically no English, complained that he and his neighbors lived in misery as temperatures dropped below freezing. The tenants were afraid to notify housing authorities, for fear of retaliation. AAFE was able to step in immediately advising the tenants on possible action and provided legal assistance. Meanwhile, our staff convened a meeting of the City housing agencies, the tenants, local elected officials, and the building owner on site. We arrived at an agreement and the tenants had heat and hot water in time for the holidays.

To increase housing opportunities, AAFE has developed more than 500 units of affordable and senior housing. Working with the Enterprise Foundation and HPD, AAFE first began developing housing in 1986, with the construction of New York City’s first Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit project, called Equality House. All of us at AAFE feel particular pride and strong emotional attachment to this historic project. Equality House enabled the Lee family, among many such families, to provide their three children with the stability and opportunities they needed to make a better life. Today, one son is a police officer, the other son is a nurse, and the daughter is an Urban Fellow, pursuing a Master’s Degree at Baruch College.

Our most recent project, Norfolk Apartments II, was the first low-income project to be developed after 9/11 in Lower Manhattan in partnership with the City and State of New York. Norfolk Apartments II has a total of 52 units. When the project was announced in 2003, more than 10,000 families from around the City submitted applications.

CDBG funding has also enabled AAFE to provide core immigrant services that continue to improve the capacity of the Asian American community to address its own needs. AAFE helps new immigrants overcome language and cultural barriers and participate more fully in American society. Our affiliate AAFE Community Development Fund have counseled more than 5,000 perspective homeowners and have helped secure over $155 million in mortgage financing for 1,200 clients to purchase their first home. Thousands of other residents come to AAFE every year for English-as-a-Second-Language instruction, naturalization information and citizenship education.

The flexibility of CDBG funds has allowed AAFE to respond to emergencies as well. Immediately after 9/11, AAFE was able to address requests for assistance to help guide affected clients through government agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency. More than 500 clients were assisted with Medicaid applications, and 320 emergency applications were filled for assistance in temporary housing in the first month after 9/11. Meanwhile, as partners in the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation’s $300 million Residential Grant Program, our staff assisted over twenty thousand residents receive housing assistance all across Lower Manhattan neighborhoods. Having latitude in the type of projects and activities in which we can engage has allowed AAFE to serve the role of "social firehouse," responding to a crisis quickly and effectively.

CONCLUSION

A very large part of AAFE’s work has been possible thanks to funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program. CDBG funds have allowed us to respond creatively and with flexibility to meet the changing needs of our immigrant community. We have been able to provide affordable housing and prevent blight, generate new economic investment, and create a more significant role for our community in the City’s decision-making process.

With more than thirty years’ experience, AAFE has redoubled its commitment to help new immigrants achieve the American Dream. Not only has CDBG allowed us to preserve and rebuild the physical environment, it has furnished the tools to educate and inform our community.

Chairman Turner, help Chinatown, help Harlem, and thousands of other communities across the United States to maintain and expand the CDBG programs so we can preserve our neighborhoods and serve our constituents.

Thank you!