Asian Community Development Corporation

CONTACT:

38 Oak Street
Boston, MA 02111
617-482-2380 x 204
www.asiancdc.org

Jeremy Liu, Executive Director

DESCRIPTION:

Established in 1987, ACDC offers a stabilizing force to Asian Americans in Greater Boston, especially those in Chinatown—where median household income is $15,374; 45% of adults over 25 years have less than a 9th grade education; and 53.4% are considered “linguistically isolated.” ACDC’s programs address each of these issues and more. For example, its affordable housing development initiative finds or builds mixed-use, mixed-income housing opportunities ($100M worth built so far, $120M worth in the pipeline). Through workshops and one-on-one counseling, ACDC provides multi-language home-ownership courses, and helps families purchase their first home. It engages teens to participate in community-building activities like historical walking tours and a weekly youth radio program. And working with MIT’s Media Lab, it developed “Speakeasy,” which links limited-English speakers with multilingual volunteer guides, who help interpret conversations with city services, businesses, and community agencies. Both the Barr and Ford Foundations have profiled ACDC in reports highlighting successful community undertakings, and it has won several awards over the years, including First Place in Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Affordable Housing Development Competition. This group has room to grow, but needs new partners and resources to fund its innovative and cost-effective work. Please help.

(2006: HUMAN SERVICES: Well-Being)