AAFE opens new Flushing community center
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Elected officials,
neighborhood partners and
community members joined
a ribbon-cutting ceremony
held on July 29 with Asian
Americans for Equality
(AAFE) unveiling a new stateof
the-art community center
in Flushing offering expanded
services for immigrant
families, seniors and small
business owners.
AAFE co-developed One
Flushing, the largest 100
percent affordable residential
project to open in Flushing
in decades. The community
center, located on the second
floor of 133-29 41st Ave., is a
one-stop shop for immigration,
senior, small business and
homeownership programs
and services.
After opening One
Flushing’s 231 units of
housing for low- and middleincome
residents earlier this
year, AAFE’s co-executive
directors, Jennifer Sun and
Thomas Yu, were proud and
excited to debut the brand new
community hub.
“AAFE believes in a holistic
approach to community
development, which is why One
Flushing not only addresses
Flushing’s critical need for
affordable housing, but also
offers essential multilingual
community services, programs
to empower entrepreneurs
and homeowners and support
for Flushing’s growing senior
population,” Sun and Yu said.
One Flushing includes a
new location of the AAFECare
Senior Center, with a
beautiful outdoor garden for
exercise sessions and passive
recreation, a dance studio,
game/television room and
an all-purpose room where
daily meals and cultural and
social activities will take
place. An adjoining light-filled
office space serves as a new
home for AAFE’s Flushing
Community Services, as well
as Renaissance Economic
Development Corporation
(REDC) and AAFE Community
Development Fund
(AAFE CDF).
The offices at One Flushing,
situated adjacent to the
LIRR Railroad’s Main Street
Elected officials and community members at the ribbon-cutting
ceremony unveiling AAFE’s new community service center in
Flushing. Photo via Twitter/AAFE
Station and 7 train, boast a
convenient location in the
heart of the downtown area.
AAFE will continue to operate
a separate office at 35-34 Union
St. in Flushing, where the
organization’s Youth Program
and Workforce Development
Program are based.
AAFE’s counselors are
available to assist community
members with citizenship
applications, family petitions,
Medicare applications,
medical billing issues, SNAP
benefits (food stamps), reduced
fare MetroCards and SCRIE
applications (senior housing
rent exemptions). Residents
may also enroll in regularly
scheduled naturalization
classes, including English
language and American
civics courses. Services are
available in English, Chinese
and Korean.
REDC, AAFE’s small
business affiliate, is offering
expanded services for local
entrepreneurs, including lowinterest
small business loans,
counseling and workshops
for startup businesses in
Chinese and Korean. Business
financing is available
up to $250,000.
AAFE CDF,
the organization’s
homeownership affiliate,
is offering in-depth
homebuyer counseling
and assistance, assistance
with completing mortgage
applications, as well as
Chinese-language homebuyer
education seminars
and workshops.
Senator John Liu said,
“It’s inspiring to see the ways
AAFE enacts its mission to
be of authentic value to the
Asian American community,
and the opening of the new
Queens headquarters is not
any different. With its holistic
list of on-site resources, this
hub is a reflection of AAFE’s
advanced understanding of
the needs of the community
whom they support.”
Read more at QNS.com.
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TIMESLEDGER,8 AUG. 2-8, 2019 QNS.COM
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