Thomas Yu

Asian Americans for Equality

Through community development, Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) advances racial, social and economic justice for Asian Americans and other systematically disadvantaged communities, guided by our experiences as Asian Americans and our commitment to civil rights. AAFE accomplishes its mission by creating affordable housing and economic opportunity, providing an array of multilingual community services and fostering grassroots leadership and civic engagement in the communities we serve throughout New York. We strive for an equitable city where all people live in vibrant and inclusive neighborhoods and have the opportunity to pursue their dreams and aspirations free from poverty, discrimination and racial violence. We believe that people in New York's diverse Asian American communities and other underserved communities can only thrive when they have access to safe and stable affordable housing, essential social services and equitable resources to achieve economic mobility for their families. For more than three decades, AAFE has been a community builder, developing multifamily affordable housing and opportunities for first-time homebuyers. Through our affiliate, Renaissance Economic Development Corporation, AAFE provides low-interest loans, training and multilingual counseling services for small business owners. And we meet the changing needs of the community through linguistically and culturally appropriate tenant counseling, navigation services for government entitlement programs and affordable healthcare, immigration assistance, college access and youth leadership and grassroots community engagement and advocacy.