ANNUAL REPORT 2010 In fiscal year 2010, the Asian Community Development Corporation strengthened its core programs, piloted innovative community engagement and planning efforts, and expanded its reach and impact. Families and small businesses felt the depth of an ongoing economic crisis, and during these turbulent times are when we often look towards community for support. Long-standing community programs and strategies implemented by ACDC are needed now more than ever. We, too, have been challenged as an organization to make adjustments to sustain our financial health. Through a national recession and a leadership transition, ACDC has emerged with a focused agenda that advances our community priorities, and numerous accomplishments made possible by the partnerships we’ve nurtured in the past two decades through the commitment of our Board and staff. Housing remains the foundation for building healthy and vibrant neighborhoods. Our work is place-based and in 23 years, our community has grown to span multiple neighborhoods. This fiscal year, 6 Fort Street moved towards realizing a November 2010 groundbreaking in response to the regional need for affordable housing. The project is one of only 26 projects across Massachusetts to receive state and federal tax credits and will be ACDC’s first project outside of Boston’s Chinatown, bringing 34 new homes affordable to low- and moderate-income families in Quincy, MA. Additionally, ACDC remains rooted in revitalizing Boston’s Chinatown and Parcel 24 will be one of the largest residential projects in the state, bringing 345 new homes and almost doubling the affordable homeownership in the neighborhood. ACDC is a recognized leader in providing innovative community development programs and we were one of a handful of new
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organizations selected to become a United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley partner agency this year. ACDC continues to operate the only bilingual homeownership education and housing counseling program in Boston that provides language support in Cantonese and Mandarin. We launched the Human Development Studio in the Storefront Library, which promoted access to data and knowledge of development opportunities as a way to assist residents and small business owners in gaining skills, support, and knowledge to help them improve their lives. In addition to building homes and providing the stabilizing assistance to help residents stay in them, ACDC believes in cultivating the leadership and capacity of community members so they can participate in shaping their neighborhoods. Participatory Chinatown is an urban planning video game developed with our A-VOYCE youth, and attracted new attendees to community meetings and engaged them in the planning process. This recession highlights the importance of helping our community members work together and identify, advance, and steward positive community improvement. It is this comprehensive approach and creative spirit that has allowed ACDC to remain pertinent, dynamic, and impactful. We invite you to review our annual report and visit our website, www. asiancdc.org for our past accomplishments and our future plans and strategies to strengthen our community and achieve healthy, vibrant neighborhoods. We thank all our supporters that have sustained our work towards this shared vision. Sincerely, Michael Tow Board President
Janelle Chan Interim Executive Director
11/24/2010 4:46:14 PM