Asian Americans for Equality - a leading social service, hous-

ing and community development organization - has always

come to the aid of New Yorkers in times of crisis. From 9/11
to Hurricane Sandy, wAAFE has served as a critical resource to
hard-hit communities struggling to overcome adversity. In the
immediate aftermath of the devastating storm, we mobilized
to help at-risk residents, aided cleanup eorts, provided small
business support and created opportunities for neighborhood
renewal. Confronting the loss of power in our Manhattan of-
ces as Sandy struck, AAFE sta rushed to a makeshift head-
quarters powered by a gasoline generator. From this command
center, the organization coordinated relief as a rst responder
and scrambled to meet the immediate human needs facing our
communities. Many of our primary constituents in Queens,
Southern Brooklyn and Staten island confronted heavy losses
to their homes and businesses. AAFE was tested unlike any
time since September 11th. In its 39th year, the organization
brought all of its experience and dedication to bear on behalf of
the people who needed us most.
Recovery & Renewal
After Superstorm Sandy
AAFE on the Front Lines
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EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Following a Con Ed plant outage in
Lower Manhattan, AAFE conducted
door-to-door checks of over 1,000
low-income tenants living in 500
AAFE-owned aordable apartments,
delivering food, water, ashlights and
news updates to people in need.
Working closely with other
not-for-prot organizations and local
elected ocials, AAFE collected and
distributed food to hundreds of home-
bound residents. Sta made followup
visits, drawing on our lists of seniors living
in rent-regulated buildings. We support-
ed relief eorts at Knickerbocker Village,
a community of 4,000 residents on the
Lower East Side that lacked power and
heat well into November.
AAFEs real estate team conducted
building damage assessments and
pumped a large quantity of water from
77 Avenue C, one of our aordable
housing properties ooded by seawater.
e organization raised funds to replace
a gas boiler and to provide 16 electrical
heaters and utility subsidies to tenants.
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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
As emergency relief eorts were underway, AAFE moved quickly to
activate two emergency loan programs in support of homeowners and
small businesses. e move was a deliberate and forward-looking re-
sponse aimed at providing solutions beyond the immediate food aid our
communities required. AAFE was able to respond more quickly and
eciently than local government agencies.
Renaissance Economic Development Corp., our small business ali-
ate, announced an emergency loan fund for small business owners city-
wide, providing loans up to $30,000 for small firms in desperate need of
immediate working capital for repairs, inventory replacement, and cash
flow. The first loan checks were cut just two days after the disaster -- an
emergency stop-gap as business owners waited for FEMA and Small
Business Administration loan programs to be activated. So far, 160
businesses from all over the city - but especially Brooklyn, Queens and
Staten island - have received $3.2 million from Renaissance.
e AAFE Community Development Fund, our homeownership
aliate, announced an emergency loan fund for homeowners across
the city. e program helped pay for repairs, lling a gap created when
insurance companies, inundated with calls from homeowners, failed to
deploy inspectors and adjustors. Since the storm, 20 emergency loans
were granted to homeowners totaling $400,000. AAFE has developed
partnerships with other community development organizations in hard
hit areas: Margert Community Corporation in Far Rockaway; Astella
Development Corporation in Coney Island; and the Kings Bay Y and
Turkish Cultural Central Brooklyn in Sheepshead Bay.
Augmenting our storefront oces, AAFE opened an Emergency
Help Center in partnership with One Flushing in Queens and State
Assemblyman Ron Kim oering one-on-one services in Chinese
(Mandarin and Cantonese), Korean and Japanese. Since November,
it has served over 200 walk-in clients with FEMA registrations, SBA
business and residential loan applications, and more.
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Su Mei
Wing Shoon Seafood Restaurant,
Manhattan
e restaurant on East Broadway lost
$3,000 in live lobsters and sh after the
power went out on the Lower East Side.
I lost my entire inventory and
important equipment because of
Superstorm Sandy.
Victor Chi
L&R Footwear Inc, Queens
Over 80% of our inventory got dam-
aged by Sandy and we estimate that we
suered total losses of at least $200,000.
AAFE provided a lot of help and we are
so grateful for their assistance.
S
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MOVING FORWARD
AAFE is now focusing on the long-term
rebuilding eorts in Coney Island, Sheeps-
head Bay, and other parts of Brooklyn
severely damaged by the storm. Working
closely with Local Initiatives Support Cor-
poration, Enterprise Community Partners,
Brooklyn Community Foundation, Robin
Hood Foundation, and local, state, and
federal agencies, AAFE is providing HSBOUT
low-interest loans, targeted technical
assistance and one-on-one financial
counseling to homeowners and small
businesses. Additionally, AAFE will be
reviewing claims submitted by small
contractors for home repair jobs. Our staff
will check the general validity of work
claims, analyzing contractor track records,
in an effort to pre-vent homeowner
victimization by preda-tory contractors.
Depending on demand, AAFE technical
assistance staff will also support
homeowners in dealing with banks holding
insurance payout funds
in escrow. AAFE has been working to
align its long-term work on behalf of hur-
ricane victims with the National Disaster
Recovery Framework.
AAFE: MAKING A DIFFERENCE
e community was extremely disoriented after the storm. We knew right away
that aside from stang disaster relief, we needed to provide immediate assistance
to small businesses and homeowners. Small businesses in particular were especially
impacted by the loss of sales. Restaurants, for example, lost their entire inventories.
Wholesale businesses and warehouses on the waterfront ooded. A low-interest
loan of $30,000 made a big dierence for these small businesses that needed im-
mediate assistance.
-Chris Kui, AAFE Executive Director
"ln my op|n|on, tHere are
tHree b| |ssues tHat we
are lac|n |n terms ol
recovery. C||ents are be|n
adv|sed to e|evate tHe|r
Homes, Nood |nsurance
rates are sky H|H now,
and peop|e need u|dance
and d|rect|on on How to
nav|ate tHe bureaucracy.
lt |s |mportant lor //lL
C0l to be tHere because
peop|e |n tHe commun|ty
trust us. 0ur pHys|ca|
presence sHows tHat
we are comm|tted lor tHe
|on Hau|.'
baque| Co|on,
3en|or Hous|n Counse|or,
//lL C0l
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THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS
Asian Americans for Equality is extremely grateful to the following funders
for their generous support, enabling AAFE to provide much needed services
immediately after the storm and now as we move toward recovery.
Asian American Real Estate Association
Bank of America
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ
Brooklyn Community Foundation
Capital One
Citibank
Deutsche Bank
Enterprise Community Foundation
Ford Foundation Good Neighbor Committee
Freddie Mac
Korean American Community Foundation
LISC - NYC
/FX:PSL$JUZ1BSUOFSTIJQ'VOE
New York State Affordable Housing Corporation
Robin Hood Foundation
NeighborWorks America
United Way of New York City
ABOUT AAFE
AAFEs mission is to advance the rights of Asian Americans and all those in need.
Over the last three decades, AAFE has evolved from a community advocate to a com-
munity builder. From low-income renters on the Lower East Side to homeowners, both
struggling and aspiring, in Flushing and Sunset Park, AAFE is preserving and expand-
ing aordable housing opportunities amidst incredibly challenging market conditions.
And despite deep cuts in government resources, we are helping more immigrant youth
and families than ever prepare for college and become civically engaged. AAFE serves
all ve boroughs of New York City. We have oces in Manhattans Chinatown/Lower
East Side; Flushing and Elmhurst, Queens; and Sunset Park, Brooklyn. We touch the
lives of over 10,000 low- and moderate- income New Yorkers each year.
For more information, please visit www.aafe.org
For more information about our
Recovery eorts or to donate,
please contact Peter Gee at
(212)964-2288 ext.131
or email peter_gee@aafe.org.
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