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Chinese-American Planning Council 2021 Annual report

The Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) is the nation’s largest Asian American social services organization.

Founded in 1965, CPC promotes the social and economic empowerment of Chinese American, immigrant, and low-income communities of New York City.

We are guided by our organizational values:

We are our community. We are committed, inclusive, and responsive.

We embrace our community. We are reliable, trusted, and transparent and hold ourselves to the highest quality standards.

We empower our community. We inspire leadership, equity, and progress.

Letter from the Board Chair and CEO

As you will see in this annual report, CPC and our subsidiaries have implemented extraordinary efforts to support communities across New York City during these difficult times.
Because of your generous support, we can proudly say that over 125,000 New Yorkers have more enriching and fulfilling lives.
We made sure that our communities have an equitable opportunity at recovery. We ensured that our community members could get tested and vaccinated, and we advocated to expand technology and language access to public benefits. We fought against budget cuts to human services and advocated for human services workers to have PPE and vaccines. We stood up against anti-Asian hate by conducting workshops for community members and joining partner organizations to denounce violence and harassment in all forms.
Thank you for your trust, support and dedication to making a difference in the lives of Asian American, immigrant, and low-income communities of New York City!
Veronica Tsang, Board Chair, and Wayne Ho, CEO & President

CPC’s vision for the future is to advance and transform communities.

CPC’s new headquarters within this building will enhance and expand community services through the creation of a larger, more accessible facility.

A Permanent Home for CPC

CPC celebrated breaking ground at our new community center in the Lower East Side on May 25, 2021.

This groundbreaking ceremony represented over six years of collaboration with neighbors, community organizations, and city officials, concluding with City approval for the mixed-use project in February 2020. The partnership between CPC, Gotham Organization, Beth Hamedrash Hagodol, and the community will result in a new permanent home for CPC as well as 208 units of affordable housing, including more than 100 deeply affordable residences for seniors.

OUR IMPACT

We provide high-quality learning opportunities for all ages – from preschool and after-school enrichment to adult English classes – because education is lifelong.

932 families received afterschool STEAM and literacy programming at 6 underserved elementary schools

549 adult literacy students learned English

274 youth and families participated in bilingual college readiness workshops

100% public high school seniors were awarded financial aid and matriculated to post-secondary education through the Learn and Earn Program

267 children enrolled in our six early childhood centers in Manhattan and Queens

We make it easier for individuals and families to access personalized social resources because support is fundamental to success.

26,209 individuals and families aided with housing, food, and health benefits access

400 older adults were screened for mental health needs

3,099 older adults and people with disabilities served through our subsidiary Home Attendant Program

1,701 youth and adults participated in health services, including services for those living with HIV/AIDS

885 individuals and 147 families supported through counseling and child welfare prevention services

24-hour care provided to 6 individuals with developmental disabilities at the Josephine M. Ho Community Residence for Special Needs

We empower New Yorkers through training, counseling, and advocacy – so that everyone feels comfortable intervening and speaking up – to create long-term, sustained transformation within our communities.

80 community members accessed free citizenship classes

150 older adults with low or no income accessed paid on-the-job-training and job placement

171 legislative visits made to city, state, and federal offices by community members and staff

707 individuals engaged through the Flushing Mobility Collaborative’s effort to combat poverty and promote economic mobility in Flushing, Queens

866 youth and adults trained at anti-discrimination clinics with Project Reach

2,900 community members and staff attended CPC’s virtual City Advocacy Day and Rally, resulting over $800,000 in discretionary funding

120 families joined CPC’s three Learning Bridges sites, a new program during the 2020-21 school year providing free child care options for 3-K through 8th grade on remote learning days

89,000 community members and older adults supported by CPC Resource Navigators with COVID-19 resources, including scheduled on-site/at-home vaccination appointments

$1.75 million in scholarship funds distributed to pay for essential workers’ child care via the Federal CARES Act

$4 million in grants and over $600,000 worth of PPE disbursed to child care programs via the Federal CARES Act

Over 6,000 community members received COVID-19 test and vaccination information in partnership with Test and Trace Corps

382,000 lbs. of food distributed to families and seniors in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens

$1.49 million in cash assistance distributed to 2,003 households, ranging in amounts from $300-$2,500 based on financial need and funder guidelines

CPC's Response to Anti-Asian Hate

While the economic and social effects of the pandemic increased poverty and inequality among our communities, it also surfaced harmful narratives about Asian Americans. CPC faced these realities head on while simultaneously supporting community members with essential needs.

In 2021, we launched the Community Safety and Belonging Initiative with the goal of ensuring that New York City’s Asian American community members feel safe, respected, and included in their neighborhoods and across New York City.

We are sincerely grateful to our supporters, including the Amazin’ Mets Foundation, American Express, Clara Lionel Foundation, The Corcoran Group, Mass Mutual NYC & Charter Oak Financial, Sol Sharp Music Education, Verizon, Yao King Foundation, the Yellow Whistle Campaign, and the offices of Senator Andrew Gounardes, Assembly Member Peter Abbate, Council Member Justin Brannan, Council Member Peter Koo, Council Member Carlos Menchaca, the Kings County District Attorney, and the Mayor’s Office of Prevention of Hate Crimes. Thank you for joining us in this work and rejecting violence and bias of any kind.

We are our community

Youth Sharpen Skills and Gain Paid Work Experience

Kelly, a senior at Fort Hamilton High School, grew up participating in CPC summer programs at P.S. 130. This past summer, she participated in the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). When CPC accepted her to the program, she learned that our subsidiary Hong Ning Housing for the Elderly was one of the potential work sites. Kelly’s grandma, age 84, had moved to Hong Ning about a decade ago. “It was a place I visited since I was a kid. I always came on the weekend to visit my grandma, so I never got to participate in the weekday events and activities,” said Kelly.

“As an SYEP participant, I see everything firsthand. I learned how CPC works with residents in the building, and also helped out. I saw how excited residents got when we visited and distributed activity sheets, which we call ‘homework,’” said Kelly.

Kelly supported senior residents with interpretation and correspondence with various agencies so aid continued with out interruption. She led social group activities like the morning walk club, jewelry making, and bingo. “It felt good to give back to the place that has given so much to my family, and also to help out my elders,” she said.

We embrace our community

Navigating Challenging Times

Our Resource Navigators have been stationed at testing sites around the five boroughs to provide resources regardless of COVID test result, and their roles have now expanded to conduct vaccine outreach. Our Resource Navigators also work directly with nurses and physicians to interpret for community members.

CPC has a team of over 90 Resource Navigators speaking more than 6 languages and dialects continuing their work to support community members affected by the pandemic.

The City turned to community-based organizations like CPC for assistance to ensure New Yorkers of all backgrounds could be served. Our Resource Navigators, hired from the community, were able to reach people and dispel rumors and misinformation.

The CPC Resource Navigators program is a partnership with the NYC Department of Health, Health + Hospitals, and Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations. Since the start of the program in June 2020, staff have served 89,000 community members and covered navigation services at 16 rapid testing sites, 12 pop-up mobile sites, and four vaccine sites. CPC staff have partnered with Korean Community Services, Make the Road NY and Mekong NYC to broaden the program’s reach.

We empower our community

CPC’s Career Center Continues Essential Work with Job Seekers

CPC offers a suite of workforce development programs which saw an increase in demand in the last year, including adult English literacy courses, one-on-one job counseling, and new immigrant services like naturalization assistance, legal consultation, citizenship preparation, and civics workshops. Since July 2020, our Career Center has hosted eight virtual hiring events, 12 job readiness workshops, and over 200 hours of virtual employment consultations. Career advisors have reviewed more than 300 resumes to ensure successful applications.

One successful applicant was Liting, a young woman who found CPC’s Career Center through a hiring event. Ultimately, she was offered a position on a benefits access team at Grand Street Settlement. She now uses her bilingual skills to expand social services in the Chinese-speaking community.

“CPC was very helpful throughout the job application and hiring process. They provided me with tips and mock interview practices. CPC changed my employment story by being my go-to source of support for my specific needs,” said Liting.

“Before finding my job, I wasn’t sure where I wanted my career to go. I searched for jobs online that aligned with my work experience and skills. But it was difficult to find something that fits with my interests when I myself did not know what most interested me in a career. That’s when I found CPC’s Career Center. They helped me figure out what I valued in a job and helped me go for it. I’m proud to help clients with benefits assistance, tax prep, referrals to legal services, and access to our food pantry,” said Liting.

CPC’s Career Center also works with local employers to recruit, pre-screen, hire, and retain quality candidates. With funding from Robin Hood, CPC’s workforce development programs have been able to empower our communities to be engaged drivers of their success and address community and economic needs of our local neighborhoods.

Our deepest gratitude

* In Memory Of Dr. Herbert Kee

** In Memory Of Josephine Ho

*** In Memory Of Maria Poon

Disclaimer: If you were a CPC donor between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, and find your name missing, misspelled, or listed under the wrong heading, please accept our apologies. Please contact Mabel Long to update your gift, pledge, or contact information at mlong@cpc-nyc.org or call 212-941-0920 x 140.

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Credits:

All photos provided by CPC and its staff with the permission of the subject.