Kim Secures 10K For AAFE
Assemblymember Ron Kim (D-Whitestone, Flushing, College Point, Murray Hill) yesterday joined Jennifer Sun, Co-Executive Director for Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE), in announcing an allocation of $10,000 through the New York State Assembly for its Flushing Office Programs.
Mrs. Sun expressed her organization’s appreciation for the funding grant and the two spoke on the importance of ensuring adequate support for community organizations serving those in need. The allocation will be used to bolster initiatives led by AAFE in relation to youth and senior counseling programs, housing, and immigration services.
“I am proud to announce $10,000 in state funding for Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE). They have helped countless people in New York get the help and services they need, especially those who face cultural, institutional, or language barriers. As a representative for Queens and Flushing in the New York State Assembly, my office is fortunate to include AAFE among the community service organizations located in our district. I congratulate Mrs. Sun and Mr. Yu on the work they have done in supporting our community and we look forward to partnering with AAFE on future initiatives,” said Kim.
Miller Memorializes Young Fire Victim With Street Co-Naming
City Council Member I. Daneek Miller (D-Cambria Heights, Hollis, Jamaica, St. Albans, Queens Village, and Springfield Gardens) tomorrow will memorialize 17-year-old Melody Edwards, who lost her life two years ago during a tragic Queens Village fire that killed five, with a street co-naming.
According to media reports, Edwards had a quick wit and was a natural joker, who used her traits to defuse family disputes so that any spat ended with laughter. At the time of the tragic fire, she was also excitedly planning her graduation party.
The street co-naming is slated for between 1-4 p.m., tomorrow, May 18 at the northeast Corner of 118th Avenue and Springfield Boulevard in Queens Village.
Richards Supports More Community Land Trust Funding
City Council Member Donovan Richards (D-Arverne, Brookville, Edgemere, Far Rockaway, Laurelton, Rosedale, Springfield Gardens) this week urged support for a new funding initiative to incubate and expand Community Land Trusts (CLTs) in all five NYC boroughs.
CLTs are nonprofits that own and steward land in the community’s interest. They engage residents in decision-making about affordable housing and other neighborhood development.
The request for more funding comes as more than a dozen CLTs are taking root in the South and Northwest Bronx, East Harlem, Brownsville, Jackson Heights, and beyond, to curb displacement and advance community-led development.
The City Council initiative would provide $850,000 in FY2020 discretionary funding to emerging CLTs working to develop and preserve deeply affordable housing — from mutual housing and limited-equity cooperatives to single-family homes at risk of foreclosure.
“CLTs are a proven model that works for communities. We have an opportunity to expand this model into communities like the Rockaways, where the City has left acres of land abandoned for years. We should not turn that land over to speculators and banks and private developers. It needs to go into the hands of nonprofits and community stakeholders, so that we can preserve affordability,” said Richards. “This is our highest priority today. We have to ensure that what we are doing right now in this city is going to benefit the people who stayed in these communities when no one wanted to be there, when no one wanted to invest, when no one cared.”
