The Asian Community Development Corporation, a community-based organization, is committed to high standards of performance and integrity in serving the Asian American community of Greater Boston, with an emphasis on preserving and revitalizing Boston's Chinatown.

The Corporation develops physical community assets, including affordable housing for rental and ownership; promotes economic development; fosters leadership development; builds capacity within the community and advocates on behalf of the community.

Description:
Our Programs:

Affordable Housing Development

ACDC has built over $100 Million in mixed-income affordable housing development in the past 20 years. We have accomplished this in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Boston, and in one of the hottest markets in the nation by forging partnerships with experienced, socially conscious for-profit developers. We recently completed a 251-unit, mixed use and mixed income project with Edward A. Fish, Associates with a total development cost of $89 million. We are currently working on a 315-unit smart growth, green building project with New Boston Development Partners on Parcel 24 at the head of the Rose Kennedy Greenway. At ACDC, we work directly with the community to build a common vision for beautiful, fair, sustainable development in Chinatown.

Comprehensive Home Ownership Education and Financial Literacy

We operate New England’s only home-ownership education program consistently targeting low and moderate-income Chinese-speaking homebuyers. ACDC has graduated over 300 people from our home ownership courses and one-one-one counseling in Mandarin and Cantonese, and have assisted over 25 families in buying their first homes. In the coming year, we are integrating financial literacy education into our curriculum, and expanding the number of languages we offer.

Leadership and Youth Development

The Young Leaders Network (YLN) is a youth driven initiative at ACDC that offers young Asians a forum for personal development as well as a platform to create progressive change in their community. YLN members utilize their creativity and enthusiasm to develop leadership skills while at the same time providing a network for social action and community development.

Cultural Economic Development

The Chinatown Heritage Project celebrates and promotes the multifaceted history, culture, and community that make Boston's Chinatown so unique and vibrant. Through a series of innovative programs, the project aims to increase cross-cultural understanding, contribute to Chinatown's economic prosperity, and offer contemporary residents new mediums for self-expression. The Project includes efforts such as the Chinatown Heritage Trail, a footpath through the neighborhood focusing on history and public art; the Chinatown Walking Tour Collective; and a Chinatown Community Radio Station. ACDC is a lead partner in the Chinatown Heritage Project, working in collaboration with Asian American Bank, Chinese Historical Society of New England, and Peabody Essex Museum.

Linguistic Access Through New Technology

Linguistic and cultural barriers hinder non-English speaking individuals – particularly new immigrants – from gaining access to essential social services and resources. ACDC has teamed up with MIT’s Community Innovations Lab to develop Speakeasy– an integrated telephone and web service which links limited-English proficiency individuals to multilingual “Guides.” These volunteers offer interpretation services between individuals and city service agencies, community organizations and local businesses via cell phone.

History:
Since our founding in 1987, ACDC has developed over $100 million of new housing and commercial space, consisting of mixed-income residences and mixed commercial uses. Our developments are now home to over 800 residents (300+ families), four of the leading Asian American nonprofit organizations in over 30,000 square feet of offices, four Chinatown-based businesses, and a 3,200-square foot community conference center. Additionally, we have created over 18,000 square feet of parks and open space, a 267-car underground garage, and a variety of streetscape and traffic improvements in the neighborhood.

From 2003 to 2005 we facilitated a coalition Chinatown-based community groups to ensure that a significant part of Chinatown that was demolished in 1962 was returned to the community as part of the completion of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project. Now known as Parcel 24, this land will be the site of ACDC newest project, a 315-unit, mixed-income, homeownership and rental development that is projected to have a total development cost of $120 million and to be completed in 2011. Approximately 50% of the residential units will be affordable to low and moderate-income residents.

The scope of our community development mission encompasses a neighborhood-, community- and region-wide emphasis on the development of and planning, advocacy, and organizing for affordable housing, economic opportunity, and sustained social diversity and cultural identity. We have facilitated and led three major community-planning efforts, including the Chinatown Air Rights Development study 1998-2000, the Chinatown Master Plan 2000, and the Hudson Street for Chinatown campaign 2002-2005. We have also represented Chinatown’s interests in numerous public-planning processes including: the Chinatown Community Plan 1990, the Strategic Development Study for the Massachusetts Turnpike Air Rights, the Chinatown Transportation Study, and the South Bay (Chinatown Gateway) Planning Study.

Over the past decade we have also rounded out our comprehensive approach to community development by operating a variety of programs in the areas of economic development, leadership development, arts & cultural planning, education programs, and technology initiatives. Specific examples of these programs include: an annual job & job training fair, community organizing through education and capacity building of adult ESL students, the Chinatown Youth Radio Project, comprehensive homeownership counseling services, and the Chinatown Heritage Trail.

Contact person: Kit Yan, Operations Manager, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: (617) 482-3056

Address:

38 Oak Street Boston, MA 02111 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.asiancdc.org

Directions:

We are located one block from the New England Medical Center subway stop on the Orange Line. We are on the first floor of The Metropolitan building, accessible from the courtyard entrance.   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: New England Medical Center,   Walk distance (in minutes): 5

Miscellaneous Information

What is the type of the agency?
	501(c)(3)
Does the agency conduct CORI checks?
	No