NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams Joins Brooklyn AAPI Community for Budget Priorities Listening Session

BENSONHURST, BROOKLYN, NY — In a powerful show of community leadership and civic engagement, leaders of more than a dozen Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations and advocates convened today at Homecrest Community Services’ Bensonhurst Center for a budget-focused listening session with New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Finance Chair Justin Brannan. The event brought together a diverse coalition of AAPI voices to share urgent priorities and concerns as the City’s FY2026 budget takes shape.

Moderated by Homecrest's President & CEO Wai Yee Chan, the event featured a roundtable discussion where attendees raised a range of pressing issues impacting AAPI communities. Key concerns included chronic delays in city payments to nonprofits, the need to adjust funding to meet inflation, and the cascading effects of federal policy changes on local services. Participants also highlighted the need to address housing insecurity, strengthen education and human services, improve language access, and close persistent gaps in culturally competent mental health care. Community leaders underscored the need for sustained, long-term investment in community-based organizations and culturally responsive services that meet the specific needs of AAPI communities.

Speaker Adrienne Adams addressed these concerns, highlighting her bill to reform the City’s contracting system and reduce payment delays, while strengthening oversight of nonprofit contracts. She affirmed the City Council’s commitment to expanding mental health care, preparing for federal changes, broadening language access, and increasing funding for older adult centers. Speaker Adams reiterated that equity, inclusion, and support for AAPI communities remain central to the City Council’s FY2026 budget priorities.

“Today’s gathering brought together AAPI leaders with a shared commitment to ensuring our communities are part of the city’s budget conversation. These discussions are crucial for driving equitable investment, and we are grateful to Speaker Adrienne Adams and Council Member Justin Brannan for taking the time to listen. Together, we’re sending a clear message: our voices matter, and we deserve to be seen, heard, and reflected in the City’s budget,” said Wai Yee Chan, President & CEO of Homecrest Community Services.

“The well-being of our city is tied to the strength of Asian American communities,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “Asian American organizations and businesses across all five boroughs contribute to the health and safety of all New Yorkers, and they deserve the city's full support. We know that with further investment from our city, our Asian American communities can thrive, which is why it was essential for us to gather and hold these discussions today. I look forward to strengthening our partnership and will continue to fight for a budget that reflects all our communities' needs.”

“Asian American communities are essential to the fabric of New York City," said Council Member Justin Brannan. "From small businesses to neighborhood organizations, they strengthen every borough and deserve a city budget that recognizes their impact. We can’t build a stronger, safer, more vibrant city without investing in the communities that help make it work. I’ll keep fighting to make sure every community, specially those too often overlooked, gets the resources and respect they deserve.”

“In the heart of Brooklyn’s growing Asian American community, the Asian American Federation was honored to participate in a community listening session with City Council Speaker Adams and Councilmember Brannan. As the city’s budget moves into a critical phase, we listened to community leaders discuss the key concerns of Asian New Yorkers, which include mental health, language access, support for seniors, and affordability in New York City. We will continue to advocate alongside our members to ensure that the city’s leaders are responsive to the priorities of over 1.5 million Asian New Yorkers,” said Andrew Sta. Ana, Deputy Director of Research and Policy of the Asian American Federation.

“Our communities want nothing more than to contribute and build meaningful futures in New York City’s many vibrant neighborhoods,” said Thomas Yu, Executive Director of Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE). “We are grateful to the City Council and the Speaker for an array of impactful investments in our communities for affordable housing, essential social services and small business survival. In these uncertain times, we urge the Council to build on these investments, helping to ensure the safety and well-being of our most vulnerable community members."

"Now more than ever, the City of New York has a responsibility to protect, support, and uplift its most vulnerable communities. As federal protections are dismantled and ideological and physical threats against immigrant communities become codified into policy, both our lives and the vibrancy of our city are under attack. We see this meeting as a meaningful step toward a shared vision with Speaker Adams, one that centers increased investment in mental health, hate violence prevention, adult literacy, and other vital programs that lift up underserved New Yorkers. Under Speaker Adams’ leadership, the New York City Council has the opportunity to meet this moment with clarity and purpose, ensuring the upcoming budget sustains and expands the essential, community-led initiatives that allow all New Yorkers to thrive, no matter the challenges ahead,” said Marwa Janini, CEO of Arab American Association of New York. 

“On the behalf of CPC, we urge the city to prioritize contracting to ensure that community-based organizations are compensated in a timely manner, we urge the city to budget in a 3% COLA for human services workers contracted through the city, and we urge the city to commit $7.5M in the city budget for the AAPI support initiative. We look forward to working with the city council to ensure an equitable and just budget that reflects the needs of all New Yorkers,” said Steve Mei, Director of Chinese-American Planning Council, Brooklyn Community Services. 

“As an organization rooted in building stronger communities through sports and cultural exchange, we see this listening session as a meaningful opportunity to uplift the voices and values of the AAPI community. We’re proud to be part of the conversation to ensure our community’s needs are recognized in the City’s budget,” said Larry Zhao, President of the Chinese-American Sports and Community Service Association.

"We are at a critical moment in supporting our Brooklyn community.  With our fast growing AAPI community, we urgently need to align our City's budget to fund critical services such as mental health support, food security, workforce development, and community safety, all of which we see firsthand everyday to be areas of high need for our AAPI families. RaisingHealth proudly joins in working closely with City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and our close partner organizations to ensure a budget that reflects what our community needs from us,” said Hewett Chiu, President & CEO of RaisingHealth Partners. 

“Joining the discussion about the city's budget priorities directly with Speaker Adrienne Adams right in the heart of Brooklyn’s AAPI community was significant,” said Don Hong, President of UA3. “As an AAPI led citywide service provider, UA3 was able to bring the unique challenges facing Brooklyn’s vulnerable communities whether they be increasing food insecurity, personal safety. or racial equity. The listening session was a critical step in continuing an inclusive recovery and future for our City. Thank you Speaker Adams for listening to our needs.”

“City Budget allocation takes a big part in the CBOs who serve Brooklyn's AAPI Community as AAPI populations are growing fast in Southern Brooklyn. Our Communities deserve more than promises. We stand united in calling for a budget that reflects the needs and voices of the people we serve,” said Ansen Tang, President and CEO of United Chinese Association of Brooklyn. 

Media Contact:

Alice Mo, Homecrest’s Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, at alice.mo@homecrest.org

Hao Dian Li, Homecrest’s Director of Communications, at haodian.li@homecrest.org