Ocasio-Cortez, Locals Celebrate New Queens Social Service Center

JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS — U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and local elected officials joined community leaders to debut a new social services center in Jackson Heights on Tuesday.

The new office for non-profit Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) will offer expanded housing, immigration, senior and small business programs in multiple languages, including Spanish and Chinese.

Ocasio-Cortez and State Senators Toby Ann Stavisky and Jessica Ramos commended the non-profit's work helping immigrant and working-class New Yorkers at the Tuesday ribbon cutting for the new community center, located at 37-61 84th Street in Jackson Heights.

"What is lovely is that we’re really generating a beautiful ecosystem of advocacy here in Jackson Heights," Ocasio-Cortez said.

AAFE helps residents of Lower Manhattan, Flushing and Jackson Heights with U.S. citizenship applications, mortgage financing and low-interest loans for small businesses, among other services.

"This office is emblematic of our commitment to serve an increasingly diverse population," AAFE Co-Executive Director Thomas Yu said.

"We’re here to provide services, especially in an atmosphere where our immigrant communities, low-income communities, communities of color are under attack. We’re here to say we’re not invisible, and we’ll fight back."

Upcoming events at the new AAFE office include a tenant rights workshop on April 25 and a senior benefits day on May 9. To register, residents may call 718-316-9993.