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  • Architects of Change | Chhaya CDC in 2007
    October 17, 2007 :[download PDF]:
  • Developing a Blueprint for Change Chhaya CDC's Annual Gala
    November 1, 2006 6-9pm :[download PDF]:
  • Celebrating Five Years of Opening Doors Chhaya Community Development Corporation’s first gala fundraiser and fifth anniversary celebration on November 10th, 2005 :[download PDF]:
  • Join Chhaya on September 30th to Learn About Buying a Home and How to Prepare Yourself for this Process. | September 30th, 2006 :[click here for detail]: 
  • Know Your Rights as a Tenant! Know Your Rights as a Landlord! | June 24th, 2006 :[Click here for detail]:
  • Opening Doors to New Immigrants in NYC: Combating Predatory Lending and Promoting Consumer Rights in NYC’s Immigrant Communities | October 19, 2005 :[Click here for detail]:
  • Opening Doors - A Community Dialogue on the Housing Challenges Among Immigrants in New York City through the Lens of South Asians. | Friday, November 22nd, 2002 :[download the conference report ]:
  • New Neighbors Summer Youth Weekend 2002 :[go to article]:
  • Join us for Lunch and a discussion on Affordable Housing in Queens | April 8th, 2006 :[ click here for detail ]:
  • Join Chhaya CDC to support Immigration Reform | April 10th, 2006 :[click here for detail]:

First-time Home Buyer Workshop Series

As the South Asian community continues to grow, fueled largely by immigration, the need for homeownership and financial literacy programs targeted at South Asians in their languages and with an understanding of their cultures becomes increasingly significant. Homeownership rates for New York City's South Asian community stand that 25%, lagging behind the City’s average for both native-born (31.6%) as well as foreign-born (28.6%) residents. For South Asian sub-groups, specifically among the Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, the rates are below 20%, standing at 18% and 17% respectively .

While there is an increasing demand and interest toward homeownership, many South Asians do not know how to navigate the complicated process of home buying, the mortgage market or they lack the mainstream credit histories to qualify for prime mortgages. To further complicate matters conventional lenders do not have a strong presence in immigrant communities, and generally do not offer reliable literature and information in South Asian languages. As a result, not only homeownership rates are low among South Asians, they are also vulnerable to predatory and other sub prime lending schemes. In fact, the 2001 Chhaya CDC study of South Asian community in New York City suggested that South Asians received limited financing options, incurred higher loan fees, and paid more for their homes than the average New York City homeowner. The study also revealed that they were susceptible to predatory brokers and lenders who impose excessive commission fees and debt payments. These findings were consistent with the 1998-2000 findings of New York Mortgage Coalition and the Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP), which identified some of the City’s predominantly South Asian neighborhoods as areas with the highest instances of predatory lending practices . To this date, however there has been no concerted effort to discuss and inform present and potential homeowners of the dangers of predatory loans for homeownership and refinancing in South Asian languages.

In order to empower potential South Asian homeowners and reduce their vulnerability to predatory lenders, Chhaya CDC has developed a homeownership education program tailored to meet the unique language and cultural needs of South Asians. The program draws from the homeownership industry’s best practices and includes education, outreach, and counseling.

Chhaya offers a five-part workshop series, “The Road to Homeownership: Your Rights, Risks and Rewards,” developed by NEDAP.  The workshops present the basics of financial literacy, credit history, mortgage lending, and how to recognize predatory lenders. :[click here for schedule]: