South Asians are one of the newest immigrant groups in New York City and also one of the fastest growing immigrant populations in the city. The South Asian population in New York stands at 271,447 as of the 2000 Census compared to 113,857 in 1990 recording an increase of 138% in the past decade. They represent 31.1% of the total Asian population in New York City. 42.5% percent of Bangladeshi immigrants came to the US in the last decade on the Green Card Diversity lottery with limited English proficiency. According to the 2000 Census, more than a third (34 %) of Pakistani American children and more than a fourth (28 %) of all Pakistanis in New York City lived in poverty. Two out of three elderly Pakistani Americans (67 %) and nearly half (48 %) of all Pakistani adults had “Limited English Proficiency”.

Chhaya’s efforts are concentrated in low-income neighborhoods with a high concentration of South Asians. Like most communities, South Asians often live in close proximity to others from their community. As more renters vie to become homeowners, finding a home is one of the biggest problems facing new immigrants due to limited options, discriminatory practices, and language barriers. As a result, South Asians remain clustered and crowded in Queens ethnic enclaves including Flushing, Richmond Hill, East Elmhurst, Queens Village, Briarwood, Astoria and Jackson Heights. An overwhelming 62 percent of New York City’s South Asian communities live in these ethnic enclaves in addition to concentrations in Forest Hills and Corona.

US Census data from 1980 to 2000 show a steady surge in the Asian Indian populations in Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, Queens Village and Jackson Heights. Bangladeshi and Pakistani populations are concentrated in areas of Community Districts 1-4 and Community District 8. According to the Asian American Federation of New York Census 2000 analysis, the percentage of New York’s Bangladeshi-American, Pakistani-American and Indian-American populations living in poverty stood at 31 percent, 28 percent, and 18 percent respectively compared with an overall New York City poverty rate of 21 percent. The percentage with limited English proficiency among Bangladeshi-American, Pakistani-American, and Indian-American communities in New York stood at 60 percent, 48 percent, and 27 percent respectively compared with 24 percent of all New York City residents.

South Asians in Queens have been largely underserved by City, State and Federally funded programs. In the aftermath of 9/11, the South Asian community in NYC lives in relative isolation -- insulated by fear and with little opportunity to beak out of poverty. South Asians have been identified by the NYC Human Rights Commission Report 2003 (conducted in partnership with Chhaya and other community-based organizations) as a group where illegal discriminatory acts have prevented members from fully participating in education, work, recreation or finding housing. The report also mentions that the substantial number of unreported incidents indicated that the South Asians do not know about or trust the public agencies that could help them.

The housing challenges among South Asian and other immigrants are vast. Chhaya’s study in 2001 showed that South Asian Americans live in the most overcrowded homes and pay much higher rents than other New Yorkers.
• One quarter of South Asian American rental households are overcrowded
• 74.4% of the South Asian population is renters and 25% home owners
• Over 30% of the South Asians live in market rate rentals and South Asians are under-represented in government-subsidized housing.