The fast growing underserved Chinese population includes new immigrants, families with children, long- term residents, and the fragile elderly. Most of them are foreign born, poorly educated and belong to low-income families. In NYC, 31% of all Chinatown residents lived below the poverty line and 60% of Asian adult are limited English proficient.

Asian Americans make up 13% of New York City’s population. According to the survey, there were 976,807 Asian Americans residing in New York City. Of 976,807 Asian Americans, 445,145 were of Chinese descent, which is the largest of the five major Asian groups in NYC. Of these, >90% are immigrants. Limited English proficiency and the language barrier are significant issues among this population.

Due to cultural and language barriers and the fact that a large proportion is foreign born, most Chinese Americans remain dependent on their native language for information.