Readers may remember some of our coverage about the Medicaid cuts and expiring health insurance subsidies presently rippling through communities removing vital services from neighbors on Staten Island and across the country. The Medicaid cuts are having the predictable effect of making it harder for people to access care that they can afford, but it is also having an effect on local hospitals, particularly in New York, where nearly all of them operate on a non-profit model. This is even worse for rural hospital systems, where there aren’t really enough residents for a profitable hospital, and these communities are often left behind. When you look at Medicaid cuts and their anticipated effect, as an example, one hospital whose Form 990 we reviewed had already, back in 2024, forgiven $150million in Medicaid debt, on top of the about $43 million in forgiven debt to those who do have low income but did not apply for or qualify for Medicaid. The application process is confusing for many Americans, most of whom are not aware that they can visit a place like the Chinese American Planning Council, Project Hospitality, or other organizations that will assist you in filing these applications when you qualify. Even lawmaker offices can give guidance to those who want to apply but don’t know where to go. See below for our interview with the CAPC:
The Chinese American Planning Council helps residents who are immigrants from Chinese-speaking countries, along with their neighbors of all backgrounds. For those from China, it can be difficult to find providers of services that speak their own language. The CAPC helps these immigrant neighbors and their families to access services that help them to find work or apply for citizenship or whatever else people might need when they come here. There is also a generational divide between the grandparents’ generations and the young people growing up here, especially when it comes to who they vote for, whether Conservative or Liberal. Here is the data map to help elected officials better understand their Asian-American constituents and to better track their community services.
Below are some some talking points which we covered during the interview:
- Staten Island’s Chinese American population has grown as families seek more affordable housing and opportunities to buy homes, but the service infrastructure has not kept pace.
- Language access, especially Mandarin and Cantonese, is the most immediate barrier to benefits, healthcare navigation, housing support, immigration services, education and other essential resources.
- Many Staten Island residents still travel to CPC’s Sunset Park programs because comparable Chinese-language, culturally responsive services are limited in their own borough.
- CPC is already meeting residents where they are through partnerships with the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island and La Colmena, but borrowed space and limited schedules are not substitutes for a permanent community hub.
- A dedicated CPC community center would create a visible, trusted point of access and allow services to grow with the community. Sustainable city funding is essential to make that possible.
Q&A:
The answers in the interview were different and more detailed than the brief answers below, but these can give you an idea of some of the topics that were discussed:
Q: What are you seeing among Chinese American residents on Staten Island?
We are seeing a growing community that remains underserved. Over the last 10 to 15 years, more Chinese American families have moved to Staten Island for greater affordability and the opportunity to buy a home. Yet many continue to rely on Sunset Park for social services.
Q: Is it true that about 25% of Sunset Park community members commute from Staten Island?
Our program experience suggests that a meaningful share of the people seeking services in Sunset Park are traveling from Staten Island, which underscores the borough’s service gap.
Q: Why are residents traveling to Brooklyn for help?
The leading reason is language access. Residents need trusted help in Mandarin or Cantonese to understand and navigate complex systems. Cultural sensitivity also matters.
Q: What services are most needed?
The greatest needs include housing assistance, immigration legal services, public benefits, healthcare navigation, and education and language support.
Housing questions range from NYCHA and other subsidized affordable housing to senior housing. Benefits needs include SNAP. Healthcare needs often involve Medicaid and Medicare navigation. Immigration matters include naturalization, green card renewals and clear information about public-charge rules.
Q: Aren’t services already available on Staten Island?
There are strong community institutions on Staten Island, but very few organizations provide a broad range of benefits, recreation and older-adult services specifically with Chinese-language capacity. Social adult day programs exist, but they are not the same as Department for the Aging-aligned older adult centers. The gap is not a lack of goodwill; it is a lack of sustained, specialized capacity.
Q: What is CPC doing now on Staten Island?
CPC is partnering with established local organizations to extend Chinese-language support like The Jewish Community Center of Staten Island and La Colmena. CPC services are available two days per week at the JCC and one day per week at La Colmena, with Mandarin- and Cantonese-speaking staff helping close language gaps.
Q: What city support has CPC received?
City support has helped CPC begin expanding benefits, language access and immigration legal services on Staten Island. For Fiscal Year 2026, CPC received $50,000 in City Council funding for benefits and language-support services through June 30, 2026.
Q: Why does CPC need a dedicated community center?
A permanent center would give residents a visible, trusted and accessible place to seek help without leaving the borough. Signage and a consistent storefront presence matter: residents should know where to go and be able to build relationships with staff. A center would allow CPC to expand Chinese-language benefits support, immigration services, healthcare and housing navigation, education, recreation and older-adult programming in one coordinated location.
Q: Why should the city fund this?
The city has a responsibility to ensure that growing communities can access essential services regardless of language or borough. Staten Island’s Chinese American community is contributing to the borough and becoming an increasingly important civic constituency, but public investment has not matched its growth.
Q: Is CPC only for Chinese residents?
No. CPC is a service and advocacy organization open to all communities. It has deep expertise serving Chinese-speaking residents, and that capacity fills a specific unmet need on Staten Island. CPC’s goal is to help people succeed, understand the systems that affect their lives, and make their voices heard.
Q: What role does civic engagement play?
Service access and civic participation reinforce each other. As Staten Island’s Chinese-speaking community grows, residents need reliable, accessible information about voting and government affairs. There has been progress in Asian American representation and through redistricting, but more voter education and public investment are needed so the community’s priorities are understood and addressed.
The report described below can be found here in English: CPC Memories and Movement, and here in Chinese: CPC Memories and Movement Report [CN].
New report: NYC’s Chinese-American Voting Bloc is Split Along Generational Lines
New York, NY — The Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) and Strength in Numbers Consulting Group (SiNCG) released a new report titled “Memories and Movement: Intergenerational Study of Political Attitudes within New York City’s Chinese American Communities” that finds Chinese American voters are forming their political views inside two largely separate information ecosystems split along generational lines.
AAPI voters are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. electorate, and campaigns and policymakers repeatedly fail to reach Chinese American voters by underestimating the size and diversity of the bloc.
New feedback from Chinese American voices illustrate that using a single message, in one language and on one platform, are missing a significant portion of the community.
“Chinese American families are sitting at the same dinner table but getting different versions of American politics depending on the source. The Chinese-American Planning Council has served this community for over 60 years, and we know that meeting people where they are means engaging every generation, in every language, on every platform,” said Wayne Ho, President & CEO of the Chinese-American Planning Council.
The full report is available upon request.
Media Consumption Trends: Older Chinese Americans rely primarily on WeChat, Chinese-language newspapers, and Chinese video platforms for political news, but feel limited due to the number of sources accessible in their primary languages. Younger Chinese Americans consume political information through Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit.
Immigration: Many participants believed that immigration enforcement disproportionately targeted Latino community, creating a perception among some that the threat was distant. However, real examples of Asian communities being targeted by immigration enforcement caused controversy. Older participants argued that individuals who follow the law should not fear arrest, while youth participants challenged this view by citing examples of wrongful detention and racial profiling.
U.S. Foreign Policy: Both generations expressed skepticism of U.S. military intervention abroad and rejected the idea of the United States acting as the “world police.” But the framings differ sharply: older adults articulated concerns through the language of risk and instability, while younger participants framed their views through human rights and moral accountability. For many youth respondents, the Israel-Palestine conflict has become a defining political moment.
Civic participation: The report documents how personal encounters with public safety incidents are shaping how younger Chinese Americans think about politics and civic life. Participants described witnessing violence as epidemic of larger political issues that need to be addressed like gun access and homelessness, siting concerns for their parents. Conversely, older adults emphasized personal responsibility and moral order.
Points of Alignment: Economic anxiety tied to concerns about tariffs and trade wards were a point of agreement. Participants from both generations connected rising costs and pressures on small businesses to global trade policy. Other areas of agreement include distrust of politicians, and their feeling empowers through community-level action by volunteering.
About the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC): Founded in 1965, CPC is a social services organization that creates social change. Building on our historic legacy and ongoing dedication to the Chinese American community, CPC advances the social and economic progress of immigrant and low-income communities of New York through services, resources, and advocacy.
Banner Image: CAPC garden initiative. Image Credit – CAPC
Staten Islander News Service Staff Writer
This byline indicates that this article was penned by a member/members of the Staten Islander News Organization office team. Our staff writers are the backbone of our newspaper, performing all sorts of important tasks like conducting interviews, investigating leads, besides writing the news stories you see.