Viet-AID’s Mission Statement and History

The Vietnamese American Initiative for Development (Viet-AID) was founded in 1994 by community leaders and residents who believed that a community development corporation would provide comprehensive economic development programs and services to alleviate poverty and advance civic participation in the Fields Corner Vietnamese community of Dorchester. Viet-AID’s mission is to build a strong Vietnamese community and a vibrant Fields Corner through the following measures: promoting civic engagement and community building; building affordable housing and commercial development; providing small business technical assistance and micro-enterprise development; and offering high quality child care services.

Viet-AID’s notable achievements since its inception:

• Vietnamese American Community Center: Completed construction in 2002. The 18,000 sq ft center serves as a nucleus for civic and cultural activities for community-based groups.
• Affordable Housing and Commercial Development: Developed 84 units of affordable housing and 6 commercial spaces in Fields Corner, and currently generating a robust pipeline that will revitalize the neighborhood through mixed-use development.
• Small Business Assistance Program (SBAP): Implemented a sustainable state-wide small business program that has promoted entrepreneurial growth in the Vietnamese community while strengthening existing businesses.
• Win-Win Cleaning: Partnered with the ICA Group in 2002 in establishing a commercial cleaning social venture that has provided employment and business opportunities for immigrants.
• Early Childhood Education and Care: Created both center- and home-based programs that have provided child care services to families in Dorchester.
• Family Child Care: Promoted micro-enterprise opportunities since 1997 for Dorchester residents in becoming licensed child care providers.
• First Time Home Buyer: Educated and advanced homeownership opportunities and asset building to over 400 hundred Vietnamese families.
• Safety Neighborhood Initiative: A group of 15-20 Vietnamese residents that meets monthly to address community safety issues.
• Fields Corner CONNECT: Viet-AID served as the lead agency for a neighborhood-wide collaborative effort to promote public safety and awareness.
• Tet New Year and August Moon Celebrations: Annual Vietnamese cultural celebrations at VACC attracting hundreds of residents throughout the state.
• Community Garden: Resident-driven project beautifying the parcel at the corner of Freeman and Faulkner Streets.