My name is Hien Vu, the President of the Vietnamese-American Community Service Center(VACSC). Thank you for an opportunity to speak on many issues that are of great concern to the DC public in general, and those of the Vietnamese Americans populations who seek assistance from our organization. It is quite significant that you take the time to listen to our concerns and it is my hope that some meaningful dialogue is started on these issues.

I speak today, representing VACSC, the Vietnamese American Community Service Center. Our organization provides assistance to the Vietnamese adults, children and families who live in the District of Columbia. We provide after-school program, recreational activities, tutoring, physical activities, psychological support, and translation services. Information and communication, especially in the native language of the groups being served are key to bridging the cultural dividers that exist in DC.

The Vietnamese community as well as other members of your constituency have told me that their main concerns are for their well-being, family counseling, safety of their children, child care, and a decent livable, affordable housing. These concerns are voiced by lower income at-risk families and others concerned about safety and well-being of our youth.

Our youth, and especially the youth that I serve, are at-risk. They are at-risk at becoming victims of violent crime, at-risk at perpetrating violence, at-risk of dropping out of school, at risk of becoming involved in drug usage and at risk at becoming gang members.

Statistics on victims of violent crime show that juveniles between the ages of 12 and 17 are more likely to encounter violence than any other age group except young adults age 18-24. Youth victimization is not only threatening to the victim but also to society in general for another reason: The experience of being victimized by crime has been found to increase certain people's inclination for perpetrating violence, juvenile crime, adult criminality, and adult violence toward family members. Reducing victimization of youth can therefore also reduce youth violence. (The web page I obtained this useful information is http://www.apa.org/pi/pii/isyouthviolence.html#Some)

Our youth are not only at risk at becoming the victims of crime but also of becoming the perpetrators of crime. They often lack after-school activities, therefore easily become members of gangs and involve in criminal activity. Additionally, they are at risk of dropping out of school, and we all know how dropping out of school predisposes youth to a lifetime of poverty and involvement in criminal behavior.

Our organization as well as others seeks the cooperation and support of government in providing these youth with alternatives to vagrancy and gang membership. Additionally, with your assistance and support, we can reduce the rate of school dropout.

Another great need of our community is that of Vietnamese speaking police officers. We have a need of Vietnamese Police Officer who would provide a positive role model, a person to whom Asian specially Vietnamese residents could readily associate and foster a community feeling that the police relates to and understands better the needs of their lives, and businesses, as well as have a sense of pride and greater sense of safety. This is especially true since many in our community are refugees and immigrants who have difficulties communicating in English, as well have some fear of the police who was not as kind and understanding in the countries where they come from. We again request that a Vietnamese police officer to be assigned to third and fourth districts. Of course, any increase in police presence helps us in addressing our safety concerns.

Another very important issue is the Affordable and Livable Housing. Many of the members of the community of which I serve are experiencing problems in dealing with Landlords who refuse to maintain or fix anything within the rented properties. This problem is greatly exacerbated now by the rent increases of more than ten percent that Landlords have been placing upon the shoulders of those who are unable to afford these increases. The consequence is that these individuals, who have been uprooted from their countries because of war and other intolerable conditions are now being displaced, some are forced to move out of the District where they consider as their home. These problems must be addressed through greater enforcement of the laws requiring Landlords to make their rental properties habitable, and putting teeth into its enforcement, providing creative means of rent control and increasing available affordable housing.

In closing, I once again thank you for let me voice the concerns that have been raised by the communities that I serve. I ask you to take action in providing safety through police presence, the appointment of Vietnamese Police Officers in the third and fourth Districts, aggressively enforcing laws requiring landlords to provide habitable housing, enforcing rent control and offering more affordable housing to those that are affected by outrageous rent increase. Thank You.

My name is Hang Huynh. I am in the 7th grade and am currently attending Francis Middle school. I have come to speak for the Vietnamese-American Community Service Center's youth group. I would like to comment the VACSC for their work in the community. Since their establishment, the VACSC has given the neighborhood youth a guaranteed safe place where we received help with our homework and improve our academics. As you may know, there is a great illegal drug presence in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, as well as increasing gang activity. Walking past the scene of drug activity has become part of our daily lives. However, going to the VACSC has helped us to stay off the streets and become less susceptible to illigal drug usage. This is very important being that most of us come from families where both parents must work to make ends meet. The VACSC gives the youth members a place where we can grow psychologically, mentally, and physically. Through the program at the VACSC, many of the youth, including myself, have been able to take advantage of such activities, that we otherwise would not be able to, such as piano class, private tutoring, and physical fitness.

I have come to ask for your assistance in helping the VACSC. Additional funding will allow this great program to provide even more assistance and give the youth of DC even more opportunities so that we can be matured into upstanding citizens. Without adequate financial means, the youth program may not be able to function at its full potential. This would be a huge loss to the community. Please support the VACSC so that the youth group can continue to run and enrich our lives.

My name is Hien Vu, the President of the Vietnamese-American Community Service Center, a non-profit agency located in the heart of Washington DC. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify today on the Council's rent control extension proposal and the DC Financial Authority's report on rent control and regulatory reform.

As a non-profit organization, providing services within the affected communities to your constituency members, I would like to share with you their viewpoint and concerns.

The issue of Affordable housing is one that concerns the poor, the underrepesented and those who can least afford rent increases. Those individuals are in great need of affordable, property maintained housing. Their concern and fear are that these minimal controls shall be abolished without a policy or safeguard in placefor their well-being.

The abandonment of Rent Control would be to pull a safety net out from them. Its affect would be the rent increase beyond their limited means. Presently, these individuals have been faced with a monthly rental now averaging almost to $1,200, an average increase of more than $100.00 over their normal monthly rent from $889.00 to $900.00 (tenants at 1515 Park Road NW, Washington DC 20010).

One of the arguments against Rent Control has been that the Rent Control benefits the middle income or wealthy rather than the poor. I say that if this is occuring, the reason is the failure to enforce the Rent Control Abuse. The answer should be tougher enforcement and sanctions against those who abuse Rent Control rules, as well as tougher enforcement and sanctions against those Landlords who fail to maintain their premises, as well as positive non-penal incentives such as subsidies and tax incentives.

Thank you for the opportunity to express my views and the views of a great many members of the community that our non-profit agency serves.

I also would like the Council and the DRCA to read one article that was published in June 17, 2002 at the Common Denominator which I have attached for your information. www.thecommondenominator.com/061702_news1.html.

Thanks to all those who support the VACSC

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