The foundation also confirmed there are about 3,500 Bengali-speaking community members in Bronx Community Board 7 (based mainly in Norwood, Bedford Park and Fordham), some of whom are from India, and some of whom are from Bangladesh. This does not include children, who may not necessarily speak Bengali.

 

LAAL, a nonprofit which works specifically with Bengali women in Norwood, has conducted their own data research in recent years and found that, within this community, one of the worst hit by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are approximately 132 households, comprising more than 554 individuals, with the average age being 42.2. Norwood News previously reported on LAAL’s work when it first launched in 2019.

 

According to Laal, the median annual household income in the community is $22,000 and the average number of people in a household is five. About 67.6 percent were unemployed prior to the pandemic, 13.1 percent were looking for work and 19.2 percent were employed. Those figures have likely changed dramatically in the meantime.

 

In terms of other demographics, 43.4 percent of the community immigrated to New York City from another city, whereas 56.6 percent immigrated from rural areas, an additional factor which impacts upon some members’ integration into city life. Meanwhile, the average person in the Bengali community in Norwood has lived in New York City for 9.4 years. In terms of housing, 86 percent of households rent their place of residence and 12.4 percent are home owners.

 

Having conducted subsequent research amid the pandemic, LAAL found that 78.4 percent of households did not have enough money to pay for groceries. Meanwhile, 32.7 percent did not receive any EBT (food stamps or pandemic related aid). In terms of income loss, 79.3 percent faced job loss or reduced income due to COVID-19, and 40.3 percent did not receive any unemployment benefits.

 

In response to the pandemic, Laal initiated the COVID-19 Relief Fund fundraising campaign in partnership with The Zakat Fund of NYC, which was established in 2016 to collect and distribute “Zakat,” or almsgiving in New York City.

 

To distribute the assistance equitably, Laal created a formula to calculate relief amounts, by measuring household size, immigration status, SNAP benefits recipients, and health impact due to COVID-19. Using this formula, the group distributed cash aid amounts ranging from $400-$1000. Through the relief fund, the group distributed groceries and cash aid to over 54 families.

 

Laal also received a $10,000 NYC Impact Grant to support an additional 30 families with assistance. The nonprofit directed all cash aid into the names of the women in the community, ensuring that households were made aware of which family member was responsible for bringing in the income.

Meanwhile, The New York Times recently reported that vaccination rates within the Asian-American community exceed those in the general population. However, because of the diversity within the Asian-American community, some communities have fared better than others. Howard Shih from the Asian-American Foundation told the Norwood News that language barriers impacted significantly on the pace at which some Asian-American communities, such as the Bengali community, got vaccinated.

 

“One thing that we’re always cognizant of is ensuring that, for example, seniors who have a difficult time with language, and also with technology, actually are able to sign up for vaccines,” he said. He added that the Bengali community was hit badly by the pandemic since many were employed in industry sectors like hospitality and retail which didn’t allow them to work from home. Compared to other Asian-American communities, Bengalis also have one of the highest rates of poverty in New York City.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.