We at UNHP also mourn the loss of life from the terrible tragedy which took place on September 11. If you would like to make a contribution to the relief effort, please visit the United Way's September 11 Fund or the New York Women's Foundation Disaster Relief Fund. However, funds going to other charities and nonprofits not directly involved with the September 11 efforts have been in sharp decline. Please try to remember these other groups during this holiday season of giving as well.Neighborhood Housing Services of the South Bronx held a housing workshop on Thursday, November 8 for those affected by the attack. Those who have lost jobs or family members may be eligible for some type of housing assistance. Representatives from FEMA, HUD and the Bronx Borough President’s Office were at the workshop. For more information, contact Juan Santana at (718) 992-5979.The following are a list of resources for both individuals and organizations seeking assistance.
Resources and Information for Individuals and Families:
Resources for individuals and families
For information on air quality monitoring efforts visit the New York City Department of Health Web site at www.nyc.gov/health, or the Web site of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at www.epa.gov.
Health Law Unit
The Legal Aid Society Temporary Offices:
166 Montague Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Hotline: (718) 422-2777
Fax: (718) 722-3094
Elisabeth Benjamin, Direct dial: 718-722-2778
Medicaid and Child Health Plus
Medicaid Recerification on Hold. There is no Medicaid recertification for the next four months. All Medicaid recipients who were to recertify for Medicaid between September 11-December 31, 2001 will be automatically recertified for another year.
Disaster Medicaid Program Established. The State Department of Health and the New York City Medicaid program are in the process of establishing a "Disaster Medicaid" program. This program will provide regular (fee-for-services) Disaster Medicaid for a period of four months.
Disaster Medicaid will be available from Monday, September 24, 2001, through January 2002. Recipients will receive four months of coverage from their date of application.Applications:
Recipients
Mandatory Medicaid Managed Care Enrollment Suspended. The State and City will not send out any mandatory Medicaid Managed Care mailings for the next 4 months.
Public Benefits Disruptions/Changes Update on Child Health Plus
The Governor's office has announced steps taken by the State and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure delivery of health care services following the tragedy. The State will:
Emergency Phone Number for Medicare, Medicaid and Child Health Plus beneficiaries whose normal medical needs have been interrupted by the tragedy: 1-800-331-7767. This hotline is available 24 hours and interpreter service is available.
Food Stamps and EBTFor current participants:
New applicants for FS who are directly or indirectly victims of the disaster will see a loosening of various eligibility requirements. A special site for these applicants has been set up at Pier 94 (at 57th street) and at 180 Water Street.
Food Stamps for victims of the disaster: According to OTDA, there are between 8-10,000 FS households in Manhattan below 14th street. HRA is allowing verbal reports, including by telephone, to report loss of food. To apply for FS call 1-877-472-8411 (service available in English and Spanish). For service in Russian, Vietnamese and Chinese, call 718-557-1015.Disaster Food Stamp Benefit Program (DFSBP) (for households not currently receiving FS): The DFSBP provides food stamp benefits to households in the five boroughs that suffered a loss or inaccessibility of income or resources directly attributable to the disaster. To be eligible, applicants must be New York residents and, regardless of immigration status, have had one of the following:
For households that lose members due to the disaster, HRA is authorized to use pre-disaster household numbers until November 30th. For households that gain members as a result, HRA is authorized (through November) to provide a standard amount - $102- for each person added to a household. There is no income, resource test, nor immigrant verification requirement.
Households are eligible to receive a full replacement of their benefit allotment for the month of September and can apply in any HRA office, rather than by having to file a written report.
Applications for DFSBP will be accepted at New York City's Family Assistance Center at the Twin Towers Service Center, 180 Water Street. There is also an information line at 1-877-472-8411.
The state will not impose sanctions for welfare case infractions (missed appointments, etc.) that occurred between September 11th and September 18th.
Electronic Benefit Transfer----Due to extensive phone line damage, some stores have been unable to process Electronic Benefit Transfer card. Most problems have been solved, but if anyone still experiencing problems should call (888) 328-8811.
New York Legal Assistance Group 212-750-0800 can assist individuals who need to access benefits. For Spanish-speakers contact ext. 129
Legal Advocacy Resources: As of 9/18/01, all legal service providers were open for business as usual except for Legal Aid Society - The 90 Church Street building of the Legal Aid Society is closed. The folk from the Civil Division have temporarily relocated to the Brooklyn Office at 166 Montague Street. The phone number to reach them is (718) 722-3100 and the fax number is (718) 722-3093 and the fax number for Jiggetts only is (718) 722-3094.
For resources and help in coping with this tragedy, and helping your children cope, visit Nation Association of School Psychologist's page here.
Jewish Board of Family & Children's Services has established six drop in centers in the five boroughs. Centers allow people to discuss the current crisis with mental health professionals in groups or on individual basis. Centers are open from 10AM to 7PM. No cost, call (212) 397-4250
JBFCS Drop in Support Sites:
Trauma Counseling Resource in New Jersey---Associated Treatment Providers of New Jersey, Inc. is serving as a clearinghouse and referral service for those in need of trauma counseling. ATP can be reached at ATPNJ@ureach.com or by phone (877) 703-3774.
Emergency Clearinghouse for Temporary Jobs. The Consortium for Worker Education and the NYC Central Labor Council AFL-CIO has established an emergency program to provide temporary employment for workers who lost their jobs as a result of the WTC disaster. Employers will be asked to provide temporary employment, for 90 days or more, under existing wage structure or through contributions to develop employment opportunities. Employer hotline: 212-558-2250 Job Seeker hotline: 212-558-2261
INS Statement: Undocumented families and disaster relief can be found at: http://www.ins.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/newsrels/NYCterrorist.htm
Text is as follows: September 21, 2001
Statement by INS Commissioner James Ziglar
WASHINGTON, D.C.Today, Immigration and Naturalization Service Commissioner James Ziglar released the following statement encouraging
undocumented aliens who may have lost friends or family in the New York City terrorist attack to contact local authorities without fear of INS attempting to acquire or use that information for immigration purposes:"All of us in the INS family have been deeply shocked and saddened by the terrible loss of life and destruction in New York. We are committed to supporting the rescue and recovery efforts taking place at the World Trade Center. We have heard disturbing reports that some people whose loved ones are missing have not come forward because of immigration issues. We cannot let that happen. It is crucial that local authorities get the help they need in identifying victims and the missing. I want to personally urge the immigrant community to come forward, and assure everyone that INS will not seek immigration status information provided to local authorities in the rescue and recovery efforts."
Resources for nonprofit organizations
The September 11th Fund Notice of Emergency Funding Availability
In response to the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, DC as well as the crash of Flight #93 in Pennsylvania, the United Way and The New York Community Trust have established The September 11th Fund. Contributions to the fund will be used to help respond to the immediate and longer-term needs of victims, their families and communities affected by the events of September 11.The September 11th Fund is currently accepting proposals for grants to support activities during the first days and weeks of the disaster to address immediate needs. Once the governance and administrative infrastructures for the September 11th Fund are established, they will be seeking proposals to address short, immediate and longer-term needs. The funds disbursed by this announcement are for immediate emergency needs associated with the events of September 11. These funds should cover those activities that cannot be reimbursed by public agencies.
The Notice of Emergency Funding Availability and Proposal requirements is available (downloadable) at www.september11fund.org under the Emergency and Assistance contacts tab.
New York Community Trust
212-686-0010 x559
fax: 212-532-8528
wws@nyct-cfi.org
The Fund is striving to ensure as quick a response to your proposal
as possible and you will hear from them within one week of your submission.
Seedco is prepared to offer zero interest loans of up to $500,000 to organizations that qualify for tax exemption under Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code and have been displaced or otherwise directly affected by the World Trade Center disaster. Additional eligibility criteria for borrowers include location within the five boroughs of New York and other affected communities and a demonstration of losses from the disruption of operations due to the disaster. Examples of losses include: (1) the destruction or inability to access physical assets or software necessary to conduct operations; (2) delayed receipt of funds from government or other contracts for the delivery of services that result in the inability to meet payroll or other current expenses; (3) the inability to
conduct fund generating activities (such as artistic performances) that are central to the borrower's mission; and (4) delays in scheduled fund development activities that enable the organization to finance ordinary course operations. For more information, please call Catherine Gill at (212) 473-0255, ext. 301 or Peter Oliver at (212) 473-0255, ext. 345.
The New York Women's Foundation Starts Disaster Relief Fund
Contact: Miriam Buhl, Executive Director 212.226.2220 x13
The New York Women's Foundation, the only public U.S. foundation dedicated solely to low-income women and girls in New York City, has set up a special disaster relief fund for nonprofits helping low-income women and girls directly affected by the terrorist attack on September 11th.Many of the low-wage workers in the World Trade Center will suffer financial loss of a job or were uninsured, others are missing family members or parents who may have been breadwinners, and several nonprofits serving the Arab-American girls and women are the targets of bias. The Foundation will make these resources available on a discretionary and continuing basis as funds become available; the NYWF Board is underwriting the administration costs so that every dollar donated will go directly to help.
For information about applying for funds, please contact Rini Banerjee at 212.226.2220 x12 (rbanerjee@nywf.org). If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please send your check made out to
The New York Women's Foundation (memo: Disaster Relief)
120 Wooster St.
New York, NY 10012.Contributions may also be made by credit card; please contact Cynthia Ries at 212.226.2220 x17 (cries@nywf.org), Deana Hare at x16 (dhare@nywf.org), or Johanna Markson at x11 (jmarkson@nywf.org). For more information about The New York Women's Foundation, please visit our web site at www.nywf.org or contact the Foundation office at 212.226.2220 x15.
The Salvation Army has a large surplus of food, clothing and toys donated in response to the September 11 tragedy. It is being housed at the Bayonne Military Ocean terminal in New Jersey and must be moved out within the next 3 weeks (more quickly for the food).
If your organization has need for any of these supplies, please read the instructions below. You will need to pick up the supplies yourself. Please Fax a wish list of supplies on letterhead to the number below and include the following information:
Fax to Randy Widrick, District Relief Project Manager at 201.243.9054 or call 201.243.9132 if you have any questions.
Technology and Communications Assistance
NPower NY is offering a variety of technology assistance services to:
There are three ways non-profit organizations who need disaster-related technology help can get in touch:
Organizations that need assistance will have to complete a brief intake form so their technology needs can be promptly matched with available resources. Some examples of technology services that are available include cleaning dusty equipment, securing donated hardware and software to replace damaged equipment or for displaced organizations, free Internet access and email accounts, data recovery and backup, and donated web services.
Additional information on "How to Recover Technologically" is available
http://www.npowerny.org/index_re.html.NPower NY
257 Park Avenue South, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10010
(212) 677-9622
(212) 677-9248 fax
september11@npowerny.org
http://www.npowerny.org
Greenwich Technology Partners is offering data center space, facilities and engineering assistance to companies affected by the New York attacks. Areas of assistance include:
Firms seeking our support should contact Marc Fischer, Manager, Affiliates, at 914-289-8287 or mfischer@greenwichtech.com.
Videoconferencing vendor PictureTel is donating use of its videoconferencing facilities around the world for those affected to communicate with family members or as an aid in the business crisis planning process. The company also is asking business partners and customers to contribute to a central reference site where individuals, organizations, and businesses can find information about locations where they can use existing videoconferencing rooms. The lists of sites is posted at PictureTel's site http://www.picturetel.com under the tab "Video Relief."
The company also will lend videoconferencing equipment, including technical support, to emergency management organizations, hospitals, and humanitarian relief groups to support telemedicine and relief coordination.
The Fund for the City of New York is making their consulting services available free of charge to any nonprofit organization in need of disaster-related technology assistance. This can include the development of emergency websites, relocation assistance, or any technology needs. To request this assistance, please contact either Alicia Altmueller at 212.925.6705, email: aaltmueller@fcny.org or Joshua Peskay at 917.747.1154, email: jpeskay@fcny.org
Other Organizational Support
The Nonprofit Coordinating Committee has set up a web site for nonprofits to list services (office space, equipment, etc.) they can make available for their colleagues based downtown; stranded groups can also list their own needs there. Information, including a brief description of the item(s) and contact names and numbers, should be e-mailed to ers@npccny.org. Visit http://www.npccny.org/disaster.htm or call (212) 502-4191, x21.Pro Bono Public Relations Support Available to Organizations Affected by Terrorist Attack
Sommerfield Communications, Inc., a New York City public relations firm, is available to provide, on a limited basis, pro bono communications support and counsel to non-profit organizations and small- to medium-size businesses affected by the terrorist attack."There are organizations and companies displaced by, helping in the recovery from and otherwise affected by the attack that need to communicate mission-critical information to customers, employees, shareholders, community members and other constituents," said Frank Sommerfield, president of Sommerfield Communications, Inc. "On a limited basis, we are available to assist selected New York-based organizations with written communication, press release distribution and media relations, for no fee."
Organizations with extraordinary, WTC-crisis related communications needs and limited resources should be directed to Elizabeth Case, senior account executive, Sommerfield Communications, at 212-255-8386 or elizabeth@sommerfield.com.
The Community Service Society of New York CSS Public Benefits Resource Center Training-Disaster Assistance Programs
As a result of the recent attack on the World Trade Center, many
changes have been implemented in the government benefit system and additional disaster assistance programs are now available. While programs have readily responded to the need of those affected by the disaster, such swift action comes with some confusion on the availability of assistance. In response to the need for information, PBRC has compiled necessary material. PBRC will be providing trainings free for those interested in learning about these benefits. These training will include the response of the government benefit system such as changes in:
for those affected by the disaster. Information on disaster benefits such as Family Assistance Centers, FEMA, Small Business Association grants and loans, Crime Victims Board, Re-Employment Services, and Tax assistance.
Although these trainings are free, to assure space for all interested
parties, we ask that you register in advance.Workshop #3 Tuesday, October 16th from 2 - 4:30 p.m.
Workshop #4 Wednesday, October 17th from 2 - 4:30 p.m.
Workshop #5 Friday, October 19th from 2 - 4:30 p.m.
All training will be held at:
The Community Service Society of New York
105 East 22nd Street
New York, N.Y. 10010
conference room 4A
Please fax or email the registration form to: 212-614-9441 or email
at mmolina@cssny.org If you have any questions please contact Migdalia Molina at: 212-614-5497
Lawyers Alliance for New York is prepared to meet the legal needs of nonprofit groups that are responding to the attack on the World Trade Center. Organizations that are collecting funds for disaster relief, providing adult or youth grief counseling and education programs, offering job placement activities for workers formerly employed at affected sites, or otherwise responding to the tragedy should contact us for information and assistance regarding any legal questions arising from their efforts.Please contact:
Lori Moses
Lawyers Alliance for New York
330 Seventh Avenue, 19th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10001
(212) 219-1800, ext. 223
lmoses@lany.org
Healing Works, a non-profit dedicated to providing holistic healthcare and education to people in need, has free stress relief and bereavement counseling services available for staff from social service agencies and other non-profit groups in NYC. Through our Care to the Caregivers Program, Healing Works offers day-long wellness retreats here at our Wellness Center on 28th St. in Manhattan. We also are able to arrange special workshops at your agency's site(s). We are also holding a special day-long retreat of healing and remembrance for staff dealing with the crisis produced by the World Trade Center bombings.
Free support group for professional caregivers dealing with the crisis (i.e. social workers, nurses, doctors, firefighters, police, rescue workers, staff of social service agencies) every Wednesday night, 7-9:30 pm. At Healing Works, 244 5th Avenue, 6th Floor. Call 212-696-9144 for details.
Free bereavement group for individuals who have lost family or friends in the disaster. Starting Friday, October 19th, 3-4:30pm. The group will run for 10 weeks. Call 212-696-9144 for details. Call Ann Paiva (212)696-9144 for information.
Organizations (only) who need additional information on public benefits services that have been impacted by the World trade Center disaster can contact Rebecca Scharf or Marc Cohan of the Welfare Law Center at 212-633-6967.
September 11 Resources and Donations
