January 29, 2013
By Manny Castro
As our community is still struggling because of immigration status restrictions on disaster relief benefits, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) continues to call on the Mayor and Governor to make more relief assistance available to all New Yorkers.
Our colleagues at the New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS) are working hard through their Unmet Needs Roundtable to make funds available to support immigrants who do not qualify because of these restrictions. In addition, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) has taken some steps to assist organizations working with immigrants. But more needs to be done. We will keep you posted on future developments.
New York Governor Mario Cuomo announced that FEMA has also given New York a 30-day extension for applying for individual assistance. In addition, FEMA has extended access to its Transitional Sheltering Assistance program, by 14 days. That will allow New Yorkers to stay in hotels through February 9 (check-out is Sunday, February 10th) if their homes were damaged by the storm. DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR FEMA BENEFITS HAS BEEN EXTENDED: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27th, 2013.
If you have any questions, requests, or concerns please reach out to Manny Castro at mcastronyc1@gmail.com or (212) 627-2227 x 246.
