VTMBH Article: Body
In the initial stages of the September 11th Fund, we approved tragedy assistance based on more lenient evidence, such as a photograph taken from the lobby of the World Trade Center, said Bea Hanson, a vice president at Safe Horizon, one of the three major charity groups which took part in the September 11th disaster relief, but in the past few months, we have worked very closely with prosecutors in numerous fraud cases.
The September 11th Fund has given away $190 million in disaster assistance. The three major community charity groups, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and Safe Horizon aided not only those who were directly affected by the Twin Towers, but also those living and working in the area south of Canal Street. If you can prove that you have been affected by the 911 tragedy, and it was related to the terrorist activity and not recession, you have met the criteria for monetary assistance, Hanson said.
However, it is difficult to meet the above criteria, since the collapsed Twin Towers contained a large amount of human resources information that is now lost. In addition, many employees who worked in the qualified Chinatown area, south of Canal Street, did not receive compensation in bank checks. Instead, compensation has been recorded in journals not easily understood by accountants.
According to Safe Horizon representatives, all applicants for assistance must be able to present evidence that the September 11th tragedy affected their income and caused financial difficulty related to housing costs and daily expenses. They must be able to provide personal information and proof of income. Because many Chinese-American workers do not possess such formal employment records, handwritten personal income records and factory owners letters are considered valid evidence.
Relatively speaking, the Salvation Armys assistance is seen as more lenient. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) requires not only proof of permanent residency, but also has stricter rules.
Safe Horizon has set up a 24-hour-hotline for September 11th victims, (866) 689-4357, which provides foreign language translation, including Chinese, for all those with questions related to assistance applications. All should make good use of this service.
The September 11th Fund has given away $190 million in disaster assistance. The three major community charity groups, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and Safe Horizon aided not only those who were directly affected by the Twin Towers, but also those living and working in the area south of Canal Street. If you can prove that you have been affected by the 911 tragedy, and it was related to the terrorist activity and not recession, you have met the criteria for monetary assistance, Hanson said.
However, it is difficult to meet the above criteria, since the collapsed Twin Towers contained a large amount of human resources information that is now lost. In addition, many employees who worked in the qualified Chinatown area, south of Canal Street, did not receive compensation in bank checks. Instead, compensation has been recorded in journals not easily understood by accountants.
According to Safe Horizon representatives, all applicants for assistance must be able to present evidence that the September 11th tragedy affected their income and caused financial difficulty related to housing costs and daily expenses. They must be able to provide personal information and proof of income. Because many Chinese-American workers do not possess such formal employment records, handwritten personal income records and factory owners letters are considered valid evidence.
Relatively speaking, the Salvation Armys assistance is seen as more lenient. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) requires not only proof of permanent residency, but also has stricter rules.
Safe Horizon has set up a 24-hour-hotline for September 11th victims, (866) 689-4357, which provides foreign language translation, including Chinese, for all those with questions related to assistance applications. All should make good use of this service.