News Releases Archive

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
John Scibilia, 917-566-3903 john@ldrny.org
Wendy Healy, 203-744-6367 wendy@ldrny.org

“WE CAN’T DO IT ALONE”

FEMA CLOSING DOOR ON THOUSANDS OF 9/11 JOB LOSS VICTIMS; INTERFAITH DISASTER RESPONSE LEADERS URGE GOV. PATAKI TO LEAD PUSH FOR EXTENSION AND EXPANSION OF FEMA EVICTION PREVENTION PROGRAM

WHAT: A delegation from the NYC Interfaith Disaster Relief Community (including Lutheran Disaster Response of New York, United Methodist Committee on Relief, NYC 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable, Islamic Circle of North America, Jewish Committee Relations New York Board of Rabbis) will hold a press conference to urge Gov. Pataki to champion the extension and expansion of FEMA’s Mortgage and Rental Assistance (MRA) program to ensure that workers at risk of eviction, who lost their jobs due to the September 11th attacks, will receive the aid they need.

WHEN: Friday, January 31, 2003, 10 a.m.

WHERE: In front of Gov. George Pataki’s New York City Office
633 3rd Ave. (between 40th and 41st streets)

WHO: Dr. John J. Scibilia, Lutheran Disaster Response of New York
Ramon Nieves, United Methodist Committee on Relief
Adam Carroll, Islamic Circle of North America
A representative from Asociacion Tepeyac de NY
A representative from the Jewish Committee Relations, New York Board of Rabbis
And representatives from more than 20 disaster relief and religious agencies from New York, Long Island and New Jersey

WHY: FEMA’s Mortgage and Rental Assistance program is the main government program designed to prevent victims of national disasters from losing their homes or apartments. Tens of thousands of New York workers who lost their jobs due to the 9/11 attacks have been prevented from applying for this assistance due to arbitrary geographic restrictions imposed on the program by FEMA and the poor job the agency has done in letting victims know of the program’s existence. With the MRA program’s registration deadline only 5 days away, and tens of thousands of New York workers unemployed due to 9/11 threatened by eviction and mortgage foreclosure, legislators, community, religious, and labor leaders, and victims affected by the disaster will urge the extension and expansion of the FEMA program before the January 31, 2003 deadline.