NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --The Robin Hood Relief Committee met on Friday, February 15 to review the latest round of Hurricane Sandy Relief grants. The Committee approved more than $4.9 million in grants to over 30 organizations in New York City, Long Island and New Jersey.
With this latest round of grants, Robin Hood has allocated 75% of the $67.5 million it has raised-to-date for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts; this equates to approximately $460,000 in grant-making per day since Hurricane Sandy hit the tri-state area.
"Robin Hood continues to work with all deliberate speed to make sure the money entrusted to us by generous donors gets into the communities that are working to rebuild," said David Saltzman, executive director of Robin Hood. "We initially raised and granted approximately $16 million in the 40 days between the date Sandy hit and 12-12-12 The Concert for Sandy Relief; and we expect to grant nearly all the money raised from that historic concert - over $51.5 million -- within 100 days of 12-12-12."
Below are the summaries of the grants approved by the Robin Hood Relief Committee on February 15, 2013. For a complete list of all grants made thus far, please visit www.robinhood.org/rhsandy
Housing
$3,435,000
Margert Community Corporation
New York City
$465,000
MCC plans to perform repairs and weatherization activities for at least 100 homes in the Rockaways, Broad Channel, Howard Beach and other parts of southern Queens. This grant will cover the cost of repairs not covered by state funding, additional crew members to supplement existing capacity and additional supplies such as rental vehicles and fuel.
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen
Middlesex County, NJ
$400,000
This grant will cover direct housing-related assistance for 155 households, as well as two case managers and a mental health professional to provide critically needed services to residents suffering from increased stress as a result of the storm.
Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty
New York City
$400,000
The agency has served and continues to serve individuals impacted by the storm, particularly in Far Rockaway, Belle Harbor, Coney Island, Seagate, Brighton Beach and Staten Island. This grant will provide funding for emergency repairs, mortgage/rent, appliances, furniture, utilities, and medical expenses for an additional 200 families in these communities.
Hometown Heroes
Ocean Gate, NJ
$300,000
Ocean Gate, NJ sustained severe, widespread damage from Hurricane Sandy. A recent assessment identified 350 homes that have immediate rebuilding needs such as gutting, mold remediation, flooring, and replacement of damaged furnaces and hot water heaters. Funding will be used to pay homeowner bills directly, and purchase building supplies and gift cards.
Long Beach Township Sandy Relief Fund
Ocean County, NJ
$300,000
The Long Beach Township Sandy Relief Fund was established to help moderate- to low-income year-round residents, with special consideration to seniors, medically fragile individuals and families with children in the consolidated school district. This grant will help 240 additional residents with grants of approximately $750 - $2,500.
Urban Homesteading Assistance Board
New York City
$300,000
UHAB has identified more than a dozen buildings in New York City's East Village which are home to more than 200 families that sustained significant flood damage. In most cases, these buildings need to repair or replace boilers and electrical panels, sheetrock and insulation; many also need assistance with mold remediation. Without assistance, UHAB thinks the tenants will make temporary fixes (or forego repairs altogether) and continue with only sporadic heat/hot water. This grant will help UHAB prioritize repairs and allocate funding.
Jersey Rising
Monmouth & Ocean Counties
$250,000
Jersey Rising will use this grant to provide 50 families in need with up to $5,000 to expedite their ability to make home repairs so they can move back into their houses. Payment will be made directly to vendors, and will cover items such as sheetrock, new furnaces, hot water heaters and mold/mildew remediation.
Mexican Cultural Institute of New York
New York City
$125,000
The Mexican Consulate has identified Mexican immigrant families (many of whom are undocumented) who have been greatly impacted by the storm. The vast majority of these families are located in Staten Island and Brooklyn, with others in Queens, Long Island and New Jersey. This grant will provide up to $2,500 in aid to 50 families.
Funtown Peers
Ocean County
$100,000
Sixty percent of the homes in Seaside Park, NJ suffered significant damage from the storm. As residents gradually regain access to their homes, Seaside Park is beginning to move towards recovery. Formed by community leaders, Funtown Peers is accepting applications from residents for rebuilding and housing assistance, and expects to provide support ranging from $750 - $2,500. This grant from Robin Hood will serve as seed money for Funtown Peers, enabling them to fund approximately 60 applications right away.
MercyFirst
New York City
$100,000
MercyFirst is a nonprofit that offers a continuum of care for individuals in need. Their staff serves 3,500 individuals and their families each year in New York City, as well as Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Funding will cover repairs to MercyFirst's Rockaway Park office so they can reopen; rental assistance to foster families; mental health support to children; and replacement of MercyFirst's transport van.
Shores United Relief Foundation (SURF)
Monmouth & Ocean Counties
$100,000
SURF has provided cash assistance grants to low income residents whose homes were severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy. This grant will enable SURF to help another 50 families with up to $2,000 in support, allowing them to rebuild their homes and replace damaged/destroyed appliances.
Young Israel of Wavecrest-Bayswater (National Council of Young Israel)
New York City
$100,000
To help this organization provide replacement appliances, housewares, furnishings and needed home repairs to families in the Queens neighborhoods of Far Rockaway, Bayswater, Edgemere and Averne.
Lighthouse Alliance Community Church
Ocean County, NJ
$85,000
The Lighthouse Alliance has been a major hub for Sandy-related work in the area, and since November, has sheltered and fed nearly 3,000 volunteers who have helped residents repair their homes. This grant will support continued rebuilding efforts by providing transportation to take volunteers to/from work sites, add temporary bathroom and shower facilities at Lighthouse Alliance for use by volunteers, and support the hiring of staff to match volunteers with projects.
Family Service League
Long Island
$80,000
FSL operates programs in Suffolk County that focus on behavioral health, housing and homeless intervention, family support, job development, and services for children, youth and seniors. Funding will provide direct financial assistance to approximately 200 individuals who need help to replace basic necessities destroyed by the storm, including furniture and clothing.
Breezy Point Disaster Relief Fund
New York City
$75,000
Established in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the Breezy Point Disaster Relief Fund is providing cash assistance to help families in the community make desperately needed home repairs.
Broad Channel Athletic Club
New York City
$75,000
Robin Hood's initial grant to the Broad Channel Athletic Club provided cash assistance to residents whose homes were flooded as a result of Sandy; this grant will enable BCAC to continue support to their community as they rebuild.
First Presbyterian Church of Red Bank
Monmouth County, NJ
$60,000
First Presbyterian has been involved with the relief effort since the day of the storm, and it continues to house volunteers who come to the area to help with Sandy recovery. This grant will enable First Presbyterian to make needed improvements to their building -- including the installation of showers and bunk beds for volunteers -- who are expected to be needed in the community for at least the next three years.
The Dr. Theodore A. Atlas Foundation
New York City
$25,000
This nonprofit provides financial, medical and emotional support to individuals and families in need, with an emphasis on serving at-risk children. Since Sandy, they have provided financial assistance to dozens of low-income families, and this funding will go toward the purchase of building supplies, home appliances and payment of home repairs.
My Time, Inc. (Canarsie Disaster Relief Committee)
New York City
$25,000
This grant will support the purchase and distribution of building supplies to families in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn whose homes were flooded by the storm.
Rockaway W.I.S.H.
New York City
$25,000
Rockaway W.I.S.H. organized a relief center at the Belle Harbor Yacht Club where they distributed cleaning supplies, space heaters, air mattresses, sleeping bags and other vital supplies, and they have distributed gift cards to residents of Breezy Point, Nesponit, Belle Harbor, Rockaway Park and Broad Channel to help them rebuild. This grant will support their ongoing distribution of funds to families in these communities.
Salem Church
New York City
$25,000
Located on Staten Island, Salem Church serves the communities of Tottenville, South Beach and Midland Beach. They have coordinated volunteer efforts as well as the purchase and distribution of building materials, home furnishings and provided rental/mortgage payments. This grant will enable Salem Church to continue their support of Staten Island residents by allowing them to purchase more needed building materials, appliances and other household items.
ArchCare at San Vicente de Paul Catholic Healthcare Center
New York City
$20,000
Nearly 60 residents of a home for mentally disabled individuals, seniors and veterans were evacuated to the San Vicente de Paul center in the South Bronx prior to Hurricane Sandy hitting New York. With the original residence permanently closed as a result of the storm, San Vicente needs to make improvements to their facility in order to properly outfit the center for the needs of these new residents.
Health & Mental Health
$640,000
North Shore - LIJ Health System
Long Island and New York City
$350,000
This grant will enable North Shore LIJ to continue its mobile medical outreach for another six months in the Long Beach, Broad Channel and Lindenhurst communities, where the existing medical infrastructure is still unreliable as a result of the storm. Outreach will focus on seniors and disabled patients who are struggling in the absence of their regular medical care.
Adelante of Suffolk County, Inc.
Long Island
$100,000
This grant will extend Adelante's crisis counseling and case management capabilities to Spanish-speaking residents of Suffolk County.
YES Community Counseling Center
Long Island
$75,000
YES serves the residents of southeastern Nassau County by providing school-based social work, counseling, drug/alcohol treatment and a wide variety of other services. This grant will cover additional staffing to manage the increased number of clients seeking services as a result of Sandy.
Brooklyn Chinese-American Association
New York City
$65,000
BCA has experienced overwhelming demand for mental health services from Chinese immigrants following Hurricane Sandy. Through this funding, BCA expects it will reach 250 families with additional mental health care services over the next six months.
Bank Street College of Education
New York City
$50,000
Bank Street has identified two elementary schools (PS 52 in Sheepshead Bay and PS 197 in Far Rockaway) and the Community and Family Head Start center in Far Rockaway as having a high concentration of student and staff that experienced trauma and upheaval as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Robin Hood funding will enable Bank Street to provide a six-week therapeutic classroom intervention at these three locations and conduct monthly follow-up for the remainder of the school year.
Benefits Counseling
$660,000
New York Legal Assistance Group
Long Island and New York City
$395,000
This grant will support seven full-time employees for six months who will provide desperately needed housing/disaster-related legal services to 1,200 individuals in New York City and Long Island. In addition, funds will support outreach efforts to educate immigrants on their legal rights regarding landlord/tenant issues.
Legal Services NYC
New York City
$250,000
Staten Island Legal Services is part of Legal Services NYC and provides free legal assistance to low-income Staten Island residents. This grant will support four full-time employees who will provide legal services to approximately 450 individuals on Staten Island.
Committee against Anti-Asian Violence/CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities
New York City
$15,000
Much of Chinatown was in the "Zone A" evacuation area for Hurricane Sandy, and while most of the immediate needs of power, heat and hot water have been resolved, lingering unemployment, wage theft, and the confusion around the availability of and eligibility for public benefits persist. This grant will allow CAAAV to hire a bilingual case worker to follow up with the hundreds of individuals who have contacted them since Sandy to identify unmet needs and assist with the application for public benefits.
Employment
$188,400
National Day Laborer Organizing Network
New Jersey and New York City
$180,000
Following Robin Hood's initial grant of $250,000 to NDLON -- a national network of day laborer centers with offices on New York City, New Jersey and Long Island -- Robin Hood is making additional grants to three member organizations to provide safety training, equipment and outreach to employers. These organizations include Workers Justice Project (Brooklyn & Queens), New Immigrant Community Empowerment (Queens) and Wind of the Spirit (New Jersey).
#ConeyRecovers
New York City
$8,400
Launched in the wake of Sandy, #ConeyRecovers plays a coordinating role in rebuilding the neighborhood by organizing volunteers, distributing critical supplies and advocating for the community. This grant will cover costs to employ crews from the Doe Fund to help the Coney Island Gospel Assembly manage the donation and distribution of food and household goods to residents in need.
About the Robin Hood Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund
Founded in 1988, Robin Hood is New York's largest poverty-fighting organization, and has focused on finding, funding and creating programs and schools that generate meaningful results for families in New York's poorest neighborhoods. The Robin Hood Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund has granted tens of millions of dollars to organizations throughout New York's tri-state region that help individuals and families recover from the devastating effects of the storm. In addition, Robin Hood's board of directors pays all administrative, fundraising and evaluation costs, so 100% of your donation goes directly to organizations helping victims of Hurricane Sandy rebuild their lives.
For more information or to make a contribution to Robin Hood's Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund, visit www.robinhood.org/rhsandy
Media Contact
Patty Smith/Robin Hood
212-844-3562
SOURCE Robin Hood Foundation
