Gov. announces storm relief fund for undocumented New Yorkers

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a joint state and city fund made for undocumented New Yorkers impacted by Hurricane Ida but unable to access federal funds because of their immigration status.  Photo via Queens Borough President Donovan Richards/Twitter

By Jacob Kaye

Governor Kathy Hochul made yet another trip to Queens on Monday to announce a state and city backed relief fund for undocumented New Yorkers impacted by Hurricane Ida earlier this month.

The state and city will provide $27 million through a joint fund – which Hochul said was in and of itself newsworthy – to undocumented New York residents who were locked out of federal relief funding because they don’t have a social security number. The bulk of the money – $20 million – will come from the state, while the remaining $7 million will be provided by the city.

Applications for the program, which is open to residents in Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Nassau County, Staten Island, Suffolk County, Westchester and Rockland County. opened on Monday.

Queens suffered the highest death toll in the storm, losing a dozen people, many of whom lived in basement apartments.

Making the announcement from the Queens Museum – which marked the first time a governor had set foot in the cultural institution – Hochul was joined by a score of Queens leaders including Rep. Grace Meng, Borough President Donovan Richards, State Senator Jessica Ramos, Assemblymembers Catalina Cruz and Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas and District Attorney Melinda Katz.

“This is a day that demonstrates one thing: that every New Yorker matters,” Hochul said. “We had a responsibility to these people, we could not walk away, you could not see this and turn your eyes away and not say, ‘I have to do something about this.’”

The funding will be distributed through nonprofit organizations who stem from the communities designated for relief. In Queens, the funds will be distributed through the MinKwon Center for Community Action and Make the Road New York.

"The flooding from Ida devastated our communities, causing enormous damage to the homes of many of the most vulnerable New Yorkers,” said Theo Oshiro, the co-executive director of Make the Road. “Through this fund, neighbors and loved ones in dire need of relief will be able to begin repairing their homes and move forward with their lives."

John Park, the executive director of the MinKwon Center, said that often times, many of those living in basement apartments are undocumented immigrants.

“With federal policy barring undocumented households including DREAMers from receiving direct FEMA disaster relief funds, we are thankful for Governor Hochul and Mayor de Blasio's announcement of this needed resource and showing that our neighbors, regardless of immigration status, should not be cruelly denied storm disaster or pandemic relief aid, but treated as the valuable human beings we all are,” Park said.

Meng homed in on the inequity undocumented immigrants face in their relationship with the government.

“For too long immigrants have gotten the short end of the stick – when we are asking for money, when we are demanding taxes from our immigrants, we make no distinction and don't ask for any unnecessary paperwork, and documentation,” she said. “But when it comes time to help people, to lead with compassion, that's when we start being sticklers and the government asks for proper documentation.”

The funds are expected to be distributed to around 600 families, according to the governor.

Undocumented New Yorkers could be eligible for up to $72,000 in funds – $36,000 is the maximum amount for housing assistance, as well as the maximum for other needs.

Eligible New Yorkers can call 1-800-566-7636, from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, for assistance.