Queens joins call to renew Excluded Workers Fund

Queens elected officials are urging the state to replenish and reopen the tapped out Excluded Workers Fund.

Photo courtesy of Excluded Workers Fund coalition

By Rachel Vick

Queens elected officials and advocates are renewing the call for Gov. Kathy Hochul to replenish the Excluded Workers Fund after the state’s announcement that aid has run dry.

Borough President Donovan Richards sent a letter to Hochul earlier this week to request an additional $3 billion for the fund, reinforcing calls from other leaders in the borough.

Applications for the fund closed on Oct. 8, after many applicants were left with long waits for approval and the $2 billion was quickly claimed — leaving many of the workers who were unable to access aid earlier without reprieve.

“No borough has benefited more from it than Queens —the epicenter of the epicenter of the pandemic and home to our state’s largest community of excluded workers,” Richards wrote. “But there is no doubt that our excluded workers still face severe economic hardship.”

He noted the “pressing need” for financial assistance that remains in the borough, apparent through observations at career fairs and the number of calls his office continues to receive regarding the fund.

“Even more [residents than those awarded EWF money] have found themselves locked out of the financial assistance they deserve, leaving them without a lifeline in these difficult times,” Richards added. “To ensure they are no longer left behind, the Excluded Workers Fund must immediately be replenished and reopened. There is no time to waste.”

State Sen. Jessica Ramos is joining forces with affected workers and groups including Make the Road NY and Desis Rising Up and Moving on Friday for a march on the governor’s offices; a step being taken after extensive efforts asking for additional funding.

At an October action, advocates pointed out that applications continued coming in even when the state stopped accepting them and that only about a third of the eligible applicants the Fiscal Policy Institute predicted would apply had done so.

“Since the Excluded Workers Fund opened up, applications have been through the roof. This fund is already changing the lives of New Yorkers across the state and the need for more funding could not be more clear,” Bianca Guerrero, coordinator of the Excluded Workers Fund coalition, said after applications closed. “Governor Hochul and state lawmakers should listen to the voices of workers across New York… so that all workers who are eligible have access to this critical lifeline.”

The application closed just two months after being opened — a little more than double the period a group of workers excluded because of their immigration status went on a hunger strike for to draw attention to their fight.

A spokesperson from the governor’s office said that the $2.1 billion allocated was the maximum amount authorized by the state legislature.

“Any additional funding allocations can only be addressed when the legislature is in session,” the spokesperson said. “The Governor will continue working with legislators, community and advocacy partners to support immigrant communities and vulnerable New Yorkers across the state.”