http://www.washblade.com/national/011005c.htm
by Kim Krisberg
October 5, 2001
Among the hardest-hitting aftershocks from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., is financial hardship. For those who lost a family member who was a primary income earner, the attacks have left many in the lurch worrying about keeping up with rent or mortgage payments, car insurance, and even keeping enough food in the refrigerator.
The American Red Cross has responded to the need by launching a relief program that includes an initial $100 million in immediate financial assistance. According to Red Cross spokesperson Stacey Grissom, the Liberty Fund, a Red Cross fundraising effort for victims of the attacks, has raised about $258 million; $100 million has been allocated out of that fund for immediate financial needs. Partners of gay victims of the attacks are eligible to apply for assistance, Grissom said, but their ability to receive such assistance depends on the victim’s disclosure about the relationship to the victim’s employer.
Grissom said after an individual has filled out the one-page application for financial assistance, all information will be verified through the victim’s employer to determine the appropriate distribution of funds, including who the appropriate recipient will be. Applicants will work with a Red Cross caseworker to meet immediate financial needs. Grissom said all distribution is on a case-by-case basis.
"We’re working with the employer to get benefits to the next of kin," she said.
Immediate financial assistance will help families of victims with needs such as mortgage or rent payments, utility bills, funeral expenses, transportation, food, clothing, and other uncovered expenses. The aid is being provided in the form of a tax-free grant, and the first batch of checks were sent out Sept. 21.
To qualify for assistance, Grissom said, the Red Cross has to be able to confirm the applicant’s relationship with the victim and that the applicant is going through financial hardship. Grissom said gay male and lesbian applicants who lost a partner will also be eligible to apply for assistance and will face the same process as everybody else: The relationship will somehow have to be confirmed through an employer.
Some gay men and lesbians might find obstacles to obtaining the financial assistance they need, though, if the victim was afraid, unable, or unwilling to come out at work, leaving employers with no knowledge of their personal relationships. When asked if there is any alternative to employer verification in obtaining funds for gay men and lesbians who were not out about their relationships, Grissom said, "In that case it is doubtful."
Laura Flegel, director of legal services at Whitman-Walker Clinic, praised the Red Cross for its efforts to recognize same-sex relationships and said it is society at large that may make it difficult for gay and lesbian people to receive aid, not the Red Cross’s employer verification process.
"I think ultimately what’s unfair is gay oppression and that our relationships and our families don’t get the formal recognition that would make it easier for us to get this kind of benefit," she said. "I don’t think the Red Cross is at the root of our difficulties."
"I think that it’s a great thing and a great step forward that the Red Cross is recognizing gay and lesbian relationships," she said.
The Salvation Army is also offering financial assistance, which begun Oct. 1, to what the organization calls "collateral victims" of the terrorist attacks. "Collateral victims" are those affected financially by the closing of Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., hospitality workers within a three-mile radius of the airport who were affected, cab drivers who were licensed to work the airport, and others directly affected by the closure.
Even though President Bush announced Tuesday, Oct. 2, that Reagan National would re-open on Thursday, Oct. 4, David Sears, director of development for the D.C.-area Salvation Army, said the aid would still be available since affected workers still missed needed income during the airport closing.
Sears said the Salvation Army would provide assistance for many of the same needs that the Red Cross is providing for, such as mortgage and rent payments, food, utilities, and more. A Salvation Army associate will be assigned to each applying family as well as serve as a referral source to other forms of assistance.
| INFO |
| Salvation Army P.O. Box 269 Alexandria, VA 22313 703-684-5500 www.salvationarmydcmetro.org Red Cross: |
On the Salvation Army’s Web site, Lt. Colonel William Crabson, divisional commander for the D.C. area and Virginia, said: "Throughout our communities, we are just beginning to realize the broad economic impact of this tragedy on those who were not necessarily tied to the Pentagon."
Sears said applicants will need to verify household size and employment, but did not say that verification would have to come directly from an employer. Sears also said that applicants do not have to be married to be considered a household, and that gay male and lesbian partners will also qualify if they can prove household status.
The Salvation Army faced a mass
of criticism this past July after it surfaced that the organization had sent a
request to the White House that would allow religious charities receiving
federal funds to practice employment discrimination against gays. After the
story broke, the Bush administration announced that it had turned down the
request.