UMCOR Program Begins for 9/11 Victims

A $5 million program focusing on assistance to victims of the Sept. 11 attacks begins full-fledged operations in June. Established by the United Methodist Committee on Relief, the case management program receives its financial support from the denomination's "Love in the Midst of Tragedy" fund, which was a response to the attacks.

The Rev. Ramon Nieves, a United Methodist pastor from Chicago, began work as program director in May. He previously was regional administrator of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services for Cook County. A financial director, project director and support staff member are also on board, and Nieves is in the process of hiring at least two case managers.

The program is temporarily based at 475 Riverside Drive, the headquarters of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, but Nieves said he is negotiating for office space in the Ground Zero area.

"We are 90 percent operable right now," he told United Methodist News Service in a May 30 interview. He expects to open 100 cases by the end of June.

The program's goal is to work with local United Methodist congregations, the denomination's New York Annual Conference and other community agencies to provide assistance to local families impacted by the events of Sept. 11. Because of more flexible guidelines than some similar programs, the staff can start responding to the needs of those families within 48 hours, Nieves said.

Some clients will have been directly affected by Sept. 11 because they or a family member worked at the World Trade Center, while others are suffering from the economic fallout of the attacks. A recent government survey of employers shows the city has about 107,000 fewer jobs than a year ago, according to the June 2 New York Times. The biggest losses have been in business services, brokerage firms, air transportation and food service.

Another concern that will be addressed by the program, according to Nieves, is the undocumented workers of all ethnic groups "who are so afraid to come forward" because of their ethnicity or legal status. "People are much more open to approaching the church for service than the government," he explained.

Satellite offices in the Bronx, Queens and Manhattan, where case managers will work for several hours on a weekday or weekend to process new cases, will "allow us to approach these individuals who are afraid or cannot travel," Nieves added.

He is skeptical about the notion that the economy is in recovery and believes there will be a long-term impact because of Sept. 11, especially for immigrants who were cab drivers or restaurant workers or in other service occupations. "A lot of people have been waiting for the same job, at a different place, for months," he said.

Nieves expects the program to handle 200 to 400 cases within its first year. "We are not about just giving out money," he said. "We are about a long-term recovery."

More information about the program is available by calling (212) 870-3772.

June 3, 2002

Photo: The sun streams through the dust cloud over the wreckage of the World Trade Center. Photo by Andrea Booher/ FEMA Photo News, New York, NY, September 13, 2001 (click on photo to see a larger version).

How You Can Help

UMCOR 9/11 Update September 2004: UMCOR's response to the aftermath of September 11 continues. We thank are thankful for all of contributions that United Methodists and others have so generously given.