Red Cross Offers Financial Assistance to Lower Manhattan Residents Accessing EPA Cleanup

American Red Cross
Wednesday, 16 October 2002

Hotel Accommodations and Furniture Replacement Available for Those in Need

The American Red Cross September 11 Recovery Program (SRP) has announced the implementation of a program that will provide financial assistance to eligible lower Manhattan residents with financial need whose homes are being cleaned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in connection with the damage caused by the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Eligible persons participating in EPA's Lower Manhattan Indoor Air Cleaning Program can receive financial assistance for certain essential home furnishings that may harbor persistent contamination after the home is cleaned. The Red Cross program covers disposed porous materials such as beds, couches, chairs, linens, drapery and carpeting. The maximum assistance available is $3000, with an additional allowance of $500 for carpeting, if necessary.

The Red Cross will also provide eligible clients with hotel accommodation for a maximum of three nights while their apartments are being cleaned. If residents make their own hotel arrangements, the Red Cross will reimburse them up to a maximum of $250 per room per night, based on double occupancy.

This assistance is available for eligible individuals who lived south of Canal Street in Manhattan on September 11, 2001 and who, as a direct result of the attacks on that day, were displaced from their homes or experienced damage or disruption of access to their homes. Residents having their homes cleaned under "Scope A" of EPA guidelines, who must be out of their home due to a documented medical condition and residents having their homes cleaned under "Scope B" of EPA guidelines, or those whose homes are undergoing aggressive air testing are eligible for hotel stays.

To apply for the Red Cross help, eligible individuals who have received a letter from the EPA certifying a scheduled home cleaning, should call the American Red Cross Client Assistance Call Center toll free at (877) 746-4987 to schedule an appointment.

For more information, or to contact American Red Cross, see their website at: www.redcross.org