Senator Lanza Announces $27 Million Federal Grant to Put More Than 5,000 Unemployed New Yorkers to Work on Hurricane Sandy Clean Up

Funds Will Help Localities Hire Young People and the Unemployed to Work on Hurricane Sandy Clean-Up Efforts

Senator Andrew Lanza today announced that the state has secured a $27 million federal grant that will help put more than 5,000 unemployed New Yorkers to work helping clean-up communities still recovering from Hurricane Sandy.

The funding - provided by a National Emergency Grant - will be provided to communities hit hard by the storm so they can quickly hire young people and the unemployed to help with clean-up efforts in affected counties, including the Bronx, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester. The State Department of Labor, which is administering the funds, will work with communities to identify cleanup areas and deploy workers to job sites.

In addition, Senator Lanza today announced that the state has partnered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to launch a local hire program to replace FEMA employees, often from out of state, with New Yorkers. The goal is to hire upwards of 700 New Yorkers.

APPLYING FOR A JOB

The Department of Labor will assist local communities to identify and hire workers. Individuals who are interested in applying for a job under this grant are encouraged to contact the Department of Labor at 1-888-4-NYSDOL (1-888-469-7365) or by visiting www.labor.ny.gov/sandyjobs. Individuals can also visit their local Disaster Recovery Center or One-Stop Career Center.

All individuals must be unemployed to be eligible. Once hired, workers will earn approximately $15 per hour to work on short and long-term projects. The work will include cleaning and repairing damaged public structures and property in each of the nine counties declared disaster areas.

In addition to offering benefits and on-the-job experience, each worker will be given assistance in finding their next job. Eligible youth will also be certified in the Governor’s New York Youth Works program.

FEMA JOBS

Individuals interested in applying for a job with FEMA should visit Governor Cuomo’s Jobs Express website at http://www.labor.ny.gov/jobs/regional.shtm

The full-time, temporary positions range from Community Relations Specialists providing outreach to the disaster-stricken communities, to administrative assistants.

IDENTIFYING SITES

Governor Cuomo has directed the Department of Labor to immediately contact local public officials in affected localities to identify areas in need and dispatch cleanup and rebuilding crews. Local public officials may also submit information on projects and project sites to the Department of Labor by emailing: sandyprojects@labor.ny.gov.

The State Department of Labor with its reemployment services and one-stop career centers throughout the impacted areas will work aggressively to connect unemployed New Yorkers to additional jobs. Following Hurricane Sandy, storm related unemployment insurance claims have risen to nearly 50,000.