The American Red Cross, the Brees Dream Foundation and two other charities have reached an agreement with state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to spend $10 million on Sandy recovery.
BY KENNETH LOVETT / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013
ALBANY — Four charities that had been under fire for sitting on millions of dollars of Hurricane Sandy relief funds have agreed to pony up $10 million to aid victims of the storm.
The charities — including the American Red Cross and a fund created by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees — reached an agreement with state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The deal came after revelations in July that 40% of the $575 million in Sandy aid collected by 90 charities had been disbursed within six months of the storm.
“We have been dogged about making sure that when they raise money and tell the world they are going to spend it on Sandy recovery, they in fact spend it on Sandy recovery,” Schneiderman said during an appearance Thursday in hard-hit Long Beach, L.I.
Brees’ charity had seriously dropped the ball, having received a single $300,000 donation but only allocating $75,000 of it, officials said.
Under the agreement with Schneiderman, the Brees Dream Foundation agreed to disperse the remaining $225,000 by October 2014, the second anniversary of the storm.
“We know that there will be outstanding needs throughout the next year as households rebuild during the 2014 building season,” Schneiderman spokesman Damien LaVera said.
The agreement, LaVera said, puts in place a plan to ensure the funds will flow.
The American Red Cross, which already has spent or committed to spend more than 90% of the $308 million it raised for Sandy recovery, has agreed to allocate another $6 million to address housing-related needs.
“Nearly a year after landfall, the needs of Sandy survivors remain significant,” the charity said in a statement. “The Red Cross and Attorney General’s Office have collaboratively identified additional needs, and the Red Cross is stepping up to address these unmet needs.”
LaVera said the deal is not related to a complaint the attorney general received earlier this year that as many as 1,000 Hurricane Sandy victims were left hanging after they were originally told they qualified for up to $10,000 through a Red Cross program to help them rebuild and recover.
Meanwhile, after spending $3.5 million of the money it raised for Sandy relief, the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church agreed to disperse over the next three years another $3.15 million it raised.
A fourth charity, Kids in Distressed Situations, will dole out more than $288,000 by early next year after raising $390,000.
Money will be disbursed over the next three years, or by early next year... Sandy victims need the money now. Oh, but wait, there's more! If you have a job, you won't qualify for assistance, so then what happens to the money??? I bet these charities keep the change, 'cause they won't be banging down anyone's door to return an unused donation.
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