LISC establishes Emergency Relief Fund to help low-income residents recover from Sandy

NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has launched the LISC Emergency Relief Fund to help people in low-income neighborhoods that were affected by Hurricane Sandy get the assistance they need to recover from this disaster.

"The wreckage and despair from Hurricane Sandy is breathtaking, and the recovery threatens to be long and hard," said Michael Rubinger, LISC president and CEO.  "We want to make sure people in low-income neighborhoods get the assistance they need, whether from the federal government or a local hardware store."

LISC already has been working with key federal, state, local and civic leaders to deliver resources quickly and effectively. Many of the hardest-hit residents are in neighborhoods where LISC and its community partners already have a presence and infrastructure. That means the funds can move quickly to bring targeted relief to the most vulnerable residents—the poor, the elderly and the disabled.

The new LISC Emergency Relief Fund will achieve two main objectives:

• It will connect hurricane victims to government agencies and other emergency resources. LISC and its partners will send out teams to register residents with emergency response groups and then follow up to make sure they get the help they are due.
• It will help to assess and finance emergency repairs for housing. This will enable residents to remain in or return quickly to their homes, increasing the stock of livable housing in the affected neighborhoods.

The new fund builds on LISC's broad national experience over the last three decades in disaster relief and recovery, from Hurricane Andrew in Florida to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans to Hurricane Ike in Houston.

"Our aim is to cut through red tape and work with our partners to get help on the ground to people who have nowhere else to turn," Rubinger said. "The infrastructure is there.  We are ready to get going."

About LISC
LISC combines corporate, government and philanthropic resources to help nonprofit community development corporations revitalize distressed neighborhoods. Since 1980, LISC has raised $12 billion to build or rehab 289,000 affordable homes and develop 46 million square feet of retail, community and educational space nationwide. LISC support has leveraged nearly $40 billion in total development activity. For more information, visit www.lisc.org.

Contact:
Denise Scott, LISC NYC
212-455-9899 or Dscott@lisc.org

SOURCE LISC

RELATED LINKS
http://www.lisc.org/