By Matthew Sinclair

September 11 groups standing down

Though the pain of September 11 remains for many in the New York metropolitan area, the passage of time has enabled life to return to a new sort of normalcy. Indeed, more than two years after the attacks that scarred New York City, Washington, D.C., and a field in rural Pennsylvania, many programs designed for the survivors of that fateful day are winding down.

Several organizations and programs created in the wake of the terrorist attacks have begun preparations for closing their doors. Others have already closed.

The Foundation Center, based in New York City, recently completed a survey that found nearly two-thirds of 111 responding September 11-related relief funds had planned to distribute 100 percent of their funds by the end of 2003.

Those organizations that remain are preparing to close as well. The Lawyers Alliance of New York recently held a workshop instructing groups on legal and human resource issues to address as funding runs out or organizations close.

One of the most visible philanthropic ventures associated with the aftermath of the attacks was the September 11th Fund, created that morning by the United Way of New York City and the New York Community Trust.

“We're winding down,” said Carol Kellermann, executive director and CEO. “We expect to conclude most of our operations by the end of the year. There will continue to be some need for some ongoing grant monitoring ... into 2005, but not with the level of intensity or staffing we have now.”

Phasing down involves a difficult balance of maintaining service while weaning organizations off the funding. In addition, there are inevitable challenges of personnel turnover. “I don't think it's a science. I think it's an art,” Kellermann said. “You have to try to estimate what you need to be doing, how the level of intensity will decline over time … the number of hours, what tasks are going to drop off over time, and what the appropriate method of phasing out is.”

The 9-11 United Services Group (USG) was created to coordinate efforts of dozens of relief groups in the months after September 11. It will operate at full speed through June 30, then begin to phase down and close by the end of the year, according to Stephen Solender, president and chief executive officer. “We were set up to be a temporary organization,” he said. “As far as we're concerned, that's the right way for us to proceed.”

In addition to closing as many cases as appropriate and systematically turning over the care of people to established human service agencies, Solender said information services such as toll-free numbers will be transferred to the city's human services council.

Solender said the first thing to consider in phasing down the organization is complete transparency with all the member agencies, board members and advisory committee members. “This is no secret approach,” he said. “That's very important to our credibility.”

Such transparency is also important after the controversy surrounding the American Red Cross following September 11, when the organization was heavily criticized about how and where donated funds were being spent.

“This is a very important message to donors,” Solender said about phasing down USG. “We take very seriously the commitment to them when we took their money.”

USG will have no personnel after 2004, but it is exploring with its attorney the option of putting the organization into a dormant state “so the organization can be reactivated if necessary,” Solender said. (See sidebar.)

Organizations that saw revenues grow as a result of their 9/11-related programs may also find themselves returning to pre-9/11 funding levels. “They have to wean themselves,” Kellermann said. “We know that's difficult for people. We're trying to set a good example ourselves.”

Kellermann said that despite communicating the need for transition, some agencies continued to submit large service budgets, which led program staff to encourage them to give up some things sooner rather than later. “Some agencies keep giving you the same thing and say we'll downsize later,” she said. “Our funding for case management is going to be completely phased out by the end of 2004. That's what we're trying to get agencies to deal with.”

For the most part, however, agencies have cooperated as the funding circumstances have changed. One of the keys to the process is openness, she said. “Anxiety is created by not knowing things.”

The Robin Hood Foundation is preparing for its relief fund to run out of money. The relief fund has less than $10 million left, according to Emary Aronson, director of the relief fund. “Our plan is to continue to allocate it as effectively and efficiently as we can,” she said. “These are, in fact, the last of our (relief) dollars.”

She said that the foundation funds approximately 125 organizations in New York City, and 100 became involved with it because of September 11 funding. Victim's families formed some of those groups, and they are facing difficult issues themselves. As funding opportunities for those organizations decline, they talk of merging and are starting to feel some fatigue, Aronson said.

And needs are still emerging. “I think that because … of the other external tensions (such as the war in Iraq) that reawakens and retraumatizes a lot of people,” Aronson said.

“One of the things we're concerned with when we do our funding is that we don't build up an agency that can't be sustainable,” she said. The foundation also tries to help to organizations it will not continue to fund with their efforts to assess their needs.

As for Robin Hood personnel, “some of us will get absorbed (into core programs),” Aronson said. “We continue to monitor all the grants we've made.”

Care in transition

The transition will likely increase the number of people requesting services from traditional programs, Kellermann predicted. Most organizations will continue to operate, though their September 11 programs will be absorbed into their traditional services. “The economy has not been very good,” she said. “These people are going to be part of that larger population at need. They'll be served to some extent.”

She added, “(Organizations) may feel very stressed and not have as many resources as they had before, but they will keep doing the work.”

Though resources for some programs, particularly those for children of victims, remain, many of the September 11-related programs have spent the money or will do do soon.

“I think you can assume that most of the resources will be exhausted by the end of 2004,” Solender said. “Just because specialty resources are exhausted doesn't mean the services should stop. It means organizations should use regular sources to help people.”

Indeed, surviving organizations will likely find an even more competitive environment. For some organizations, September 11th meant a new avenue of service that will continue.

John Scibilia, executive director of Lutheran Disaster Response of New York (LDRNY), said his organization was formed as a result of the tragedy, but it will evolve into a broader disaster relief model. “While we will gradually sunset 9/11 programming over the next five years,” he said. “It is our intention to continue our preparedness responsibilities throughout the state of New York.”

LDRNY received approximately $15 million to address needs after September 11. “The primary use was for long-term recovery,” Scibilia said. “We are the ones who pick up the pieces for the long-term.”

Those LDRNY treated tended to be the “hidden victims,” he said, for example, undocumented aliens. “Those who were directly affected but no funding or programs were available -- or limited programs.”

For LDRNY to continue, however, it may need to fundraise further. “As decreased funding is announced by USG and the September 11th Fund, we may need to solicit more gifts,” Scibilia said.

The Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church created the Healing Encouragement and Advocacy in Response to Tragedy (HEART) unit as a program of its outreach ministry.

“Nearly all the ($4.4 million) is in the office of outreach ministry,” said Rev. Christopher Miller, who coordinates the services related to its September 11 relief. The funding came from a proposal submitted to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). “The annual conference proposal for the grant money was to create this office to do 9/11 work.”

Miller said the program was designed to last three to five years. “A lot of it had to do with how fast the money went out,” he said. “We may make five (years).”

Miller said he is in the early stages of determining how to phase out the program, but it is essentially linked to the money.

The HEART unit's long-term recovery service helps clients reach a “reasonable recovery plan” to regain financial self-sufficiency, Miller said. “While their income is down or nonexistent, we'd help them pay bills for routine living expenses” such as mortgage/rent bills and utilities including telephones.”

The changing environment will also put pressure on human service agencies that potentially receive an influx of new clients during a still sputtering economy in the New York area. “It's unhealthy and unfair to encourage dependency beyond a reasonable time,” said USG's Solender. “It's important that they become independent as soon as possible. … It's a delicate balance.”

Kellermann, a sector veteran before joining the September 11th Fund, said she was unaware of anything like the transition going on among these groups. Of course, organizations often merged, “but to purposely say we've got this job to do, (to complete it) and not think of another job to do, I think is very unusual.”

© 2006 The NonProfit Times Privacy Policy