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American Morning

Some Families Haven't Seen Any Money from September 11th Fund

Aired December 12, 2001 - 08:10   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back at 16 minutes after the hour. We spent much of yesterday morning showing you memorials three months after the terror attacks of 9-11, and there is news today about efforts to get aid to families of some of those victims. As two different groups announced plans to distribute millions of dollars in funds, the emotional wounds still run deep in the minds of many Americans and as we saw yesterday, at those ceremonies in New York, the ceremony at the Pentagon, and all over the world, many Americans have been trying to help by digging deep into their pockets.

And as of today, the 9-11 fund is reporting it has received $347 million in donations, and of that 143 million has already been tagged for distribution. Now by the end of this year, $75 million in cash will reach the victims. That's a lot of money to most people, but to the families of victims, it's not nearly enough and some of them haven't seen any of that money. To answer his critics, Franklin Thomas now who is chairman of the 9-11 fund joins us with an update. Toughest job you've ever had.

FRANKLIN THOMAS, CHAIRMAN OF THE SEPTEMBER 11TH FUND: Thank you. Among the toughest without question, because the emotional dimensions of it are so wrenching for all of us involved. Everyone wants to help victims and their families rebuild their lives and we all know that money alone won't do that. There's a need for counseling and a need for time and a need to see what other needs develop.

At the same time, there are emergency needs - financial needs that people have, and we're all trying to respond to those urgent demands and needs, and we're also trying to coordinate among agencies that have frankly not worked together before, and we have the federal government with its victim assistance program as part of the airline legislation that is now just beginning to develop its guidelines, which should be published towards the end of this month for those victims who will then be eligible for money from that pool.

What we're doing today is announcing in effect a bridging program to help families with cash assistance and services and to help people who have lost their jobs or been displaced from their homes by virtue of this tragedy to the point where they will better know and be able to receive larger amounts of money from the federal government.

ZAHN: On average, how much money will they take from this fund or will they be entitled to from this fund? THOMAS: This - we're announcing $10,000 additional to the 10,000 that has previously been provided as emergency help for the victims and survivor families from this fund. We're announcing $2500 to each of the maybe 20,000 people who have been displaced from jobs and homes as money which they will get from this fund. No new paperwork is required. Those people who are in the system through previously having received assistance can get it without having to file new documents. We're trying to do it both thoughtfully and responsibly and frankly to address some of this healing that needs to take place for all of us.

ZAHN: And the healing process is very difficult, as you know, for some. You've met these people.

THOMAS: Yes.

ZAHN: You talked about how emotionally draining this job is. You have victims saying that there are clear disparities in ...

THOMAS: Yes.

ZAHN: ... the way firefighters' families are being treated versus the widow of an insurance salesman. You recognize that ...

THOMAS: Absolutely.

ZAHN: ... there are some disparities that exist.

THOMAS: Absolutely ...

(CROSSTALK)

ZAHN: And is there a good reason for why they exist?

THOMAS: I think two things. With the outpouring of support from across the country and across the world, some of that support was earmarked for the uniformed services.

ZAHN: Right.

THOMAS: So that those persons who donated to that fund, like the Twin Towers Fund, did so consciously and deliberately to assist the families and the victims of the uniformed services. So in effect to honor donor intent, those funds must use their money in the way intended. The broader funds included the uniformed services, but went beyond the uniformed services, and those funds are attempting to assist all families, all survivors. With this program, all those displaced from their jobs and their homes and sitting in the background is the large federal government program.

ZAHN: Sure.

THOMAS: And we're waiting the establishment of guidelines for eligibility. We want to know who will be eligible, how much money will be forthcoming, and those of us who have flexible funds, as does the September 11th Fund, to be available to fill gaps where gaps will exist - for example, on documented workers.

ZAHN: Final word and believe me we've interviewed a lot of them here, to the victims who haven't been successful in getting the money they feel they're entitled to from the Red Cross, who basically spend much more of their life going from agency to agency trying to prove that their family is in financial need ...

THOMAS: Yes.

ZAHN: ... when they've lost their main breadwinner.

THOMAS: Well I think the agencies including the Red Cross and the September 11th Fund and Safe Horizons are now working together to generate a database so that - and I hope eventually they will have a common application form so that ...

(CROSSTALK)

THOMAS: ... you only have to go, but all I can say to you is they are working as hard as they know how to get to that point. We all agree we need to get there. Elliot Spencer's (ph) office has been a main initiator and supporter and prod in that direction. And I think in the next several weeks we'll have something that will at least address aspects of this problem. It is imperfect. There is just no other way to describe it. It's imperfect.

ZAHN: Well we wish you tremendous luck. Franklin Thomas, thank you for joining us today, and we'd love to follow up with you to see whether some of those cracks in the system end up getting solved ...

THOMAS: Thank you very much Paula.

(CROSSTALK)

THOMAS: Good to be with you.

ZAHN: Have a good holiday.

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