The New York Department of Labor has announced access to financial relief through the state’s new Excluded Workers Fund.
Immigrant workers that were excluded from both federal and state COVID-19 financial relief opportunities due to documentation status are now eligible to apply to receive one-time financial relief payments through the fund. The fund will provide a total of $2.1 billion to individuals who were residents of New York prior to the onset of the pandemic and can prove they lost work as a result. The application, available in 13 languages, can be found at ewf.labor.ny.gov.
Both Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga and Tompkins County Workers’ Center are providing free help to those in the migrant community who are eligible for the financial relief. Assistance will be offered in completing the application process and addressing such concerns as lack of support from employers and fear of submitting personal information to the government.
Interested applicants living in the Southern Tier or Finger Lakes can email Tompkins County Workers Center at TCWRH@tcworkerscenter.org or call 607-269-0409.
Sue Chaffee, director of the Immigrant Services Program at Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga, can be reached at sue.chaffee@dor.org or 607-272-5062, ext. 11.
