Advocates are continuing calls for New York lawmakers to pump an additional $3 billion into the Excluded Workers Fund.
On October 8, the Department of Labor stopped accepting new applications for the $2 billion fund, designed to provide financial support to workers who were shut out from state unemployment and federal pandemic aid programs.
Bianca Guerrero, campaign coordinator for the Fund Excluded Workers Coalition, says the support has materially changed the lives of workers and helped many get back on their feet.
"One Westchester worker is using the funds from its little worker program to relocate his family after Hurricane Ida, another Capital Region worker is using the fund to put down a down payment on a home for his family," Guerrero said. "A street vendor in Queens used the money to pay off her husband's hospital bills for cancer surgery earlier this year, and also to reinvest in her taco business with branded aprons and signs. And a delivery worker in Queens is also using part of the money to buy a laptop to participate in ESL classes. “
Guerrero adds other workers have used the money, up to $15,000, to pay for rent, school clothing for their children and medical treatment for those who had COVID but didn't have health insurance.
Activists say many workers who applied early and qualified to receive funding have yet to see a check, while others have been reluctant to apply for benefits, fearing they'll be detained and possibly deported.
Diana Cruz, the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement's Director of Programs and Services, notes that qualifying workers often have to overcome language barriers and jump through hoops to produce documentation from consulates as well as documents verifying they've been in the United States for an applicable period of time.
"A good majority of our work is spent, you know, just doing interpretation between our community members and local institutions," Cruz said. "Additionally, you know, I think we also have to acknowledge the fact that, even though here we have a heavy population of immigrants from Spanish speaking countries, that does not mean that they themselves speak Spanish, so I have had to work with people of indigenous backgrounds.”
With state budget planning already under way, advocates hope New York Governor Kathy Hochul will find the money to serve eligible workers. Carina Kaufman-Gutierrez, The Street Vendor Project's Deputy Director, says the Democrat must find a way to cover all workers who have already submitted applications.
"In the next budget cycle, we will also be pushing for a permanent fix to the holes in our social safety net that have excluded workers for years," said Kaufman-Gutierrez.
Hochul's office did not respond to requests for comment.
