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Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today announced the creation of a new City office to provide the spouses and other immediate family of victims of the World Trade Center attack with on-going assistance and information concerning benefits and support available from both private and government sources. Through the new World Trade Center Family Assistance Office, family of victims will be provided with a Family Consultant who will work with them to help ensure access to available financial benefits and other assistance.

"As New York City continues to mourn and recover from this tragedy, we're committed to helping the families that lost loved ones in the World Trade Center attack," Mayor Giuliani said. "New Yorkers and people from across the country and around the world have offered unprecedented financial and other support to the families. The Family Assistance Office will help coordinate the efforts of the families to obtain whatever financial and other assistance is available to them from private and government sources."

The Family Assistance Office will be located at the Human Resources Administration headquarters (between Pearl and John Streets) in Lower Manhattan and will begin operation on Wednesday, December 12, 2001. The Office will operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday starting Wednesday, December 12th. Families wishing to contact the Office can call 212-331-5974.

Within the next week, the City will be contacting families directly to inform them of this additional assistance and to make arrangements for those who are interested in meeting with a Family Consultant.

The Office will be staffed by the Human Resources Administration and Safe Horizon, a non-profit organization that has been assisting victims of the World Trade Center tragedy. The Office will also have attorneys available to address questions concerning benefits, including benefits available through the federal government's Victim Compensation Fund. .

"The Family Assistance Office further demonstrates the City's commitment to provide as much assistance and support as possible to the families of victims lost in the World Trade Center tragedy," said HRA Commissioner Jason Turner. "We look forward to continuing to work with the many organizations that have raised funds and made other assistance available to these families."

The Family Assistance Office is part of a coordinated effort to assist families and individuals affected by the World Trade Center tragedy. Families of victims and other individuals have been able to access financial benefits, counseling services and other assistance at the Family Assistance Center at Pier 94, at 54th Street and the West Side Highway in Manhattan. To provide assistance to employees looking for work as a result of the attacks, the City has opened four Job Centers; created a Twin Towers Job Hotline for job seekers; created a Job Bank for employers to list available opportunities; and organized three Job Expos at Madison Square Garden.

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