Many Riot Victims Aren’t Getting Aid, Workers Say : Relief: Few realize that they are eligible. Activists blame federal agencies for not being responsive enough.

Thousands of riot victims have flocked to disaster centers seeking assistance crucial to mending their torn lives, but there is mounting concern that countless others affected by the civil unrest are not receiving aid for which they qualify, even as application deadlines draw near.

This week, the U.S. Department of Labor granted a one-month extension for disaster-related unemployment benefit applications out of concern that many eligible residents had not heard of the program.

But other target dates remain unchanged--including the Monday deadline to apply for emergency food stamps and the scheduled closure of all Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster application centers at the end of next week.

The emerging pattern is particularly worrisome to community activists because those most in danger of being left out are those on the edge--working-class and poor people with little or no means of offsetting the riot-related destruction that has touched their lives. They include families and individuals who, critics say, were not targeted by initial post-riot informational campaigns, which were mostly aimed at business owners.

“The clientele most in need are not getting to disaster centers and they don’t know about these programs,” said Cynthia Robbins, director of Urban Recovery Legal Assistance, a nonprofit legal aid program established to provide free counsel to riot victims. “As a result they are suffering.”

Since the riots, scores of community agencies have set up food pantries to meet a huge demand for emergency food. Many of the thousands who stand in line daily for provisions lost days or weeks worth of perishable food because of power outages during the riots.

But few people in the lines know anything about federal programs--from food stamps to unemployment benefits to state grants--that might benefit them.

“We haven’t been anywhere but here,” Delia Alvarez said as she stood outside a Vermont Avenue food pantry.

Alvarez said her home a few miles from the USC campus was without power for about 30 hours, spoiling milk, eggs and vegetables she needed for her two young children. The family had suffered a financial blow when rioting destroyed the restaurant where her husband, Jesus, worked as a kitchen helper.

He has been looking for another job and she may have to resume working as a maid. But the family has not sought other assistance. “We had heard about some places--some officials--that were trying to help,” she said, “but we didn’t think any of these things were for us.”

Robbins and others say relief efforts have been hampered by several factors:

* Many victims are still stunned by the riots and are unable to comprehend their long-term needs.

* Others are not aware that they qualify for aid or have been unable to reach disaster assistance centers.

* Thousands of workers who lost jobs or property, relief workers speculate, are fearful of being reported to immigration authorities if they seek assistance. “Their employers were burned out and because of their status they are devastated,” said Brad Stevens, an advocate for the homeless who has been working with riot victims.

Authorities admit to being handicapped by the unique nature of the Los Angeles disturbances. No one is quite sure how many people were affected by the riots, and how many are potentially eligible for assistance.

“We’re sort of programmed that when there is a natural disaster like a fire or earthquake that we can come up with some sort of estimate of who is a victim. But something like the Los Angeles riot is a whole new experience,” said Jack Kyser, chief economist for the private, nonprofit Economic Development Corp. of Los Angeles.

Kyser said the breadth of victimization may never be clear. Many of the businesses in the most heavily damaged areas were in the underground economy, “so the business owners and their workers are not going to go in and apply for anything,” Kyser said.

But many community-based groups argue that an agency that deals with disasters should be making a better effort to find out. They criticize FEMA for inadequate outreach efforts and contend that the federal government has not done enough to tailor aid programs to the needs of Los Angeles riot victims.

Korean-Americans who lost businesses complain that under the guidelines many will not qualify for Small Business Administration loans or any other aid program.

“Most programs are geared toward natural disasters and the recovery of residents, not to assist businesses,” said Richard Kim, a spokesman for a group of about 2,000 Korean-American business owners whose stores sustained damage or were destroyed.

Half of the group’s members have indicated that they lack the resources to secure loans and will be hard-pressed to find the means to rebuild.

“Most of us cannot afford to incur the debt that a loan would mean,” Kim said. “The programs need to be amended to fit this disaster.”

Critics also contend that the federal food stamp program could be adapted to aid more disaster victims. Under the guidelines, elderly and disabled residents on Supplemental Security Income do not qualify for food stamps.

After the riots, the Department of Agriculture waived two food stamp eligibility rules--one against owning an expensive car, the other against immigrants who were granted amnesty. But many relief workers argue that those steps did not go far enough.

“They are a drop in the bucket (compared) to what needs to be done,” said Claire Pastore, an attorney with the Western Center on Law and Poverty, which filed a lawsuit against the federal government demanding an expansion of emergency benefits.

The law center presented 150 declarations from low-income residents who need food but do not qualify for food stamps. Last week, a U.S. District judge ordered the federal government to negotiate a more equitable distribution of benefits.

FEMA, in its first handling of a major domestic disturbance, acknowledges some initial snags--such as a shortage of bilingual staff members. But officials say that the overall response has been successful.

“It’s always difficult to measure how well we’re getting through,” said William Medigovich, the FEMA official who is coordinating relief efforts. “Government can’t make people whole again, but we can certainly do the best to get them on their feet and in this instance we have done a good job.”

Medigovich said that for the first time during a disaster a federal task force with representatives from key agencies was established after the riots to smooth the flow of aid. Disaster hot lines, he said, will be in operation after centers have closed to take applications and answer questions.

“We are very sensitive on the point of what we have done to reach and serve people,” Medigovich said. “We have teams that have been networking with community-based organizations to look for pockets of people who may not have availed themselves of programs.”

Pastore, however, called FEMA’s outreach effort “disastrous.”

Albert Gill, who runs a food center for the Brotherhood Crusade in the West Adams neighborhood, said the message has not gotten to the area’s mostly poor and working-class black and Latino residents. Legal aid groups have begun printing flyers for distribution in food parcels, but Gill said that some clients are illiterate.

“We began distributing food the day after the riots started, and we average 1,500 people a day,” Gill said. “But no officials have been down here to tell them how they can help. Many people in the community lost work, but they are not aware there are benefits for them.”

Latino leaders also say the message has largely failed to reach their community--especially the enclaves of Central American immigrants who were hard hit by destruction in South Los Angeles.

They cite one incident as illustrating the way the community has been treated.

In mid-May, city officials requested that Spanish-language television station KVEA Channel 52 run public service announcements about benefits that were available through disaster assistance centers.

But according to Martin Quiros, public relations director at KVEA, the city called two days later and asked the station to pull the ads, explaining that FEMA could not handle all the calls. FEMA officials said they could not recall the incident, but insisted that they are doing all they can to reach Spanish-speaking victims.

Some Latino groups are fighting to keep disaster assistance centers open beyond the scheduled June 13 closure date.

Because of language barriers, many Latinos only now are learning about benefits, said Carlos Vaquerano, a spokesman for the Central American Refugee Center.

“We’d like them to keep the centers open until at least the end of June or beginning of July because a lot of Latino people who were affected have not gone in,” Vaquerano said. “Just handing out leaflets won’t work.”

RELATED STORIES: B1, B3

Seeking Help

Requests for assistance at post-riot Disaster Application Centers as of June 1. Program: Temporary housing Requests: 5,482 Program: Individual and family grants Requests: 1,803 Program: SBA home-repair loans Requests: 981 Program: SBA business loans Requests: 7,502 Program: Red Cross emergency aid Requests: 2,472 Program: Unemployment benefits Requests: 7,602 Program: Federal tax adjustments Requests: 7,803 Program: State tax adjustments Requests: 3,448 Program: FEMA mortgage and rent assistance: For those displaced from their homes Requests: 629 Program: FEMA mortgage and rent assistance: For those who suffered loss of income, business displacement Requests: 4,599

SOURCE: Federal Emergency Management Agency

Help for Disaster Victims

A variety of federal, state and local programs are available for those affected by the Los Angeles riots. Among them: OWNERS AND EMPLOYEES For owners and employees of businesses destroyed by fire or looting Small Business Administration loans for damage to property and economic loss.: Apply by 2/2/93: 1-800-525-0321* Bank of America small-business loans, up to $100,000 for physical damage or economic loss.: Apply anytime: 1-800-773-2632 Disaster unemployment insurance. Those eligible include self-employed, those who have become head of household because of a disaster death and are looking for work and those prevented from beginning work due to riot.: Apply by 7/6/92: 1-800-525-0321* LOSS OF HOME For those whose homes or apartments were destroyed or who have been evicted because of job loss FEMA temporary housing aid, including money to make emergency repairs. Apply by 7/2/92: 1-800-525-0321* State individual and family grants, up to $11,500.: Apply by 7/2/92: 1-800-525-0321* Emergency Section 8 certificates for subsidized housing or a six- to eight-month emergency lease.: Apply by 7/2/92: Los Angeles Housing Authority: (213) 252-2500 EVICTION For people who are about to be evicted because they lost jobs or businesses FEMA mortgage and rental assistance.: 7/2/92: 1-800-525-0321* PROPERTY LOSS For those who lost personal property or whose cars were damaged by looters State individual and family grants to cover moving and storage, transportation, medical and dental expenses, funeral expenses or the repair or replacement of a car.: Apply by 7/2/92:1-800-525-0321* SBA low-interest loans.: 7/2/92: 1-800-525-0321* INJURIES For people physically injured or emotionally upset State individual and family grants for medical and dental care or psychological treatment through county mental health providers.: Apply by 7/2/92: 1-800-525-0321* Program for victims of violent crime, providing up to $2,000 for loss of income and support.: Apply within 1 year: Los Angeles District Attorney: 1-800-777-9229 FOOD For people who need emergency food Federal emergency food stamp assistance, available if food was spoiled or damaged during riots.: Apply by 6/8/92: 1-800-525-0321* WELFARE For families on welfare AFDC special needs funds, providing homeless assistance, emergency cash, home repair and clothing.: Apply anytime: L.A. County Social Services: (818) 572-5711 * Call this number through June 15; later, individual agencies may have new phone numbers.

SOURCES: Federal Emergency Management Agency; Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles