LOS ANGELES : City Gets $3.9 Million to Aid Elderly Victims of Quake

Hoping to help a group of people often overlooked after a disaster, the Los Angeles City Council accepted a $3.9-million federal grant Tuesday to help senior citizens recover from the Northridge earthquake.

The money will be distributed to nonprofit organizations that already work with senior citizens, providing such services as transportation, legal aid and housing.

But the community groups, working out of 15 senior citizen centers throughout the city, also will provide disaster aid such as minor home repair work, relocation assistance and help in applying for disaster aid.

The council instructed the Department of Aging to return within 45 days with a report detailing how the department plans to spend the money.

Ann Smith, general manager for the Department of Aging, said studies of other disasters, such as Midwest floods and Florida’s Hurricane Andrew, found that senior citizens were generally overlooked by local governments.

“Seniors have special needs and no one really looked at those needs after those disasters,” she said. “With these efforts we are trying to address this issue.”

For older citizens, it is particularly difficult dealing with the stress of filling out complex disaster fund applications while fending off fraudulent contractors who prey on senior citizens, Smith said.

The need appears to be significant. Between Jan. 17 and June 17, the Department of Aging provided services to 12,021 older people who lost homes or property in the quake, or who need emotional or financial support.