Letter to the Hon. John Melville, Commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services - Following horrific Monsey attack, Schumer, Gillibrand, Lowey announce FEMA & DHS-led webinars for Rockland nonprofits, such as schools and houses of worship, on Fed security grant program; call on NYs DHSES to hold public forum to assist Rockland applicants ASAP

Letter

Dear Commissioner Melville,

As the Congressional delegation representing Monsey, New York, and the surrounding Rockland County communities that remain shaken following the horrific attack targeting Jewish worshipers celebrating the seventh night of Hanukkah, we write to request that the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) host a forum at Ramapo Town Hall in its capacity as the state administrative agency that solicits, reviews, and scores federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) applications on behalf of the US Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (DHS/FEMA). In her capacity as Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, Congresswoman Lowey created the NSGP-S program with Rockland County in mind in FY18, and increased its funding by 300 percent for FY20.

Following the December 28, 2019, attack on the Jewish community in Monsey that wounded five and critically injured two, the communities in and around Monsey have continuously expressed a need for additional funding to ensure that schools, yeshivas and synagogues are protected. On December 30, 2019, we heard directly from religious leaders, state and local elected officials, and other community stakeholders during a roundtable discussion at Ramapo Town Hall where many community members voiced concerns that they felt vulnerable in their houses of worship and feared sending their children to school. In the following weeks, many Rockland-based houses of worship, schools, and faith-based community centers have reached out to our district offices with questions regarding the NSGP application.

After asking DHS/FEMA for more information on behalf of the Rockland communities that we represent, today we announced that DHS/FEMA will host a nationwide webinar series on the NSGP laying the foundation for a better understanding of the NSGP for Rockland organizations. Nonetheless, DHS/FEMA has explained the importance of applicants contacting and working with DHSES because, as our state administrative agency, DHSES scores and evaluates all applications which are then submitted to FEMA.

With a high volume of Rockland County NSGP applications anticipated by our offices, we ask that DHSES host a Rockland forum at Ramapo Town Hall so that all potential NSGP applicants in the communities in and around Monsey, communities struck by terror and hatred, have time to put together strong applications and anticipate any hiccups before the DHSES Request for Applications (RFA) to solicit applications is released. We ask that DHSES discuss the following at the forum: Prequalification, Risk Assessment, the DHSES E-Grants System, Registration with NYS Charities Bureau, Preparation of a Mission Statement, and Investment Justification and Scoring Criteria in previous years.

We are grateful for the prompt action by DHS/FEMA in scheduling a webinar series on the basics of the NSGP for organizations across the country, including those in Rockland. We now strongly urge the DHSES to also respond to the community by answering their questions about the various technical components of the NSGP application process in a public forum held at Ramapo Town Hall so that Rockland houses of worship, schools, and faith-based community centers can continue to explore every avenue possible to increase security measures in the aftermath of the horrific Monsey attack on the Jewish Community.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

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