Editorial: Cohoes donations languish

THE ISSUE:

Money collected for victims of a Cohoes fire remains undistributed.

THE STAKES:

How can communities better plan for this so donors have confidence their generosity won't be in vain?

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Cohoes residents still trying to put their lives back together after a devastating fire, and the many Capital Region residents who generously donated more than $100,000 to a victims fund, must all be frustrated and disheartened to learn that the money is languishing in a bank seven weeks after the blaze.

No doubt, it is a challenge to make sure that this money is put to good use. The city is right to have belatedly handed over that task to a reputable organization — in this case, Catholic Charities, which has experience dealing with situations of this sort. Too bad it took so long.

Which brings us to the bigger point: How can communities ensure this kind of delay doesn't happen the next time a disaster strikes?

It's not so hard to help out in small crises that affect one person or a family: Set up a bank account for donations and get the word out through media — traditional, social, or crowdfunding sites. But when there are many victims, as there are in Cohoes, things get a lot more complicated.

Thankfully, generosity isn't an issue in this region. Banks, businesses and individuals raised $106,000 so far through fundraisers, the sale of "Cohoes Strong" t-shirts, and direct donations to a victims fund.

Distributing that kind of money, though, is much more complicated when a lot of different potential recipients are involved. Who should get help? How much should each person or household receive? Should it be divided equally regardless of income or situation, or apportioned based on need? What kind of formula would one even use? How do you protect against abuses and scams?

Catholic Charities' plan for handling the money underscores the complexity of this. A case manager will work with victims to determine their losses and needs. They'll explore, first, if they qualify for help from various resources, such as insurance, public assistance, or help from community organizations. Whatever gap remains could be filled, at least in part, with money from the fund.

That takes time. That means more waiting for people who have already been struggling financially for seven weeks and needed help well over a month ago. It's more time, too, for donors who must be wondering if and when their money is going to do some good. And it's more time for the public to grow skeptical of making donations in the future for this or another cause.

While we can't know when or where a disaster like the Cohoes fire will strike, we can be sure there will be challenges like it in years to come. Rather than an ad-hoc approach each time, why not have communities in the Capital Region identify an entity that's willing and able to handle the work involved in aiding victims and ensuring that money donated on their behalf gets to them promptly? Consider it part of the emergency planning communities do all the time.

It may be complex, but it's also this simple: Getting donations to victims of a disaster should not qualify as a disaster of its own.