Fourteen non-profits file claims for employees whose jobs were impacted by COVID

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Fourteen local non-profit organizations have so far filed claims for their employees impacted during Code Red restrictions when the community spread of the COVID-19 virus was recorded in February, prompting the immediate shutdown of all ASG operations and businesses except essential services.

This is according to the latest performance report, as of July 30, issued by the ASG Oversight Office for the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA), in which $500,000 is allocated to the “Cash Assistance Program (CAP) for impacted non-profit workers” administered by the ASG Human Resources Department.

The performance report points out that shutdown and restrictions caused disruptions to normal business operations and negatively impacted the private sector community including non-profit organizations. “Their employees have faced financial challenges because of reduced work hours and loss of income,” it says.

The Oversight Office performance report reveals that 14 non-profit organizations filed claims for 49 employees, impacted during the Code Red shutdown. And the highest number of affected non-profit employees was claimed by Hope House, with 17 workers, according to data included in the performance report.

“This program will assist many of the employees for the non-profit organizations who were impacted during the period of February 22 to April 18, 2022,” the report said noting that the program opened for intake registration on June 28, after the media advertisements on the local KVZK television and the KSBS Radio station broadcasted this program.

No information was available in the report as to when registration ends. The program provides up to $240 per week for qualified workers for the period that they were furloughed due to COVID-19 Emergency Declaration on Feb. 22.

As of July 30, according to the performance report, no payments were made yet to any of the affected non-profit organization workers.

This ARPA financial assistance is separate from the $4.5 million, administered by the ASG’s Criminal Justice Planning Agency (CJPA) to provide financial aid to non-profit organizations in American Samoa impacted by COVID-19 in order to sustain and advance necessary services and programs to direct beneficiaries in the territory during the pandemic. (See Samoa News edition July 18 for details.)