Hurricane Relief - 2022

We have all been moved by the devastation that Hurricane Fiona inflicted on the people of Puerto Rico. We have been speaking with court officials in Puerto Rico and have heard firsthand the impact of this disaster on their court community.

To assist the court communities, the New York State Unified Court System is once again activating the Court Families Assistance Fund. We established the Fund to assist UCS judges, employees and their families who were victims of the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. In 2005, the Fund assisted court employees and their families in the Gulf Region in the wake of Hurricane Katrina; in 2012, the Fund provided aid to members of the UCS court family who suffered losses when Hurricane Sandy hit the eastern seaboard; and most recently in 2017, the Fund assisted judges and employees of the Puerto Rico court system who suffered losses in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Donations to the Assistance Fund will be used to provide impacted court personnel and their families in Puerto Rico with immediate financial assistance to help them through this difficult time. The Fund's proceeds will be distributed for necessary expenses associated with shelter, food, clothing, and medical care.

As a result of the damage incurred by Hurricane Ian in Florida, we also reached out to court officials there, to offer similar assistance. However, we have been informed that due to statutory restrictions, the Florida Judges and court staff would not be able to accept any assistance from the Court Families Assistance Fund.

The Court Families Assistance Fund was established in partnership with Justice Innovation Inc. d/b/a, the Center for Court Innovation, a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations to the Assistance Fund are tax deductible as permitted by law. You may contribute to the Assistance Fund to benefit those in Puerto Rico by donating online or by making a check payable to:

Court Families Assistance Fund
c/o Justice Innovation Inc. d/b/a Center for Court Innovation
520 Eighth Avenue, 18th floor
New York, NY 10018

For questions or more information, email assistancefund@nycourts.gov

Thank you in advance for your generosity.