(St Paul) Hurricane aid center to close

[preciousdove]

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/1...

Agencies' services still will be available
BY EMILY GURNON
Pioneer Press

The State Assistance Center, a one-stop shop for Gulf Coast hurricane victims who have come to Minnesota, will close permanently at 7 p.m. today due to a dwindling number of users.

The center, at 1410 Energy Park Drive in St. Paul's Midway area, opened Sept. 15 to help evacuees get cash assistance, clothing, counseling and help with finding schools and housing. Representatives from government agencies and nonprofit and religious groups staffed the center.

About 1,300 individuals and families who came to Minnesota after Hurricane Katrina have signed up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster assistance, the state Department of Public Safety said. About 600 families had come through the assistance center as of Thursday, including six from Hurricane Rita.

A number of people attempted to pose as hurricane survivors to get the free aid, said Susan Lasley, a Department of Public Safety spokeswoman. "We are going to politely escort them out," Lasley said. "There are ways of checking."