Twenty-five years after September 11, Children’s Aid honors those who were lost and remembers the countless New Yorkers whose lives were forever changed. In the days, months, and years that followed, we joined organizations and individuals across the city to help children and families cope, recover, and rebuild. 

Within hours of the attacks, Children’s Aid began mobilizing to address the urgent needs of families who had lost loved ones, workers who had lost their livelihoods, and people struggling with grief and trauma. 

Children’s Aid was not a disaster relief organization. But responding to people in crisis was a natural extension of our work. Drawing on decades of experience helping New York City families navigate difficult circumstances, we quickly adapted existing programs and procedures to meet an unprecedented moment.

We established a Disaster Relief Unit and opened two service centers where staff assessed individual needs and developed personalized relief plans. Our response included emergency financial assistance, food and clothing, benefits guidance, legal information, and referrals for medical care, mental health services, childcare, and after-school programs.  

A Mental Health Task Force provided resources on coping with grief and trauma and trained staff to support affected families. As the scope of the crisis became clearer, a dedicated World Trade Center Relief Unit was formed to coordinate emergency assistance, case management, outreach, and collaboration with other agencies. 

Mental health support became an especially important part of the response. Children’s Aid provided individual, family, and group counseling, including bereavement groups and support groups for displaced workers in Brooklyn and the Bronx. One Spanish-language bereavement group was conducted by conference call, allowing participants separated by distance to share their experiences and find comfort in community. 

Altogether, Children’s Aid assisted more than 4,000 people. For some, help meant a one-time grant to pay rent or meet another immediate expense. For others, recovery required years of support. Staff worked closely with more than 100 families directly affected by the attacks, helping them address long-term needs ranging from childcare and education to job training, counseling, and financial assistance. 

The impact also extended to young people across the city. Children’s Aid staff saw adolescents struggling with anger, anxiety, prejudice, and uncertainty about the future. In response, programs such as the Hope Leadership Academy in Harlem helped young people build confidence, leadership skills, and a greater sense of possibility. By 2004, 160 young people had participated in the academy and, through peer education and training, reached thousands more. 

The response was made possible by an extraordinary outpouring of support. Foundations, companies, community organizations, and thousands of individuals contributed nearly $28 million to support financial assistance, case management, and mental health services. New Yorkers contributed in ways large and small — including children who organized lemonade sales and communities that held benefit concerts. 

And as the immediate crisis receded, Children’s Aid remained. 

Years later, a dedicated caseworker continued working exclusively with 9/11 families, providing guidance and advocacy, administering financial assistance, connecting families to educational opportunities and other resources, and helping them navigate complex systems of services and benefits. 

September 11 tested Children’s Aid in ways few moments in our history had. It also reinforced something fundamental about our work: responding to crisis requires more than meeting an immediate need. It requires listening, adapting, collaborating, and being prepared to stay for as long as families need support. 

Twenty-five years later, we remember those who lost their lives and the families, first responders, workers, and communities whose lives were forever changed. We also remember the extraordinary ways New Yorkers showed up for one another. 

For Children’s Aid, it meant doing what we had done for nearly 150 years before that September morning — and what we have continued to do ever since: standing alongside New York City’s children and families when they need us most.