During this economic recession, demand for emergency assistance for food, shelter, medicine and other life-sustaining essentials at JFCS is up 50%.
Helping our neighbors in need during these times is our highest priority. In response to this crisis, JFCS is reconvening JEAN (Jewish Emergency Assistance Network), as we have in past economic and natural disasters, to coordinate response to the economic crisis. Through this network families in trouble know where to go for help and agencies and synagogues know how to refer those in need. Every situation is different, and we work with each individual and family to develop a plan that is tailored to their specific needs. If you know someone who needs help, please call our offices (listed on the left panel). If you are experiencing job loss, some immediate steps you can take are shown here; we can help with counseling, planning next steps, learning interviewing techniques, etc.
Because of the urgent need, JFCS is expanding its Emergency Assistance Fund to help:

1. Families experiencing layoffs or foreclosures on their homes. Some need a small grant to help win back their self-sufficiency; others need crisis counseling and case management to help find their way.
2. At-risk children and teenagers whose parents are struggling to make ends meet and provide a stable home.
3. Older adults and people with disabilities for whom government cuts to programs can spell cutbacks in services that help them remain living safely at home.

46,000 California schoolchildren have been diagnosed with the condition known as autism. According to a front-page article in the San Francisco Chronicle on July 13 that's more than triple the number at the beginning of the decade, making autism the fastest-rising disability in the state. Cognizant of the growing need for research and help for families and children with this condition, JFCS launched a Center for Children with Special Needs through its Parents Place program. Here parents can get the support they need to understand the spectrum of conditions known as autism and the resources they can call upon to enable children with this condition to develop to their full potential. 

JFCS has established a Holocaust Survivors Assistance Fund to meet the needs of Bay Area Survivors, estimated to be in the thousands, many of whom live below the poverty level. To meet the pressing need to help them through their last years with dignity and safety, we must raise $3.5 million—$500,000 each year for the next seven years. A donor has come forward with a $250,000 challenge grant for this year. Your gift now will be matched one-for-one. Please help us keep our promise of a better life for our Survivors here in the Bay Area by contacting Shabana Siegel at 415-449-1252 or shabanas@jfcs.org. 

The April 24 San Francisco Chronicle featured this headline: "Bullied 1st-grader ends up in hospital." The seven-year-old boy lives in Oakland and suffered a fractured skull in this most recent incident. A few months previously, he lost four teeth in a playground scuffle at his elementary school. In both cases, older boys were the culprits and there were witnesses. Not all bullying incidents end up as front-page news, but, unfortunately, the story of bullying is all too common. Now, JFCS offers education for parents, teachers and witnesses at our new Bullying Prevention Training Center. Training formats include a half-day Teacher Professional Development Program, a full-day staff training for all school personnel, and a two-hour parenting education program. For information, contact Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet at 650-688-3037 or at gloriams@jfcs.org.

In partnership with Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, we are lending our staff and volunteers to this effort to identify Holocaust victims by reaching out to their families and friends to offer pages of testimony about those who died. Call 415-449-1258 for more information. 

Read Building Holistic Bridges from Life to Death by JFCS Palliative Care Director Redwing Keyssar 

Read the Washington Post Article on Palliative Care: A New Focus on Easing the Pain  
To learn more, call JFCS' Palliative Care program at 415/449-3749