JFS BRINGS HELP, HOPE AND HUMANITY DURING COVID

Counseling-Related Efforts:

•            Since shuttering our office for in-person counseling and mental health visits, JFS immediately pivoted all our counseling to teletherapy

•            Services being provided in this manner include:

ᵒ  Individual Counseling

ᵒ  Support Groups

ᵒ  Psychiatry Services

ᵒ  Psychological Testing

ᵒ   JFS is one of the only non-profits providing counseling services on a sliding scale so that no one is turned away due to inability to pay

•            60% of people seeking services require some form of financial assistance

•            Recognizing the huge increase in families facing financial struggles and job loss due to COVID, JFS recently secured funding from our Jewish Federation to provide a limited number of counseling services for those affected by COVID at no charge or copay (100% subsidized)

•            In a typical year, JFS provides over 10,000 hours of mental health services; in 2021, as a result of COVID, we anticipate that number to rise exponentially

•            JFS has several support groups running online for topics such as bereavement, caregiving, anxiety, parenting, etc.

•            The Welcome Home Program for adults living with persistent mental illness is also being provided online and JFS made sure any participants who needed a tablet to continue to participate from home continued to do so

•            JFS accepts most major insurances, Medicare and private-pay clients

Non-Counseling-Related Efforts:

•            JFS has provided more than $280,000 in COVID-19-related financial assistance, primarily to young families and individuals under the age of 65 who never asked for help before

•            Increasing by 41% the amount of food for insecure older adults and Holocaust Survivors, who now receive weekly deliveries of prepared meals from the Adele Loeb and Les Nackman Meals on Wheels Program

•            Absorbing 20 new households in the Jacobson Family Food Pantry

•            We have had tremendous participation in our online workshops and support groups provided by our Career & Employment Services and the JFS Outreach teams:

ᵒ   Over 600 candidates participated in the many online webinars provided by Career & Employment Services

         ᵒ   JFS Community Outreach has provided over 200 virtual support groups; support group topics included bereavement, caregiving, coping with COVID, mindfulness, and even virtual summer camp

        ᵒ   JFS Special Needs Department hosted over 70 support groups specifically geared for families with special needs