Update: 7/20/20
During this year's COVID-19 pandemic, JFCS has been an crucial resource for our communities. With support from the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, they have offered mental health support via affordable tele-therapy and provided direct financial support to over 100 families struggling to put food on the table or make ends meet. Additionally, JFCS has responded to the moment by providing therapeutic community support to those who have lost a loved one to COVID-19. Kol hakavod, JFCS!
Joan had known her divorce would create new challenges. Nonetheless, she found herself quickly overwhelmed in ways she hadn’t expected. Though she worked a fulltime job, finances were a struggle. The divorce was affecting her mental health and was taking a toll on her two sons, who already grappled with behavioral issues. But when Joan turned to Jewish Federation-supported Jewish Family and Children’s Service (JFCS), she was amazed to find so much support in one place.
“Change is very stressful,” says Robin Axelrod Sabag, Assistant Director of Counseling and Therapeutic Services at JFCS.
JFCS understands how a change in lifestyle can leave anyone feeling alone, powerless and unsupported — and that ironically, that’s exactly the moment when it can be hardest to ask for help. That’s why every engagement with JFCS begins with working one-on-one with a case manager who helps assess needs, develop a treatment plan, and connect clients with resources and community. When working with vulnerable adults, JFCS case managers can help advocate with landlords, find sustainable housing and income, re-connect clients with family members, and support clients in accessing local, state and federal assistance programs. JFCS also offers a breadth of services and programming including counseling, financial empowerment programs, clothing assistance, and workshops to help clients develop tools for responding to daily challenges.
“When people are in a state of crisis, it can be difficult to see the larger picture. We work in partnership with clients to come up with short- and long-term treatment goals,” explains Robin. For Joan, coping in the aftermath of divorce, those goals meant connecting to a licensed clinical social worker to give her the mental and emotional support she needed. Then Joan and her case manager got to work accessing financial assistance programs. Through their children’s enrichment fund, JFCS was even able to help Joan’s sons enroll in gymnastics and karate to give them the structure and physical outlet they needed. It’s been life-changing. And as her sons settle into their new routine, Joan, too, is settling in a healthier, more secure new life.
To find out more about JFCS services for vulnerable adults, click here, or contact their Care Navigation Line at 1.866.532.7669.