Jewish Family Service Of The Desert

TO PROVIDE FOR THE SOCIAL SERVICE NEEDS OF THE JEWISH AND GENERAL COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT THE GREATER COACHELLA VALLEY WITH A COMMITMENT TO PROMOTE THE WELL BEING OF PERSONS OF ALL AGES, INCOME AND LIFESYTLES. IT ACCOMPLISHES ITS PURPOSE BY MAKING AVAILABLE COUNSELING SERVICES IN ADDITION TO FINANCIAL AID IN TIMES OF NEED. ITS SOURCES OF INCOME CONSISTS OF AN ALLOCATION FROM THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE DESERT, COUNSELING FEES FROM CLIENTS, GRANTS, SPECIAL EVENTS AND DONATIONS AND AS SUCH, IT IS SUBJECT TO VARIOUS MARKET CONDITIONS, WHICH WOULD AFFECT THOSE REVENUES FROM TIME TO TIME.

PROVIDED COUNSELING SERVICES, CASE MANAGEMENT, INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SUPPORT AND THERAPY GROUPS, ALL TO THE RESIDENTS OF THE COACHELLA VALLEY ON A NON-SECTARIAN BASIS. THIS INCLUDES COUNSELING SERVICES FOR PALM SPRINGS UNIFIED AND DESERT SANDS UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICTS' ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. JFS PROVIDED DIRECT SERVICES TO MORE THAN 2,080 MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN IN NEED.

JFS OFFERS MANY ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS THAT BENEFIT COACHELLA VALLEY RESIDENTS. FOR INSTANCE: THROUGH GENEROUS GRANTS PROVIDED AGUA CALIENTE BAND OF CAHUILLA INDIANS, BERGER FOUNDATION, BIGHORN CARES, FOGELSON FAMILY FOUNDATION, SCAN, UNION BANK, THE CITIES OF INDIAN WELLS, PALM SPRINGS, AND RANCHO MIRAGE, AND PRIVATE DONORS, ABOUT 117,000 IN FUNDS WERE DISBURSED FOR EMERGENCY NEEDS FOR THOSE WITH LOW INCOMES. DISBURSEMENTS WERE MADE DIRECTLY TO VENDORS FOR NECESSITIES SUCH AS OVERDUE RENT AND UTILITIES, FOOD AND MEDICATIONS. THE LETS DO LUNCH (LDL) PROGRAM ONCE AGAIN RETURNED TO THE INDIVIDUAL LOCATIONS, AND SITES IN CATHEDRAL CITY, PALM DESERT, AND PALM SPRINGS WERE OFFERED, EITHER ONCE MONTHLY OR TWICE MONTHLY, LIVE LDL EVENTS. AS ONE WOULD IMAGINE, THERE WAS SOME TREPIDATION IN RETURNING; THE MAJORITY OF LDL CLIENTS ARE ELDERLY, MANY OF WHOM HAVE PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS. BUT, DESPITE THE RISKS, CLIENTS EAGERLY RETURNED. THE QUARTERLY CHECKS ON CLIENTS MOOD THROUGH THE ADMINISTRATION OF A GERIATRIC DEPRESSION SCALE WILL BE UTILIZED TO MONITOR CLIENT MENTAL HEALTH, AND CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES ALONG WITH REFERRALS TO OUTSIDE AGENCIES CONTINUE TO BE AVAILABLE. CAFE EUROPA, THE ONCE-MONTHLY EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIALIZATION PROGRAM FOR LOCAL HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS ALSO BEGAN TO OFFER IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING. HOWEVER, THE CLOSURE OF THE TOLERANCE EDUCATION CENTER IN RANCHO MIRAGE FORCED JFS TO FIND A NEW LOCATION FOR IN-PERSON PROGRAMS. THANKFULLY, OUR FRIENDS AT THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE DESERT ANSWERED THE CALL AND NOW HOST THE IN-PERSON MEETINGS. CAFE EUROPA SPECIAL EVENTS IN CONJUNCTION WITH HANNUKAH, PURIM, AND PASSOVER CONTINUE TO BE HELD AT TEMPLE SINAI IN PALM DESERT, AND MEMBERS OF THE JFS AUXILIARY CONTINUE TO WORK WITH STAFF TO OFFER ASSISTANCE WITH PROGRAM LOGISTICS. THE JFS EXPRESS VOLUNTEER TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM CONTINUES TO BE SUSPENDED, AND JFS IS REASSESSING THE PROVISION OF TRANSPORTATION SERVICES TO AND FOR ITS CLIENTS. IMPROVED TRANSPORTATION SERVICES WOULD BE A BENEFIT FOR MANY COACHELLA VALLEY RESIDENTS, ESPECIALLY SENIORS. THE FAMILY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (FAP), PRIMARILY SUPPORTED THROUGH GENEROUS GRANTS FROM THE FOGELSON FAMILY FOUNDATION AND THE BERGER FOUNDATION, AS WELL AS A HANDFUL OF PRIVATE DONORS, ASSISTED 127 HOUSEHOLDS AND 661 INDIVIDUALS WHOSE INCOMES WERE DETRIMENTALLY AFFECTED FROM COVID. THE PROGRAM IS NOW CLOSED, BUT WE BELIEVE THAT IT SERVED ITS FUNCTION OF PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS IN THE FACE OF A PANDEMIC. TO EXPAND ACCESS TO JFS SERVICES BY RESIDENTS OF THE EASTERN COACHELLA VALLEY, JFS COLLABORATED WITH THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY CENTER OF THE DESERT TO OFFER PRIVATE OFFICE SPACE TO JFS CLIENTS WHO RESIDE IN THE AREA BUT WHO DO NOT HAVE THE NEEDED INTERNET CONNECTION, HARDWARE, AND EVEN PRIVACY NEEDED TO CONDUCT AN APPROPRIATE COUNSELING SESSION. ALL INCOMING AND EXISTING JFS CLIENTS WERE INFORMED OF THE SPACE, BUT NO CLIENTS REQUESTED ACCESS. WE BELIEVE THIS IS A SIGN OF INCREASED CAPACITY PROVIDED BY NONPROFIT SERVICE PROVIDERS IN THE AREA IN ADDITION TO THE UNFORTUNATE PRESENCE OF STIGMA THAT PREVENTS THOSE WHO NEED SERVICES FROM EVEN SEEKING THEM OUT. UNFORTUNATELY, STIGMA REMAINS PREVALENT, BUT OUR EFFORTS TO EDUCATE AND SUPPORT, WE BELIEVE, WILL CONTINUE TO REDUCE STIGMA AND INCREASE DEMAND FOR AND ACCESS TO NEEDED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. OUR COLLABORATION WITH THE INLAND EQUITY LAND TRUST AND GET IN MOTION ENTREPRENEURS TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL PODCASTS, SERVICE REFERRALS, AND FREE MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING (IN SPANISH) TO MEMBERS OF THE MIGRANT AND HISPANIC POPULATIONS IN THE EASTERN COACHELLA VALLEY CONTINUES. WHILE REFERRALS FOR COUNSELING REMAIN MODEST, THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS HAVE WATCHED THE PODCASTS, RECEIVING VALUABLE INFORMATION THAT WE HOPE WILL LEAD TO IMPROVED STABILITY FOR MANY IN THE AREA. JFS CONTINUES TO PROVIDE NEEDED COMMUNITY SERVICES, PREVENTING HOMELESSNESS AND IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THOUSANDS OF LOCAL RESIDENTS ANNUALLY.