Project Ezrah Needs Inc

TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS IN NEED AND TO RAISE FUNDS VIA CONTRIBUTIONS AND VARIOUS EVENTS.

CLIENT FAMILIES NEEDING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: PROJECT EZRAH ADMINISTERS THREE PROGRAMS WITHIN THIS CATEGORY. INTERNALLY THE PROGRAMS ARE CALLED SPARK, BOOST AND PARTNER. ALL THREE PROVIDE VARYING LEVELS OF SUPPORT. HOURS OF PREPARATIONS FOR A CLIENT FAMILY BEGIN EVEN BEFORE THE CLIENT IS ACCEPTED INTO ANY OF THE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS STARTING WITH AN INITIAL INTAKE MEETING TO UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES AND TRY TO ASSESS WHAT THE RIGHT PROGRAM FOR THE FAMILY WOULD BE. IT THEN MOVES ONTO ANALYSIS OF REQUIRED FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS, REVIEW AND VERIFICATION OF FINANCIAL NEED, EVALUATION OF PROBABLE COMPLIANCE TO THE PROGRAM'S PRINCIPLES AND, FINALLY, ACCEPTANCE INTO ONE OF THE THREE PROGRAMS AND THE CREATION OF A UNIQUE-TO-THAT-FAMILY PATH TOWARD SUCCESS. AN EXTENDED INITIAL MEETING ACQUAINTS THE NEW CLIENT FAMILY WITH THE PROGRAM, SETS THE FAMILY'S GOALS, OUTLINES THEIR INDIVIDUAL COURSE OF ACTION AND REVIEWS IN DETAIL THE FAMILY'S FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PACKAGE. THE FAMILY'S FIRST MONTH IN THE PROGRAM USUALLY REQUIRES EXTENDED INTERACTION HOURS SO THAT BOTH SPOUSES, AND EVEN CHILDREN WHEN APPROPRIATE, ARE FULLY COMFORTABLE WITH AND POSSESS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROGRAM. THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF A FAMILY'S PROGRAM, CASE WORKERS, MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS WORK IN AREAS AS NEEDED. ADDITIONALLY, STAFF MEMBERS ARE AVAILABLE TO ASSIST CLIENTS WITH BOOKKEEPING, FINANCIAL PLANNING, IN FINDING APPROPRIATE AND MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT, COMPUTER-TRAINING, SCHOOL SUPPLIES BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF EACH YEAR AS WELL AS PLANNING APPROPRIATE SIMCHAS. THE PARTNER PROGRAM (FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE MANAGED SALARY PROGRAM) ASSISTS CLIENT FAMILIES WITH CRITICAL LIVING EXPENSES, MEDICAL BILLS, APPROVED INVOICES AS WELL AS A CASH ALLOWANCE FOR FOOD AND WEEKLY INCIDENTALS. IN 2021, THE PARTNER PROGRAM ASSISTED 14 FAMILIES; BY YEAR'S END, APPROXIMATELY 14% OF THESE FAMILIES EITHER GRADUATED OUT OF THE PROGRAM OR, WITH MINIMAL ASSISTANCE FROM PROJECT EZRAH, MANAGED ON THEIR OWN. THE BOOST PROGRAM WORKS WITH FAMILIES WHO DO NOT HAVE THE SAME LEVEL OF NEED AS OUR PARTNER CLIENTS OR WHO HAVE GRADUATED OUT OF THAT PROGRAM AS A STEP DOWN PROGRAM. OUR SPARK PROGRAM ASSISTS FAMILIES WHO LOOK TO PROJECT EZRAH FOR PRE-APPROVED, SINGULAR NEEDS ASSISTANCE, COVID ASSISTANCE AND/OR PRO-BONO SERVICES. THERE WERE OVER 170 ADDITIONAL FAMILIES WHO RECEIVED THESE TYPES OF FINANCIAL AID IN 2021; APPROXIMATELY 67% WERE ALSO ABLE TO GRADUATE OUT OF THE PROGRAM BY YEAR'S END.

EMPLOYMENT: THE EMPLOYMENT DEPARTMENT CONNECTS CANDIDATES WITH APPROPRIATE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. AFTER A SPECIFIC IN-TAKE PROCESS, AN INITIAL MEETING ALLOWS COUNSELORS TO ASSESS A CANDIDATE'S JOB READINESS AND MAKE SUGGESTIONS FOR TARGETED AREA IMPROVEMENTS; RESUMES ARE REVIEWED AND REVISED, INTERVIEW SKILLS ARE EVALUATED, JOB-SEARCH STRATEGIES ARE ANALYZED AND APPROPRIATE GOALS ARE ESTABLISHED. CANDIDATES CONTINUE TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH THEIR EMPLOYMENT COUNSELOR UNTIL THEY HAVE FOUND MEANINGFUL AND APPROPRIATE EMPLOYMENT. IN 2021, THE EMPLOYMENT TEAM WORKED DIRECTLY WITH 319 IN-HOUSE CANDIDATES AND WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN PLACING 84 CANDIDATES (26%). ADDITIONAL AND COMPLIMENTARY SERVICES HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED TO AUGMENT THE JOB-SEARCH EXPERIENCE: (1) AN INTERACTIVE JOB BOARD HOSTED 52 CANDIDATES AND LISTED OVER 46 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN 2021. THE JOB BOARD'S ADMINISTRATOR CONTACTS JOB BOARD CANDIDATES TO REVIEW THEIR INDIVIDUAL POSTINGS AND RESUMES AND, WHENEVER POSSIBLE, CONNECTS THESE CANDIDATES WITH POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS. TOWARD THAT END, HE SPENDS MANY HOURS CULTIVATING POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS IN ORDER TO DEVELOP A BROADER SPECTRUM OF AVAILABLE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE PROJECT EZRAH CLIENT/CANDIDATE. (2) A LINKEDIN GROUP PROMOTES NETWORKING. CLOSE TO 2,500 CANDIDATES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS USE THIS FORMAT TO EXPAND EACH CANDIDATE'S OWN NETWORK OF CONTACTS AND ANSWER APPROPRIATE INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. (3) SEMINARS ARE HELD TO ASSIST, ENCOURAGE, ENLIGHTEN AND BROADEN A CANDIDATE'S KNOWLEDGE IN A VARIETY OF SUBJECTS. 2021'S SEMINARS WERE: SCENES FROM BEHIND RECRUITING, READY SET ZOOM, READY SET ZOOM II, MAKE IT A CAREER YEAR, JOB FAIR. RECENT INITIATIVES: IN AN EFFORT TO KEEP CURRENT WITH COMMUNITY NEEDS, THE ORGANIZATION HAS INITIATED A PROGRAM TO IDENTIFY NEW AREAS THAT WILL SUPPORT ITS MISSION GOALS: INTEREST FREE LOAN PROGRAM: INITIATED IN 2016, THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES SMALL, INTEREST-FREE LOANS FOR ONE-TIME UNEXPECTED EXPENSES (ROOF REPLACEMENT, UNEXPECTED TAX BILL, I.E.) WITH RESPECT TO THE IMPORTANCE OF ITS FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY, THE ORGANIZATION HAS INCLUDED THE REQUIREMENT OF TWO GUARANTORS AS PART OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS. TO DATE, SEVERAL LOANS HAVE BEEN GRANTED. HELP EZRAH HELP: IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE SOME FINANCIAL EXPENDITURES ON BEHALF OF ITS CLIENTS, THE ORGANIZATION HAS MADE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO AVAIL ITSELF OF PRO BONO SERVICES DONATED BY COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND HAS THUS CREATED A BASE WITH A BROAD RANGE OF DONATED SERVICES (E.G. LEGAL ASSISTANCE, MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE, FINANCIAL PLANNING, TAX PREPARATION AND ACCOUNTING, TUTORING.) BY THE END OF 2021, THE ORGANIZATION WAS ABLE TO DRAW FROM OVER 160 PRO BONO PROVIDERS, WHICH ENABLED THE ORGANIZATION TO DISTRIBUTE FUNDS IN AREAS OF GREATER NEED. (AT THE END OF 2020 THE ORGANIZATION WAS ABLE TO DRAW FROM OVER 140 PRO BONO PROVIDERS.) THE AISLE: A PATHWAY TO FINANCIAL FIDELITY. A SPECIALIZED TRAINING SEMINAR, TARGETING ENGAGED OR NEWLYWED COUPLES, TO TEACH MONEY MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET PREPARATION. THIS SPECIFIC GROUP HAS BEEN SELECTED IN ORDER TO PREVENT FINANCIAL COLLAPSE PRIOR TO THE ONSET OF THE YESHIVA TUITION AVALANCHE.