JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE ASSOCIATION OF CLEVELAND PARTNERSHIPS inCare 2017 ANNUAL REPORT OUR mission 1 jfsa-cleveland.org Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland, a private non-profit organization, serves to strengthen families and individuals in both the Jewish and general communities in Northeast Ohio. Guided by traditional Jewish values of communal responsibility and social justice, JFSA is committed to enhancing every individual’s ability to thrive in our community. JFSA impact 180 WOMEN $30 MILLION 700+ EMPLOYEES AND CHILDREN operating budget1 1 in 4 employees has been received help from Family with JFSA for over 10 years. Violence Services. The Center for Cognition and 251 HOURS OF Recovery, LLC has brought 590 INDIVIDUALS CETCLEVELAND® to LEGAL SERVICES with serious mental were provided to battered women 42 COMMUNITY MENTAL illness received Mental 2 seeking restraining orders, custody HEALTH AGENCIES IN Health Services. arrangements and divorce. 12 STATES as of this year. 2017 Annual Report2017 Annual VOLUNTEERS DONATED 798 HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS 17,225 HOURS ranging in age from 71 to 101 1,745 NIGHTS OF years, received assistance with of personal time to help JFSA EMERGENCY SHELTER clients and staff, saving the reparations, personal care and case were provided through the agency approximately $397,392 management, and help obtaining Hebrew Shelter Home. a year in operating expenses.2 food, clothing and medical care. 48,000 23 MEDICAL, NURSING, 473 INDIVIDUALS KOSHER MEALS AND PHYSICIAN received medical care were delivered by JFSA ASSISTANT STUDENTS including primary care, volunteers to the frail and participated in Aging in ophthalmology, podiatry, elderly at home. Place, an educational program geriatric medical assessment, focused on geriatrics. lab tests and prescriptions. 1Represents unrestricted and temporary restricted funds. 2 Based on the Federal standard rate of $23.07 per hour. All figures represent activity during fiscal year 2017, unless otherwise noted. LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIR AND PRESIDENT & CEO Dear Friends, JFSA is dedicated to helping individuals and families face life’s challenges with confidence. All of our programs, services and supports are designed with this single goal in mind. It is our promise to each individual and family and the community we serve. We remain committed to delivering these services, despite the increasing demand for them and the financial challenges we face from uncertain public funding and persistently rising health care costs. This year’s annual report celebrates just some of the partnerships 3 that help us bring great care to you. These partnerships with Harvey Kotler jfsa-cleveland.org individuals, schools, universities, and medical institutions allow us to broaden the scope of what we can do, and allow us to do it more cost effectively. Our partners work together to form a network of support and education that helps those we serve. From empowering teens, to strengthening families, to caring for loved ones in their homes, everything we do is focused upon helping individuals find solutions to the barriers they face. We thank our partners and our many donors for helping us to create a community of strength. Susan L. Bichsel PhD Harvey Kotler Susan L. Bichsel PhD Board Chair President & CEO new and continued partnerships FORWARD FOCUS & THE CLEVELAND CHESED CENTER Achieving self-sufficiency in the face of financial crisis and the threat of homelessness When the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s 2011 furniture. “Children were going to school hungry, Population Survey revealed that close to 20% of they weren’t eating breakfast or anything before Jewish families were living at or below Federal dinner. Our first priority was to address this by poverty level guidelines, a community task force making nutritious kosher food available to them,” says was established to better understand this alarming Rabbi Adler. Donations from the Jewish community statistic and other troubling economic trends. As a and the Cleveland Food Bank help keep the shelves result, two programs were created with the support stocked. Still, the Center’s work doesn’t stop there. of the Federation: JFSA’s Forward Focus and the Cleveland Chesed Center. Working together for five Rabbi Adler and his staff work closely with JFSA years now, both programs have been successful in staff. Together they help families create a household helping families get back on track. budget, find employment opportunities and affordable 4 housing – all of which support the goal of long-term Rabbi Avrohom Adler, executive director of the financial self-sufficiency. “The families we work with Cleveland Chesed Center, leads the organization’s can see a light at the end of the tunnel,” says Rabbi efforts to provide immediate relief to families, in Adler. “Forward Focus gives them the tools to budget the form of food, clothing, household supplies and properly, so they can enjoy today and tomorrow.” 2017 Annual Report2017 Annual “The families we work with can see a light at the end of the tunnel.” – Rabbi Avrohom Adler Boosting Self-Sufficiency with Legal Expertise Julie Rabin is a bankruptcy attorney who helps Forward Focus clients in a variety of ways. “I work with a lot of families who are affected by divorce, sudden unemployment or catastrophic illness. Before, their family life was secure and predictable; now, they have to find ways to get back on track and don’t know where to turn,” says Julie. “Sometimes it involves declaring bankruptcy, other times it is just a matter of relieving certain debts.” “Clients are happy to connect with Forward Focus because the staff takes the time to carefully review the issues affecting their financial situation. I am just one component of the program. JFSA staff help prepare a client so they feel confident when they meet with me to discuss their options,” she says. 5 jfsa-cleveland.org Julie is happy to partner with Forward Focus. “It makes you feel good when a client says to you, ‘I’m Janisse Nagel, Forward Focus program director (left) glad we did this.’ Sometimes they’ll even call you consults with attorney Julie Rabin on a client case. months later and say they appreciate what you did.” Achieving Self-Sufficiency With These Programs Individual Counseling and Support Groups | Justice System Advocacy and Legal Resources Children’s Art Therapy | Community Education and Professional Training | Temporary Financial Assistance Forward Focus | Financial Literacy and Employment Support | Hebrew Shelter Home Nadav Pecha, Forward Focus specialist, Rabbi Adler, Chesed Center executive director, Meira Friedman, Chesed Center director, and Ariela Dowlek, Forward Focus coordinator, work together to identify solutions for families facing hardships. 159 HOUSEHOLDS received assistance, financial counseling and employment support to overcome financial distress through Forward Focus. AGING IN PLACE & CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Connecting medical students with older adults Stephen Smilowitz is a 3rd year medical student at curriculum for Aging in Place. “Students can better Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, understand the social determinants affecting successful pursuing his career in geriatric medicine. “I always liked healthcare outcomes. For example, they see first-hand being around older people. That’s probably because I whether or not a patient is able to manage his/her had wonderful grandparents,” he explains. “But after prescriptions in their home, or whether or not they participating in the Aging in Place program, I know now can afford their medications,” he says. that this is what I want to do with my career.” Stephen adds another benefit of visiting clients in Aging in Place provides students the opportunity to their home. “We meet with clients over the course of work as a team (consisting of a medical student, nursing several months. You get to build a special relationship student and physician assistant student) and together, with them. They don’t want to burden their families meet with JFSA older adult clients who are living with what’s bothering them, or tell their doctor independently at home. Dr. Elizabeth O’Toole, professor something that might adversely impact a medical of medicine and bioethics at CWRU and director of decision. We’re seen as an in-between. And it brings geriatrics and palliative medicine at MetroHealth, our education to a higher level.” explains this is a very unique program and fills two important gaps in current medical education. Equally important is the inter-professional education that occurs within Aging in Place. “Communication will always “Students don’t always get to be critical among health care providers,” says Dr. O’Toole. work directly with older adults. “Integrating students of different schools together gives This program allows them to them the opportunity to sharpen their communication actually see these individuals in skills with each other early in their education. Plus, it is a their own home environment, skill they can transfer to any discipline.” not in an institutional setting where time is limited and the The result is an extraordinary partnership with JFSA. concerns of the patient can get According to Dr. O’Toole, “JFSA has taught us better lost,” she says ways to develop this program between our students and their clients. Collaborations like this can be really Dr. David Rosenberg, a JFSA complicated. You have different schools, programs, Board Member, agrees. He regulations, and standards. There are a lot of moving and Dr. O’Toole, along with parts. But everyone involved wants it to come out right members of the medical school and so far, it has. That energy is infectious.” faculty at CWRU, developed the Top: Stephen Smilowitz, 3rd year medical student, CWRU School of Medicine Bottom: Dr. Elizabeth O’Toole, professor of medicine and bioethics, CWRU and director of geriatrics and palliative medicine, MetroHealth 631 INDIVIDUALS 320,371 HOURS of private duty 1,843 RIDES are able to live safely at nursing care were delivered to 850 older were made possible with home thanks to their Lifeline adults living at home, including personal JFSA Shuttle-On-The-Go! personal medical alert.