Jewish Family and Children's Service targets homelessness prevention

SARASOTA -- If you can help a family survive a job loss, and make sure that same family can stay in their home and have food to eat, then you’ve created a lifeline of support says the staff at Jewish Family and Children’s Service (JFCS) organization.

They believe in preventing homelessness through their Building Strong Families Homelessness Prevention program and it’s working in the community.

It’s working for families in crisis, but it’s also taking a lot longer to get people back up and on their feet.

“It’s because of all the local layoffs,” said Pamela Baron, a program director at JFCS. “A year and a half ago when these families came in for help, we’d be looking at maybe a few months, something short-term. Not anymore.”

In fact, the organization has a full staff devoted to working on a plan for families they are helping and there is no fast turnaround right now.

But they have community support, both for volunteer help and for financial help.

“They know we can do the case management more professionally than any other group and, also, provide the services that are needed immediately,” she added.

Building strong families and preventing homelessness is their local mission in Manatee and Sarasota Counties, funded through the United Way of Manatee County, the United Way of Sarasota County, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, Jane’s Trust and Al and Barbara Seimer.

“It is now a full-time job to help families with children,” Baron said.

The organization isn’t just helping families with rent, food and job training, they are establishing a foundation of hope joined with practical skills and some vocational training and counseling.

“We want to get them towards self-sufficiency,” Baron said. “We asked ourselves, ‘How can we prevent this from happening again?’”

Then the organization created a program around answering that question through action.

Vice president of programs Philip Gorelick said the families have to be willing to come in for counseling and training. They have to be ready to take classes and learn a trade that will enable them to make a living again.

“We are a full service organization,” he said. “We work with people before they are born, after they pass and everything in between.”

He said that JFCS is facing what every organization is facing and that is the severe downturn in the economy.

But that’s where their programming comes in to re-strengthen what’s been weakened for families in the area.

“We did homelessness prevention before it was a widespread issue, in 2003,” he said. “At that time we helped hundreds of people, now we are helping thousands.

“Our emphasis is on prevention and assisting families with children on the verge of homelessness and propping them back up.”

Did you read our  Part 1 feature about JFCS Senior Services? Jewish Family and Children’s Service brought in money for elderly after Celebrity Chefs and Wine Tasting event

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