Earlier this month, the San Diego region was given nearly $40 million from the federal government’s Shelter and Services Program to help the migrant population. The money is split in half between San Diego County and Catholic Charities of San Diego and Jewish Family Service, organizations that has run migrant shelters in San Diego for years. Now that the money has been awarded, advocates want to see a collaborative approach between all levels of government and local service providers to come up with a lasting migrant welcome program.

FEMA announced our region will receive more than $39 million as part of its Shelter and Services program, half of which the county is getting directly. “There is a gap of about $11.8 million, even just to maintain the existing infrastructure that we have in our community. And so again, it’s really a critical opportunity for the county to come alongside organizations like Jewish Family Service and Catholic Charities, in addition to those advocates and organizations that are supporting for the folks that are being released to the streets of San Diego,” said Kate Clark, Senior Director of Immigration Services at JFS.

Jewish Family Service says it has helped 200,000 migrants in transit through San Diego County since 2018, providing them with temporary shelter, meals and transportation to their final destinations across the U.S. When county funding ran out in late February, JFS did not stop aiding asylum-seekers. “Organizations like Jewish Family Service in San Diego, Catholic Charities, Immigrant defenders, Al Otro Lado, Haitian Bridge Alliance, the list goes on for organizations that continue to step forward in the absences of funding,” said Kate Clark, Senior Director of Immigration Services with JFS. Learn more on how you can help ensure San Diego remains a welcoming place for those in search of a safer life—free from violence and persecution.

Local migrant services groups are urging San Diego County leaders to collaborate with those working directly with migrants on the ground before deciding how to spend its recent $19.6 millions allocation from the federal government. “It is our expectation that we’re able to think through a regional plan that hopefully gets to a place of avoiding street releases,” said Kate Clark, senior director of immigration services for Jewish Family Service of San Diego, “but in order to do that, the organizations that are closest to the work really need to inform the county how they can put forth a plan to the federal government to use these funds.”

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it would offer $39.2 million in new federal funding to the San Diego region as part of its Shelter and Services Program. But there are now concerns that the very groups which built these advocacy networks locally are being left out of discussion. Learn more on how you can help ensure San Diego remains a welcoming place for those in search of a safer life—free from violence and persecution.

Border nonprofits including Jewish Family Service of San Diego are hailing the increase as a win that’s reflective of the recent uptick in migrant arrivals near the California border. California has funded humanitarian services for migrants released from federal custody at the border, including $150 million last year. But, with the state facing a massive deficit, no border funding has been budgeted this year.

In this segment, reporter Gustavo Solis addresses the current announcement of federal funding, including using some of the funds to start a migrant transit center and to support current shelters operated by Catholic Charities and Jewish Family Service. Kate Clark, Sr. Director of Immigration Services is interviewed.

This Passover, Jewish Family Service of San Diego is collecting food donations for San Diegans experiencing food insecurity. “Hunger is a major challenge facing many San Diegans. As many as 33% of our neighbors do not have enough food to last this month,” said JFS CEO Michael Hopkins. “San Diegans healthy food donations will help us stock the shelves of our pantry and assist our neighbors in need.”

El Balboa Avenue Older Adult Center (BAOAC) de Jewish Family Service se dedica a un ambiente acogedor para personas con Alzheimer. Conozca a Aviva Saad, la coordinadora del programa BAOAC, y vea cómo es un día típico en BAOAC.

A select group of local community members, including Federation Board members, organizational partners, and major donors, participated in the Jewish Federation of San Diego’s second Solidarity Mission to Israel. Carole Yellen, Senior Director of the Center for Jewish Care at Jewish Family Service, shares her reflections on this life-changing trip.

San Diego had the privilege of hosting 130 courageous teens from Sha’ar HaNegev along with 20 staff members, providing them all with much-needed respite and a home away from home. From the moment they arrived, our community’s open arms created an atmosphere of joy, love, and connection. Jewish Family Service and countless others have been pillars of this support, showcasing the best of what we can achieve together.

The San Diego Seniors Community Foundation (SDSCF) awarded 14 local senior centers and nonprofit organizations, one being Jewish Family Service (JFS), to strengthen senior center programming and enhance executive leadership and ensure that a sophisticated network of local senior centers exists to help combat senior isolation. One of the exciting programs that the Foundation is helping to fund is the Jewish Family Services “Fix It” Program, which provides no-cost minor home modifications to seniors 60 and over. Learn more at www.jfssd.org/fixit.

Jewish Family Service distributed the last payments in February for a two-year guaranteed income pilot program, “San Diego for Every Child.” The results reflect the findings of an experiment unfolding in dozens of similar programs across the country that ask the question: What happens if you give low-income people monthly cash, no strings attached?
Most recipients spend no-strings cash on food and groceries, basic retail items like backpacks, shoes and haircuts, housing and utilities, and transportation. Participants report not just their happiness and quality of life improving, but their relationships, too. Khea Pollard, San Diego for Every Child director, said programs like this are scalable—taxpayers are already spending the money. Most of the families in the pilot program were already working full- or part-time, and, as a result of the program, sought new opportunities. Now on track to becoming debt-free, they have money, and hope, to invest in their futures.

Reporter Gustavo Solis sat down with Michael Hopkins, JFS CEO, and Kate Clark, Senior Director of Immigration, to discuss how to mend our broken immigration system. In the past five years, JFS has welcomed and assisted more than 200,000 vulnerable asylum seekers, becoming the national model for facilitating legal pathways.

One day after a county-run welcome center closed down far earlier than anticipated due to lack of funds, border agencies dropped hundreds of people seeking asylum on the streets of San Diego without resources, further straining the resources of volunteer-run groups currently on-site to try to help them.

Networks of regional nonprofits and local governments have been coordinating with US border officials for more than five years to help released migrants arrange transportation out of border communities. According to Kate Clark, JFS Senior Director of Immigration, “Our job is to really make sure that they are safe, and they’re healthy, and they’re able to successfully move on to their final point of contact.”

Just as the panel is ‘needed more than ever,’ it’s struggling to function. A growing number of members are calling for an overhaul, and greater oversight from county leaders. A welcome new voice on the commission will be JFS Board Member Rabbi Jason Nevarez of Congregation Beth Israel. He replaces Kate Clark, who is stepping down because of capacity. “JFS continues to believe strongly in the mission of the HRC and remains committed to making our county a better place to live for all,” said Michael Hopkins, its CEO.

Jewish Family Service of San Diego offers in-person congregate dining throughout San Diego for adults aged 60 years. Taking care of our community’s older adults has long been a priority at JFS. Learn more and register at www.jfssd.org/congregate-dining.

Donors and food bank visitors are struggling with lingering high prices. With food and operating costs up, food nonprofits are feeling the biggest squeeze in years. “When we look at last fall compared to this fall, we’re seeing a 27 percent increase in our meal distributions. That’s everything from home-delivered meals to our pantry services for community distributions, and year-over-year community in-kind food donations are down about 23 percent.” Kristine Stensberg, JFS Senior Director of Nutrition & Aging Services.

Since mid-September, Border Patrol has processed more than 60,000 migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, who have then been released into San Diego County before the majority depart for other cities in the U.S. Asylum seekers deemed most vulnerable — typically families with young children, pregnant women, and sick and elderly people — are sent directly to shelters operated by Jewish Family Service of San Diego and Catholic Charities, SBCS CEO Kathryn Lembo said.

A new complaint filed with the Department of Homeland Security alleges that migrants are routinely separated from their spouses, adult children, and other relatives after leaving federal custody. Al Otro Lado, ACLU, Jewish Family Service of San Diego and UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy allege some migrants have been separated for months from their loved ones. They give several examples in the federal complaint

Nearly 1,100 migrant families have been separated while being processed at the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego since September, immigrant advocacy groups, including Jewish Family Service of San Diego, said in a letter sent Thursday to the Department of Homeland Security that seeks an investigation into the matter (Read Letter). The separations stem from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s ongoing practice of releasing high volumes of migrants to street locations around San Diego County without coordinated reception plans. “The trauma families experience during the periods of separation is compounded by CBP’s lack of communication and the near-total opacity of their practices,” states the letter to the Department of Homeland Security’s office of civil rights and civil liberties, which was also signed by the ACLU Foundation of San Diego and Imperial Counties, and Jewish Family Service of San Diego.

Jewish Family Service of San Diego hosted its annual Signature Luncheon last month at the Hilton La Jolla at Torrey Pines with nationally renowned Rabbi and author Sharon Brous appearing via a video feed.

Jewish Family Service’s Supporting Our Survivor (SOS) program brings Hanukkah to low-income Holocaust Survivors in San Diego. In doing so, JFS is combating Jewish stereotypes and providing company and connection for aging survivors.

A new study is providing insight into San Diego’s Jewish population. Michael Hopkins, CEO of Jewish Family Service (JFS), said the data will help JFS and other organizations be more targeted in providing services to financially struggling Jews.