“Our immigration system is broken,” says Kate Clark, JFS’s Senior Director of Immigration Services, as she calls on the public to hold elected officials accountable for rebuilding the immigration system. The Border Patrol recently created a horrific humanitarian situation, detaining hundreds of migrants between the border fences. San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN) Migrant Shelter Services, which is operated by JFS, stands ready to continue to help asylum seekers, despite restrictive new border policies imposed by the Biden Administration after Title 42 was lifted on May 11.

The San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN) Migrant Shelter Services, which is operated by JFS, is assisting Afghan refugees who were U.S. allies during the war but were left behind when American troops left Kabul in 2021. Thousands are fleeing the country, fearing retaliation from the Taliban. Many know the Biden Administration is clamping down on immigration but are risking the perilous journey from South America through the Darien Gap, which is being advertised on TikTok, Facebook, and WhatsApp by smugglers claiming it is safe. Once in Border Patrol custody, they are considered “aliens,” subject to deportation. The Afghans qualify for humanitarian parole in the U.S., but few have been approved.

Humanitarian groups, including Immigrants Defenders Law Center and the American Friends Service Committee, are calling attention to what they call human rights violations by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Since the lifting of Title 42 border restrictions, the San Diego Rapid Response Migrant Shelter Service, which is operated by JFS, has seen as many as five times more migrants per day than average, according to JFS’s Kate Clark, Senior Director of Immigration Services. Clark says JFS is coordinating the processing of asylum-seekers with federal partners, including the Department of Homeland Security.

Vista City Council Member Katie Melendez says the Civic Center parking lot on Eucalyptus Avenue will be a great location for JFS’s new Safe Parking lot, which is expected to open in August. JFS will provide case management services to help participants find stable housing. “The lot in Vista will be pretty similar to the one in Encinitas,” said Chris Olsen, JFS’s Chief of Staff. “It will also have 25 spaces.” Most of the people using the Encinitas lot are over 50 and have full-time jobs, he says.

The long-term financial impact on 2,250 families and individuals receiving a $4,000 grant from JFS’s Recovery Action Fund for Tomorrow (RAFT) will be studied by the County’s Office of Evaluation, Performance and Analytics. “Inflation compounds the issues that were already existing for these families,” said Khea Pollard, JFS’s Director of Economic Mobility and Opportunity. Recipients are free to use the money however they decide. “The intent is we want the families to prioritize their needs,” said Alberto Banuelos, the Assistant Director of the County’s Health and Human Services Agency’s Self-Sufficiency Services department.

The response from local community groups aiding migrants since the end of Title 42 is credited with helping the situation from becoming more dire. “We have seen – especially in our community – the ability for us to move forward together as a … community united in our values of welcoming the stranger,” said JFS’s Senior Director of Immigration Services Kate Clark. Customs and Border Protection has now processed the large groups of migrants the Border Patrol was keeping in open-air holding areas near the border walls.

Community groups on both sides of the border — including the People’s Association of Justice Advocates, WorldBeat Cultural Center, Madres y Familias Deportas en Accion, the Black Contractors Association, Interfaith Community Services, and Friends of Friendship Park — have organized a network of resources to help thousands of asylum seekers hoping to apply for protection after the end of the Title 42 border policy. People who want to donate or volunteer are being referred to The San Diego Rapid Response Network Migrant Shelter (SDRRN), which is operated by JFS.

JFS and San Diego county leaders have announced that low-income families and seniors hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic could receive $4,000 in cash to help them recover. The one-time grant is aimed at people living in certain zip codes hardest hit by the pandemic, particularly people at risk of becoming homeless.

County leaders and JFS have announced that 2,250 applicants could potentially receive a $4,000 grant from a new program developed by JFS, called the Recovery Act for Tomorrow (RAFT). If chosen, the money will be transferred directly into bank accounts, and recipients can use it however they want. JFS developed the program for low-income families and seniors who are still being impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.

JFS will randomly select 2,250 applicants to receive a one-time $4,000 grant from a new program, called the Recovery Act for Tomorrow (RAFT). Low-income families and seniors in 39 zip codes who earn less than 200% of the federal poverty level can apply on the JFS website. The program is intended to help those still struggling economically from the COVID-19 pandemic.

San Diego County health officials announced a new program offering $4,000 payments to low-income families and older adults still suffering the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our communities have still not recovered,” said County Board Chairperson Nora Vargas. One-time payments “gives people the dignity to make their own decisions” about necessary spending, she said. The Recovery Action Fund for Tomorrow (RAFT) will be administered by JFS and distribute payments to 2,250 families and older adults who qualify.

The County of San Diego announced a new program offering $4,000 payments to low-income families and older adults called the Recovery Action Fund for Tomorrow (RAFT), which will be administered by JFS. “The COVID-19 pandemic has made issues of inequality more stark,” said Nick Macchione, director of the county’s Health and Human Services Agency. Khea Pollard, JFS’s director of economic mobility and opportunity, said JFS’s current income assistance program is proof that direct financial assistance is well spent. “Families are buying food, they’re buying household necessities,” she said.

One-time payments of $4,000 are being made available to thousands of low-income people and older adults who live in one of the 39 zip codes hit hardest by the pandemic, especially those who may be at risk of becoming homeless. JFS created and will administer the Recovery Action Fund for Tomorrow (RAFT). “This one-time cash payment can be life-changing for those recovering from the pandemic,” said Nick Macchione, director of the County’s Health and Human Services Agency.

JFS and County Board Chairperson Nora Vargas announced that applications will soon be accepted for the Recovery Action Fund for Tomorrow (RAFT), a program developed by JFS and funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. One-time, unrestricted payments of $4,000 will be available to 2,250 low-income families and older adults hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. “At Jewish Family Service, we are already seeing immense benefits from a similar program we launched last year,” said Khea Pollard, JFS’s director of Economic Mobility And Opportunity.

San Diego City Councilwoman Dr. Jen Campbell joined Mayor Todd Gloria, County Board Chairperson Nora Vargas, and JFS CEO Michael Hopkins at the opening of JFS’s newest Safe Parking lot in Rose Canyon. Campbell thanked JFS for its “constant work in coordinating the Safe Parking lot program.”

A new pandemic relief program will provide $4,000 to help low-income people and older adults living in certain county zip codes that were hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. JFS will randomly select 2,250 families to receive the money, which does not have to be paid back. “We know that direct cash assistance programs are a very effective and efficient way to reduce poverty and increase equity in our communities,” said Khea Pollard, JFS’s director of Economic Mobility and Opportunity.

The Recovery Action Fund for Tomorrow (RAFT) will be accepting applications on the JFS website through May 21, 2023. The $4,000 allocations will be awarded to 2,250 families or people selected at random from the pool of applicants who are still suffering the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We know that struggle continues for many,” said County Board Chairwoman Nora Vargas. “We want this money to help people overcome those hardships.”

The Vista City Council approved a location for the County’s next Safe Parking lot, which will be operated by JFS at the Vista Civic Center within the Eucalyptus Avenue parking lot. The new lot is expected to open in August and will provide services to help participants transition to stable housing. JFS’s Chief of Staff Chris Olsen says referrals for the 25 spaces will come from Vista-based organizations, including the Vista Homelessness Working Group, Exodus, Elder Help of San Diego, and the Vista Unified School District.

JFS says there is continuing uncertainty about what will happen when Title 42 expires on May 11, but that it will continue to assist migrants at the same level it has been doing for the past four years. Border towns across the country are bracing for a possible surge. El Paso has already declared a state of emergency. “We will not be able to service the people we may receive without significant federal resources,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria.

JFS is teaming up with Feeding San Diego and other non-profits to rescue unsold food from local Starbucks stores as part of the company’s FoodShare program and distribute it directly to the community. More than 200 local Starbucks stores donate to the program, providing sandwiches, wraps, protein boxes, and pastries.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria joined JFS CEO Michael Hopkins and other elected officials – including County Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas and City Councilmember Jennifer Campbell – at the opening of the new Safe Parking Lot on Morena Boulevard in Clairemont. The new 24-hour lot in Rose Canyon has 15 parking spaces and 12 camper trailers with beds and showers for families experiencing homelessness. JFS will provide access to housing resources, employment assistance, credit repair, financial education, and other services and expects to open another Safe Parking lot in Vista by August.

Citing recent instances of cruelty and neglect, JFS partnered with 180 national advocacy groups, medical professionals, and others to send a letter to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Acting Commissioner Troy Miller, demanding that the CBP uphold the reproductive rights and health of migrants. The group is demanding a change to policies regarding pregnant, postpartum, nursing women, and their infants. “All people deserve safe and adequate reproductive health care, including those seeking their legal right to asylum in the U.S.” said Kate Clark, senior director of immigration services at JFS.

Longtime JFS Volunteer Shelley Miller-Odelson reflects on her experience volunteering at The Corner Market, and her desire to help fight the growing food insecurity in our community and save surplus food otherwise headed for the landfill by repurposing salvaged food from donor grocery stores, Senior Gleaners, Starbucks, Feeding San Diego, and the San Diego Food Bank.

JFS’s new Safe Parking Lot is getting ready to open in Rose Canyon. Twelve camper trailers will be available for families experiencing homelessness, along with fifteen spaces for people sleeping in their cars. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is calling on other cities to expand services. ”There’s nothing magical about this parking lot,” he said. “Every city in this county has one. Consider whether or not you can actually make space for the people who are homeless in your city and actually provide services to them.”

JFS is opening another 24-hour Safe Parking Lot in Rose Canyon, with a dozen trailers provided by the City of San Diego, along with 15 other parking spaces. Families with young children will be given priority for the trailers. “Our goal is to have a program available that meets the needs of every unhoused person that our outreach workers encounter,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. JFS will operate the site, and provide meaningful resources and tools to help people experiencing homelessness stabilize and transition back into permanent housing.