SAN DIEGO – As the number of families experiencing homelessness and seeking a safe space to stay continues to rise, a proposal to launch a Safe Parking Program at the site of the former Central Elementary School in City Heights is moving forward. The San Diego Unified School District Board of Trustees voted Tuesday night to approve a license agreement with the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) to operate the proposed program at the site. On November 7, the SDHC Board of Commissioners (Board) will consider the contract with Jewish Family Service of San Diego to operate the program.

Note for Media: To maintain safety and dignity, the JFS campus is closed to media during these food distributions. If you are interested in doing

Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) is assisting families with loved ones who were victims of violent crime or domestic violence as part of the new Dr. Ben Harouni’s Hope and Healing Fund. The fund, created in honor of Dr. Ben Harouni, a young dentist murdered in his El Cajon office in February 2024, is powered by a nonprofit his friends and family started shortly after his death called Hearts Over Hate.

“Ben’s death rocked the very foundation of our family. For us, grief counseling was vital as we worked to come to terms with our unimaginable loss. We know that many do not have access to that level of support,” said Hilda Harouni, Ben Harouni’s mother.

Governor Gavin Newsom and the California legislature have allocated $14.5 million to California’s Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program (HSAP), helping to sustain essential services for more than 2,000 Holocaust survivors throughout the state. Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFSSD) alongside six other Jewish Family Service agencies statewide, the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California (JPAC) and the Jewish Caucus advocated for the funding that will be distributed this fiscal year. Aging into their late 80s and 90s, Holocaust survivors are among the most vulnerable members of our community and are increasingly in need of support and care.

Members of the Tifereth Israel Synagogue Sisterhood volunteered at Jewish Family Service (JFS) San Diego on Wednesday, November 12, helping make challah for the Lieber’s Corner Market at the Balboa Avenue campus. Before beginning the challah braiding, Dates gave an overview of JFS’s mission and values. JFS partners with people of all backgrounds to build stable, dignified lives, creating a stronger and healthier community where everyone can thrive. Its guiding values include Justice (Tzedek), Hope (Tikvah), Community (Kehillah), Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam), Acts of Loving Kindness (Gemilut Chasadim), and Healing (R’fuah). Dates asked the volunteers if they knew the difference between hunger and food insecurity. “Hunger,” she explained, “is the physical discomfort caused by lack of food — that rumbling feeling in your stomach. Food insecurity is the lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life — a shortage of resources.”

For the past several weeks, Jewish Family Service has been ramping up its food distribution services to meet a growing need in the community since the government shutdown started last month. Tom Stewart with Jewish Family Service said since they started the Emergency Response Food Distribution Drive five weeks ago, they’ve seen a 30 to 40 percent increase in San Diegans using their food distribution resources.

Elizabeth volunteers at JFS’s Safe Parking Program.

Over the weekend, the federal government temporarily shut off funding for its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, leaving more than 42 million Americans uncertain about how they’ll be able to feed their families in the coming weeks.