KORET AWARDS SECOND $1 MILLION ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE GRANT TO HELP BAY AREA FAMILIES
San Francisco, CA –The Koret Foundation has awarded another $1 million grant to Bay Area Jewish family and children’s service agencies, doubling its support for residents who continue to struggle with temporary job loss or home foreclosure in the ongoing economic downturn, Koret President Tad Taube announced today. In combination with $817,800 to Bay Area food programs and food banks in the period since the economic decline began, this new grant brings Koret’s investment in Bay Area economic emergency services to $2.8 million for the current crisis.
Working with the Bay Area’s three Jewish family service agencies, the support will continue to shore up the agencies’ capacity to respond to the growing numbers of families and individuals who have been laid off, missed mortgage payments, or otherwise been negatively affected by current conditions. Among the services the agencies offer are financial planning, psychological counseling and short-term grants or loans to help people get back on their feet. Jewish Family & Children’s Services of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties (JFCS) will oversee the program for all three Jewish family service agencies.
In December 2008, Koret awarded $1 million to reactivate JEAN — the Jewish Emergency Assistance Network — which coordinates services among JFCS, Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley, Jewish Family and Children’s Services of the East Bay, and community organizations and synagogues. JEAN leveraged the three agencies’ resources, establishing a community referral network to ensure coordination of services across the three regions; JFCS managed the program for all three Jewish family service agencies.
“Koret’s previous emergency economic assistance grant had a crucial and immediate impact, helping thousands of people get back on their feet,” said Gayle Zahler, JFCS associate executive director, who coordinates JEAN. “While 80 percent of our caseload has been stabilized out of immediate crisis, many people face ongoing challenges as they struggle to find jobs and catch up. With Koret’s support, we will be able to continue to meet our increased demand while maintaining our other vital services to the Jewish community.”
In 2008, Jewish family service agencies across the Bay Area reported a 25 percent increase in requests for services, and several thousand more families sought help during 2009 as the economic crisis continued. Koret’s swift assistance enabled JEAN to help 720 households comprising 2,500 individuals regain their economic equilibrium; JFCS projects nearly two thousand more individuals will seek help in 2010. While unemployment numbers have slightly improved nationwide, California continues to face 12.5 percent unemployment -- the fourth highest unemployment rate in the nation.
“We are proud to partner again with Jewish Family and Children’s Services, a responsive and responsible organization that serves both the Jewish and general communities, to aid those who are still or newly in need,” Taube said.
“As we had hoped, Koret’s initial leadership in providing support for emergency assistance inspired increased giving from both individuals and the various Jewish Community Federations,” said Koret CEO Jeff Farber. “We hope that this second grant will remind everyone in our community that there are people who still need our help.”
Since 1979, JFCS has mobilized JEAN to effectively respond to economic crises, natural disasters, the AIDS crisis and the massive resettlement of Jews from the former Soviet Union.
In addition, Koret’s board has awarded $817,800 since the onset of the current economic emergency in September, 2008, to 14 organizations that directly help the hungry and homeless, including the Glide Foundation, the Salvation Army, St. Anthony Foundation and the San Francisco Food Bank. This set of grants is a legacy to Koret Founder Joseph Koret, whose interest in hunger ranged from food policy research to support for food banks, shelters and other direct service providers. In the last 20 years, Koret has awarded some $5.5 million to Bay Area organizations that serve the hungry and homeless.
CONTACT:
Susan Wolfe
Director, Grantmaking Programs and Communications
Koret Foundation
(415) 882-7740
swolfe@koretfoundation.org