Letters from the Jewish Family Service Agency requesting financial aid from the Jewish Federation Foundation, February 1989

I J )Bwlsh family servlca ayancy 1555 E. Flamingo Road. Suite 125 ? Las Vegas. Nevada 89109 ? (702) 732-0304 February 21, 1989 Mr. Norman Kaufman, Executive Director J ewi s h Fed erat ion 1030 E . Tw in Ave. Las V eg as , Nevada 8 91 0 9 Re : J ewish F Dear No rm: J ew ish Family S erv ic e Agenc Feder at ion Foundat i on f o r $10,0 level o f s ervice to o ur elderly Dir ec to r o f the 0 f f ic e o f Aging month a re coming to L a s Vegas. appro ximat ely 4% of t h is influx unabl e to meet th e ne e ds of thi funds ? JF SA had no t a nt ic ipate senio r pop ulat ion ? T wo vi tal pro gr am s w e ar e a The agency is aid of losing our Volunteer program and a new program we just developed: "Shared Housing- Las Vegas Match." These programs are helping isolated frail Jewish people who are alone and need emotional support and caring. The Volunteer Coordinator is needed to maintain and supervise the many volunteers who are in our office at all hours. Without close supervision, we will lose them. The JFSA Volunteer Coordinator helps to maintain a telephone reassurance program to lonely, isolated elderly, develops promotional materials, and supervises volunteers who provide transportation to shopping and doctors' appointments. A most important service JFSA volunteers provide is respite for family who are care-givers to ill relatives, and help to sick indivi?duals who have no family, , a dialysis patient trapped in his apartment. In addition, ?the JFSA volunteer coordinator de?velops volunteers for other community agencies. William Feldman. ACSW, Executive Director A Beneficiary Agancy of Jtwlik Fidaration of Lot Vega* A United Way Agency A COUNSELING SERVICE FOR PERSONAL AND FAMILY PROBLEMS A?*ociation of Jewish Family and Children's AgenciesPage 2 Mr. Norman Kaufman, Exec Jewish Federation Dir Se nior '04iai ud'~IluJA-S-iric is an important resource we have developed for the Jewish Community. Housing is the largest expenditure category of older persons. Excessive Housing costs, maintenance and repair problems, excessive medical costs create an environment which makes it difficult for the elderly to live independently. When they need help, they turn to JFSA. Therefore, Jewish Family Service has initiated a new program which dees not.ekist in the Las Vegas community; "Shared Housing." Shared housing is defined as two or more unrelated people who pool their personal and financial resources and share a home. For older people, shared hosuing presents an alternative to institutionaliza?tion and homelessness. At present, the Senior Home Sharing Coordinator works 10 hours a week. In order for the program to work, we need to increase her hours to -t-w??-fe.y?t20-) ? The JFSA Volunteer Program and the Shared Housing Program combine elements of emotional support and community connected?ness which is usually represented by family. Yet, Las Vegas is a community where family may be 2800 miles away and the community is expected to meet the role of family. Jewish Family Service Agency represents the Jewish Com?munity through programs which acknowledge the elderly's existence and say "We Care" - whether a Volunteer visiting an isolated 67-year-old dialysis patient or two 80-year-old seniors finding each other to live together. We are requesting your financial support for JFSA' s Elderly Services program. Grant Request Volunteer Coordinator Senior Home Sharing $5,000/Part Time $5,000/Part Time Sincerely, William Feldman, ACSW Executive Director Enclosures Proposal for Home Sharing Job Description for Volunteer CoordinatorPage 2 Currently, the Senior Shared Housing Coordinator works 10 hours per week. In order for the program to be most effective, her hours must be increased to 17 hours per week. According to Suzanne Ernst, Director of the Office of Aging, 600 seniors a month are relocating to Las Vegas. Approximately 4% of this influx is Jewish. This agency is unable to meet the needs of this population growth without additional funds. The JFSA Volunteer Program and the Shared Housing Program combine and offer the elements of emotional support and community connectedness which are usually supplied by family. Please help JFSA represent a Jewish community which says "we care" by acknowledging the elderly's existence and problems. We thank you for your time and consideration of this request. Sincerely, William Feldman, Executive Director Jewish Family Service Agency Barry D. Eisen, President Jewish Family Service Agency Enclosures cc: Norm Kaufman1555 E. Flamingo Road. Suite 125 ? Las Vegas. Nevada 89109 ? (702) 732 0304 Page 2 Description of Services Cont'd. 5. When a possibility of a suitable match is found the Program Coordinator notifies both parties. They then are encouraged to arrange a meeting to become acquainted and discuss their mutual needs. 6. After the initial meeting, if a satisfactory arrangement appears likely, both parties are contacted to suggest a two (2) week trial period and the drawing up of a formal Homesharing agreement. 7. Follow-up contacts are made to see that things are going well. First, two weeks after the match is made, and then thereafter The Senior Homesharing Program was started as a pilot program on August 15, 1989 modeled after the "Natio wee-k- was responsible for initial contacts with a small portion of senior service and religious organizations. Most of our referrals have come 3. Eight (8) individual matches. Antixi4j2at?ji_j^subk? in /(tilth increased staff time and outreach should generate every three months. During the follow-up contacts any problems are discussed and available assistance is provided as needed. Anticipated Results suggested guidelines. A^program I frnm Hiooo sources and must cont past three (3) months of? 1. Approximately seventy-five (75) inquiries. 2. Twenty-five (25) completed applications. / ]Mt 1. Four hundred and fifty (450) inquiries. 2. One hundred and fifty (150) completed applications. 3. Fifty (50) individual matches. William Feldman. ACSW. Executive Director ') A lanaDtlary A|lMy if Jawtali fn!itall?a at iat Vtfat A COUNSELING SERVICE FOR PERSONAL AND FAMIIY PROBLEMS Atiaciaflan af Jawlih Family onj CMIdran'a A Ban da IFebruary 22, 1989 Ghpo~>~*?r? -Neemzj^atiimafti^ExeeHtivB^Bffeetor Jewish Federation of Las Vegas 1030 E. Twain Avenue Las Vegas, Nevada 89109 Dear Neam, Jewish Family Service Agency is requesting financial aid from Jewish Federation Foundation to support and continue JFSA's Elderly Services programs in the form of: 1. Volunteer Coordinator $5000/part time 2 Senior Home Sharing Coordinator $5000/part time Total $10000.00 The Volunteer Coordinator is needed to maintain and supervise the many volunteers who give their time to JFSA. The coordinator facilitates a telephone reassurance program to the lonely and isolated elderly and develops promotional materials. Under the supervision of this coordinator, the JFSA volunteers provide transportation to shopping and doctor appointments, provide respite for family members who are care-givers to ill relatives, and help individuals who have no family, such as a house-bound dialysis patient. Every day our volunteers are helping the isolated?the frail-?the forgotten Jewish people who have been discarded by family or friends. Senior Shared Housing is an innovative program which did not exist in our community until initiated by JFSA. Shared Housing is defined as "two or more unrelated people who pool their personal and financial resources and share a home."As you know, housing is the largest expenditure of elderly people. Excessive housing costs, maintenance and repair problems, and excessive medical costs create an environment which makes independent living prohibitive for them. Shared Housing represents a very sensible alternative to institutionalization and/or homelessness. Currently, the Senior Shared Housing Coordinator works 10 hours per week. In order for the program to be most effective, her hours must be increased to hours per week. 17 According to Suzanne Ernst, Director of the Office of Aging, 600 seniors a month are relocating to Las Vegas. Approximately 4% of this influx is Jewish. This agency is unable to meet the needs of this population growth without additional funds. The JFSA Volunteer Program and the Shared Housing Program combine and offer the elements of emotional support and community connectedness which,-^in-the -past, were usually supplied by family. Please help JFSA represent a Jewish community which says "we care" by acknowledging the elderly's existence and problems. We thank you for your time and consideration of this request. Sincerely, William Feldman, Executive Director Jewish Family Service Agency BanyEisen, President Jewish Family Service Agency Enclosures CC-l H