Di rector's Report
Executive thrector's
Jewish Family Service Hosts
"ROOM FOR EVERYBODY."
In a world that is constantly changing
many Jewish people find themselves wonder-
ing how to deal with everyday issues. Jewish
Family Service in cooperation with the
American Jewish Committee has recognized
this need and is offering some help. We are
conducting an educational forum, entitled
"Room For Everybody". It will consist of six
workshops designed to address relevant
issues for our Jewish community in a chang-
ing Jewish world.
The forum will take place on Sunday, April
5, 1992 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, at
Hillel Day School, 32200 Middlebelt Road in
Farmington Hills. The program is dedicated
to the memory of Mary Gussin Lakoff, Past
President of Jewish Family Service.
Babysitting services will be available for
children ages two and over, by reservation
only. Advance registration is required.
The six workshops include a broad range
of topics relevant to today's times. They are:
"Working Couples—Whose Turn To Do The
Dishes?"—how to juggle the commitments
to self, spouse, the kids and the Jewish com-
munity; "Raising Caring Jewish Kids - Say
Yes/Say No"—how to transmit Jewish values
in a materialistic society; "The Club Sand-
wich Generation"—how to deal with both
parenting your parents and helping your
returning adult child; "The Single-Parent
Family—Your Challenge"—how to improve
your parenting effectiveness; "Self-Esteem
vs. Self-Abuse—Are We Listening?"—how to
identify substance abuse, food abuse, suicide,
plastic abuse and gambling; and "Non-
Traditional Life Choices"—how to feel good
about who you are, even when the choices
you make may not be reflective of those of
the society as a whole.
Co-sponsored by sixteen local Jewish com-
munity organizations, the workshops will be
led by area Jewish professionals.
For additional information and reserva-
tions, please call Betty Barach at Jewish
Family Service, at 559-1500.
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Friends of Jewish Family Service
Another way of reaching out to Jewish children, elderly and fam ilies in need of J.F.S. services
is to become a member of the Friend of the Family.
With sincere thanks, we would like to acknowledge the following new members of the first an-
nual Jewish Family Service Friends of the Family.
Diane Ash
Baila Averbuch
Andrew Barbas
Mr. and Mrs. Sol Benaderet
Anaruth Bernard
Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Billes
Dr. and Mrs. Charles Blotner
Rhea and Robert Brody
Lisa Brody
Dr. and Mrs. Ralph Cash
Bob and Susan Citrin
Mr. and Mrs. Leslie E.
Colburn
Albert and Harriet Colman
Fayga Dombey
Beatrice Epel
David and Trudy Fink
Peggy and Dennis Frank
Bruce Frankel
Mr. and Mrs. Bernard
Friedman
Edward and Francine Gold
Sydney and Grace Goodman
Alan and Susan Goodman
Bert and Zena Gordon
Barbara Grant
Amy and Mark Haimann
Doreen Hermelin
Paula Inowlocki
John E. Jacobs
Agnes Klein
Emery Klein
Nikolay and Alice Klemptner
Mr. and Mrs. Seymour Kraus
Delphine Landau
Scott and Susan Leemaster
Terran Leemis
Caren Landau Levine
Irving and Shirley Levitt
Madelyn Liss
Stuart and Deena Lockman
Rabbi Harold S. Loss,
Rabbi M. Robert Syme and
Rabbi Paul M. Yedwab
Joel Lutz
Dr. and Mrs. Edwin
Madorsky
Judy and John Marx
Dorothy H. Mazer
A. Freda Milstein
Joy and Alan Nachman
Irving Nussbaum
George Nyman
Mel and Leslie B. Partovich
Stuart and Cynthia Pernick
Theodore Pines
Esther Ressler
Adele and Ben Rosen
The Rosenthal Family
Foundation
Morris and Rosalyn Rubin
Molly Sallen
Robert Schechter
Rosie Schlussel
Sandra & Alan Schwartz
Alfred Schwarz
Janice Shatzman
Max M. Shaye
Leonard Shebses
Sandra M. Sherman
Lois Shiffman
Dr. and Mrs. Peter G. Shifrin
David and Lori Simon
Dr. and Mrs. Sheldon Simons
Mrs. Perle M. Stahl
Barbara Stollman
George and Mary Stutz
Warren and Charlotte Tessler
Brent and Nancy Triest
Jerry and DeDe Weinberg
Mike and Betsy Winkelman
WE WOULD LIKE TO
THANK The following
individuals for their
generous contributions to
Jewish Family Service and
Resettlement Service.
Dr. Gary Chodoroff and Dr.
Wendy Hillebrand
Furniture Club of Detroit
Larry Horwitz and Naomi
Pinchuk
Dr. and Mrs. Saul
Rubenstein
Neil and Joan Satovsky
Philanthropic Fund
Mrs. Sandy Schore
Temple Emanu-El
limited resources which are available. Too
often, we fail to recognize the human and
fiscal toll on the elderly and their families
which is the result of our ignoring the
benefits of early intervention.
People with disabilities, be they physical,
mental or emotional, constantly struggle to
find the support services they need to
maintain quality of life. Our community is
urgently in need of guardianship and con-
servatorship services under agency
auspices. They are needed to protect those
who have no family or supports and are
vulnerable, to care for disabled adult
children after their parents are no longer
alive and to provide security for the frail
elderly living alone or in institutional care.
Finally, in addition to those I have
already mentioned, there are many other
individuals and families in our community
at risk of becoming homeless either as a
result of poverty, age or disability. During
1992, Jewish family Service plans to apply
for a grant under the Stewart B. McKinney
Homeless Assistance Act to provide perma-
nent housing and supportive services to
such individuals and families.
Now, more than ever, the agency needs
community support to fulfill its mission.
Won't you reach out and help someone
through establishing an endowment or
name fund, by purchasing a tribute, by
becoming a "friend of the Family" or by
participation as a volunteer. You can help
ensure that we will be here to support you
or someone you love in a time of need.
Alan D. Goodman
Executive Director
Group Apartment for the
Elderly Program
Receives Grant
Adoption Connection
We are asking for your help in spreading
the word—adoption can be a viable alter-
native for women with an unplanned pregnancy.
There are many wonderful couples on the
Jewish Family Service adoption list waiting
for a child to share their love and their lives.
We need your help to make their dreams of
adopting a child come true.
Perhaps you know of someone who may
benefit from our services or someone who
Last year, Michigan cut its basic Aid to
Families with dependent Children (AFDC)
grants by 13 percent, terminated all cash
and medical assistance for 82,000 poor
adults as of October 1 and cut Supplemen-
tal Security Income (SR) payments to the
elderly poor by more than half. This came
at a time when the state's unemployment
rate was among the highest in the nation.
It is estimated that 400,000 jobless workers
now qualify for no cash or medical
assistance from any level of government.
This situation has had a devastating ef-
fect on the local community and more
specifically, on the agency and our clients.
As a result of the "slow" economy and the
loss in funding support, we have sustained
budget reductions in excess of $100,000 for
1992. Simultaneously, requests for financial
assistance have increased by 20% and more
individuals and families require subsidized
service due to unemployment or layoffs.
The refugee population from the former
Soviet Union, has seen a reduction in
Refugee Assistance as well as the elimina-
tion of General Assistance. Since many are
unable to find work within the first six to
nine months of their arrival in the country,
these reductions have placed them at risk
of homelessness and poverty.
In keeping with findings in other com-
munities, economic hardship leads to an in-
crease in domestic violence and child
abuse and neglect. Referrals to the agency's
Family Violence Prevention Program have
been steadily growing. Simultaneously, we
are struggling to restore $250,000 in fun-
ding which will be lost from this program
in 1993. Our plans to establish a shelter for
battered women could be jeopardized, if
we are unable to raise the funds needed.
We are appealing to the community to help
us to establish an endowment fund for the
program and to provide the ongoing
operating funds needed to keep the pro-
gram functioning.
The fastest growing segment of the
population is the elderly and more
specifically, the population which is 75
years old and above. This population is in-
creasingly at risk of premature institu-
tionalization at great cost to the communi-
ty. In many cases, less costly community
support services could be provided to keep
them in their homes. The time has come
for our community to recognize this pro-
blem and to plan responsibly and effective-
ly for the care of our elderly, despite the
could be helpful in connecting pregnant
women with our program. Jewish Family
Service offers high quality, compassionate
and professional counseling to provide the
birth mother with support throughout her
pregnancy.
Please help the Jewish Family Service
Adoption program make a difference.
For more information call Esther Krystal
M.S.W. at 559-1500.
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A special thank you to Brian Hacker for
developing fund-raising software for Jewish Family Service.
Jewish Family Service's Group Apartment
For The Elderly Program has received a
grant for additional funding from the Fisher
Foundation. The money is to be used to pay
for personal care services for residents of the
G.A.E.P. program.
In the Group Apartment For the Elderly
Program, three people share a three
bedroom apartment in a family-like at-
mosphere. The social work staff assists in
facilitating a comfortable life.
There are currently seven Geriatric
workers who help the residents Monday
through Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. by
doing their laundry, shopping and cleaning.
In addition, they prepare dinners for every
day of the week.
Recently, the needs of the residents have
changed. The new population entering the
program are older. Many of the residents
have resided in the apartments for a long
period of time and are now more frail then
when they initially entered the program.
This is why additional personal care services
are needed.
Each resident has different personal needs
which are assessed and met by personal care
services. Some residents require help seven
days a week, in the mornings and the even-
ings, for bathing, taking medication, getting
meals and walking to program activities.
The personal care service program is coor-
dinated with Fleishman Residence-Jewish
Home for the Aged.
There are currently openings for residents in
the Group Apartment for the Elderly Pro-
gram. Limited subsidies are available.
For additional information, please contact
co-program managers, Zena Baum or Jan
Bayer, M.S.W. at 559-1500.
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