Metro m 36 +corn Coordinated Efforts Politicians tour Jewish agencies. 'While supplies las!. Valid ihru 01/14/09 ALL INVENTORY Hundreds of items are on sale! Congressmen-elect Mark Schauer and Gary Peters and State Sen. Gilda Jacobs meet with Rabbi Levi Enter the code: 70OFF at check out. S U Shemtov, director of Friendship Circle lc 36 .com • 866.583.2422 in West Bloomfield. Photo by Fred Levine P.J. Cherrin Special to the Jewish News Tobert Warm S ...a woman's clothing boutique SAVE lfloi SAVE 4dumoir9 0 0/ and more! Mark-Downs In Every Department! o 50 SAVE i 0 and more! STOREWIDE SALE All sales final. Not valid on prior purchases or special orders. 248-855-9545 • Telegraph at Maple In Bloomfield Plaza www.shoprobertmann.com 1467260 Clean + Sober 2 Words. 12 Steps. 30 Days. = A New Start YV srjoHN „. BRIGHTON HOSPITAL Chemical Dependency and Dual Diagnosis Residential Treatment Michigan's first and most experienced addiction treatment facility. For a confidential assessment call: 1-800-523-8198 Visit us on the web at www.brightonhospital.org 1,10719 A20 December 25 * 2008 ocial welfare and mental health services provided by Jewish communal agencies were showcased at a Dec. 15 agency tour for U.S. Congressmen-elect Gary Peters, D-District 9, who represents most of Oakland County, and Mark Schauer, D-District 7, who repre- sents Jackson, Lenawee and most of Washtenaw Country. Accompanied by State Sen. Gilda Jacobs, D-Huntington Woods, the newly elected legislators visited agen- cies and met with leadership from Friendship Circle in West Bloomfield, Jewish Apartments & Services (JAS) in Southfield, JARC in Farmington Hills, Jewish Family Service (JFS) in West Bloomfield, JVS and Kadima, both in Southfield. All are agencies that pro- vide services on a non-sectarian basis to vulnerable at-risk populations. The program included tours of a JARC home, the Friendship Circle and the Meer Jewish Apartments, followed by presentations and a discussion with lay and professional leadership from all the participating agencies. The tour was sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's Government Relations Oversight Committee (GROC). Jewish communal social service agencies work together to provide services for vulnerable populations, including support services for children with developmental disabilities and their families (JARC and Friendship Circle); residential, case management and employment services for adults with developmental disabilities (JARC and JVS); a continuum of services for vulnerable older adults, including housing, in-home supports, day care, transportation and case management (JAS, JFS and JVS); and residential and support services for adults with chronic mental illness (Kadima, JFS and JAS). The congressmen-elect left with an understanding of how Jewish commu- nal agencies coordinate their services and use their government funding to leverage philanthropic dollars, which enhance and fill the gaps in the gov- ernment-funded services and enable the agencies to serve more people. GROC co-chair Dennis Bernard delivered a clear message: "Our coor- dinated efforts allow us to eliminate duplication and maximize communal and government resources. Private contributions are used for infrastruc- ture and administration, allowing all government dollars to be used for direct services to clients." During these challenging economic times nationally, and particularly in Michigan, GROC's overriding goal is to protect current governmental fund- ing for mental health, health care and social services for the Jewish commu- nal agencies, especially Medicare and Medicaid dollars. "Federation and its affiliated agen- cies run a very lean operation:' Marc Weinbaum of GROG, told the politi- cians."These agencies leverage state and federal funds in a meaningful way. Sustaining the high quality of social and mental health services is a partnership of government dollars and philanthropic support." Both Peters and Schauer expressed appreciation for the tour and voiced their intention of supporting legisla- tion that strengthens critical social service safety nets. ❑ P.J. Cherrin is assistant director, public affairs, of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit.