Facing The Downturn

ON THE COVER

Silver Linings from page A14

"Case managers can burn out.
The clients are at their most vulnerable,
and it can be hard on people caring for them.
It takes a toll after awhile."

- Patricia Burkhardt, „IFS

FOOD:
Yad Ezra
(248) 548-3663

"Clients call us every single day and say,
used to be a donor ... ' These aren't
people used to getting food or any other
kind of assistance said Elaine Ryke,
co-director of the Yad Ezra Kosher Food
Bank in Berkley.
People who qualify can receive a
monthly food allotment from Yad Ezra,
a 19-year-old independent agency that
works closely with the Jewish Federation,
its agencies and other food banks.
Lea Luger is Yad Ezra's other co-direc-
tor. The two women and three other
employees are Yad Ezra's full-time staff.
But more than 100 regular volunteers,
plus area synagogues, bar and bat mitz-
vah students and even persons sentenced
by courts to do community service help
to expand the workforce for the $1.2 mil-
lion agency.
The agency's client base was up 30-35
percent in December over December
2007. It has grown to 1,600 families
(approximately 3,200 individuals) and
is a "new demographic; according to
Luger. "We are used to seeing older people
who need help. Now we are seeing more
younger people who are unemployed or
under-employed.
"These people have been blindsided. All
of a sudden, they are facing foreclosure or
are out of a job!" Because these younger
clients are not familiar with the agency
or how to qualify, Yad Ezra has added a
section to its Web site — yadezra.org
— that explains who to call, when to call
and what to bring.
"This new group isn't coming every
month, even though they are entitled
to;' Luger said. "They are coming in only
when they are really desperate because
they are embarrassed. Our volunteers
will say, 'I saw my neighbor here today.'
We always knew there were impover-
ished people in our midst, but now our
midst has changed — it now includes
Huntington Woods, Farmington Hills and
West Bloomfield."
With the majority of its budget coming
from donations, Yad. Ezra had a strong

A16

February 5 • 2009

.114

jobs and are waiting until the last minute
to seek help. Now their benefits are gone.
These are families with nice homes."
Jewish Family Service helps its clients
at offices in West Bloomfield and Oak
Park. It has 100 employees and 800 vol-
unteers. Its budget for 2008-09 is $8.5
million, with $2.5 million coming from
Federation's Annual Campaign.
Rachel Yoskowitz, JFS director of health
and healing initiatives, said Project
Chessed had 400 clients a year ago. Last
MULTIPLE SERVICES:
month, 620 clients were actively seeking
Jewish Family Service
health and prescription services and 97
(248) 592-2300
more were expecting to qualify for the
People also are waiting to call JFS until
services soon. The project has helped cli-
they are desperate, and that is placing
ents obtain $8-10 million in free services.
a heavy burden on the clients and the
Other JFS staff participating in a
agency.
January meeting with the Jewish
"People are emotionally
were Ellen Yashinsky
News
distraught;' said Norman
Chute,
chief community out-
Keane, JFS CEO. "They need
reach
officer;
Amy Hoffman
multiple services, even if the
Haimann,
chief
development
impetus is job loss or fore-
officer; and Patricia Burkhardt,
closure." The impact can lead
managing director of Jewish
to bedwetting for children,
housing assistance.
even divorce for adults, said
They said the housing assis-
Perry Ohren, JFS chief pro-
tance program began a year ago
gram officer.
and already has 200 clients. But
In addition to counseling, Norman Ke ane
help with utility bills may dry
mental health counseling,
up this month because of the increased
and Project Chessed's free health and
costs of home heating coupled with cold
prescription help, JFS offers emergency
temperatures in December and January.
financial help and even mortgage assis-
Whenever possible, JFS tries to access
tance. Five years ago, Keane said, JFS gave
outside community services for its clients,
emergency financial help worth $118,000
including United Way, but those sources
to 139 families. In 2008, the agency gave
are declining, too, Keane said.
out $550,000, and it expects the number
The JFS caseload is huge and growing
of families to reach 700 by the end of
exponentially, Ohren said. The agency
2009. "In the last three months, the num-
bers have jumped 10 percent each month;' added three case managers last year, but
the caseload grew anyway: 110 for each of
Keane said.
its 11 case managers. Seventy-five percent
"These are families who have lost their
of the cases are families and 25 percent
are individuals.
Each manager must do a major evalua-
tion for each client and figure out a plan,
Ohren said. They also must walk each
client through the system, keep track of
their needs and help. It may mean calling
a mortgage company, a domestic violence
shelter and other agencies.
"We have cases where three generations
are living together in one home and no
one can afford it," Keane said.

food package as everybody else."
One of Yad Ezra's biggest fundraisers
is its annual dinner in the fall. It also is
hosting an "Ante-up for Hunger" event
March 7 in its Berkley warehouse. An
auction, Texas-Hold 'Em poker tourna-
ment and Bingo will benefit the agency's
supplemental lunch program for needy
Jewish day school students.

Elaine Ryke and Leah Luger

December and has had increases from
people who can afford it. They are antici-
pating a "serious deficit" for 2009, Luger
said, "but we always budget for a deficit."
Grants make up less than 10 percent of
the budget, but the agency recently received
$15,000 from the local Jewish Women's
Foundation and $7,500 from national
Mazon: Jewish Response to Hunger.
However, Ryke said, food costs have
risen as has the number of clients. "Our
donors realize that people need food first;'
she said. "We are getting more [money]
from organizations and larger donors,
and less from small donors;' although the
number of bequests from smaller donors
has increased.
In addition to its 1,600 Jewish families,
Yad Ezra has helped non-Jews on a one-
time basis before referring them to other
agencies. In 2007, the number of gentile
families served was 130. In 2008, it rose
to 200.
The agency also is an emergency food
provider, Luger said. "If 50 new families
showed up on Sunday, they'd get the same

"Collaboration [between agencies] is above
and beyond. It has been encouraged
so that families are served more efficiently ...
The crisis has brought out the best in us."

- Patricia Burkhardt, JFS