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New Normal from page 8
It starts by getting to know you.
Because the more I know about you the better I can help protect
what's important in your world. And be there for you when you
have a question or a concern. That's how I help people live the
good life right here in Michigan.
Shayna Levin
248-716-1001
46670 W. Pontiac Trail, Suite 6
Commerce Township
shaynalevin@allstate.com
Allstate.
Call me for the protection you need
and the service you want.
GOOD HANDS for
the
GOOD LIFF
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ER 18
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•
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STEVEN FRANKLIN OPTICS
available at JVS.
As the impact of the recession
became clear, Federation and its
agencies reached out to the Jewish
community to offer help. Signs
stating "No family stands alone
with information on how to obtain
help, were posted at synagogues,
temples and other sites. The Jewish
Assistance Network was set up to
coordinate services and enhance
accessibility. (See sidebar.)
"We wanted to provide a single
point of entry for people who need-
ed help," Ohren said.
Families Still Behind
Today the economy has improved.
Michigan's unemployment rate was
reduced to 7.4 percent in August,
closer to the national rate of 5.9
percent; both are much lower than
in 2008. Job growth is steady, home
foreclosures have plummeted and
the stock market has achieved some
records.
Yet leaders of Detroit's Jewish ser-
vice agencies say many individuals
and families have not regained what
they lost during the recession —
that a "new normal" is reflected in a
continued high volume of calls and
requests to the Jewish Assistance
Network and other community
resources.
Yad Ezra, the kosher food pantry,
provided free food to 1,700 families
per month in 2008-09, according to
Katie Wallace, marketing coordina-
tor. While that number was reduced
to 1,200-1,300 in 2011-12, she
explained that this doesn't necessar-
ily mean a similar decline in low-
income families because some for-
mer clients left the area to seek jobs.
Other families moved in together to
save money and now comprise one
family unit.
Temple Beth El members and
Hiller's Market have provided fresh
food packs for needy members of
the Jewish community through its
Mitzvah Meals program, which
began in 2009. Despite the rebound-
ing economy, individuals continue
to ask to be included on the list.
According to Mitzvah Meals Chair
Deloris Weinstein, "One day you
could be up and one day you could be
down. People's situations improve and
then they send in checks to donate"
Ohren explained, "As people's
portfolios get better that doesn't
mean that other people's situations
have improved. It is taking a long
time for some to get over the reces-
sion. The volume of requests has
diminished somewhat, but it takes
longer to help people."
Some who still need help are
older individuals who are too young
for Social Security, the long-term
unemployed and those with health
problems.
Blatt of JVS said, "We are not see-
ing an enormous number of newly
laid-off individuals, and new gradu-
ates are doing a decent job finding
jobs, depending on their fields:'
However, some individuals were
not able to find positions compa-
rable to what they had before the
recession and need career counsel-
ing to help them consider and quali-
fy for different careers.
David Bartek, director of the 211
Help Line (similar to the Jewish
Assistance Network) and Business
Support at United Way of Southeast
Michigan, reports a similar situation
in the general community. While
requests for assistance have declined
somewhat, so has the region's popu-
lation, he says. In addition, a lot of
people went from unemployment to
underemployment and continue to
need "sustainable solutions:'
Federation's Kaufman said, "While
the situation has improved for many
individuals and families in our com-
munity, unfortunately, we're still not
at pre-recession levels. A good num-
ber of people in our community are
living through a difficult situation
that has become their 'new normal:
"This is an important reason that
support for Federation's Annual
Campaign is so essential. We have to
make sure we are providing our agen-
cies with the funding they require to
serve everyone in our community who
needs assistance:'
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10 October 9 • 2014
Jewish Assistance Network coordinates
help for the community with one call.
The Jewish Assistance Network (JAN) began in 2008 as an initiative
to counteract poverty and then evolved into a permanent network of 14
agencies of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit that provide
social, health and educational services as well as financial aid to the
local Jewish community.
A single call to JAN at (248) 592-2650 will connect an individual with
one or more agencies appropriate to help with their needs, including
emergency financial assistance.