Dan had a modest but steady income as a car salesman until the dealership closed. Dan lost his job and the family health care coverage that he and his wife rely on for their son’s chronic asthma. Burdened by medical bills and falling deeper into debt, Dan met with a JCFS financial counselor, who assisted him in enrolling his children in a free health insurance program and helped him to create a realistic monthly budget. Over the next six months Dan’s counselor helped him secure affordable housing, with JCFS providing the security deposit. His family also benefits from JCFS seasonal fundraising drives for school supplies, winter coats and holiday gifts for his children.

Counseling &Support Services

Dan’s Story

For years JCFS has heard parents of a child with a developmental disability lament about the difficulty of finding a place where all of their children could go, together, for an after-school program. We responded by launching Family Commons, an inclusive recreation program where JCFS employees and volunteers lend their talents teaching classes in cartooning, cooking, Tae Kwon Do, sports and more. Seeing the need for parents to have an opportunity for wellness activities, we added yoga, Pilates and knitting classes just for them. The result? An innovative program that addresses an unmet need in community and that builds upon JCFS’ expertise in working with people with developmental disabilities.

Innovation

JCFS’ Story

Every home should be a sanctuary. That is no less true for Monique, who lives at a JCFS group home along with other children who are healing from abuse or neglect. That is why JCFS adopted the Sanctuary Model, a proven method for working with children who have suffered trauma. This unique model allows everyone, from child care staff to children, to have an equal voice in daily life.

Previously powerless in her own home, Monique is building trusting relationships, and with the caring guidance from JCFS’ child care professionals, is learning to advocate for her own rights with the confidence that she will be heard and respected.

Child Welfare Services

Monique’s Story

Research shows that when a domestic abuse victim comes forward, the first response is pivotal. If that response is, “I believe you and we’re going to get help,” then the survivor’s chance for recovery is higher.

Luckily for Beth, the rabbi and staff at her synagogue had recently completed the JCARES (Jewish Community Abuse Resources, Education and Solutions) Safer Synagogues training. When she finally found the courage to confide in her rabbi about the violence in her home, he understood the power of that first response. Equipped with knowledge about the impact of abuse and how to access services, he referred Beth to a network of support to help her heal.

Community Programs

Beth’s Story

Carla had never met a child she couldn’t teach…until she met Adam. He avoided group activities and refused to speak. Having tried every tool in her kit, she was at a loss as to how to help Adam engage in learning.

Fortunately, Carla could turn to her school’s Virginia Frank Child Development Center Early Childhood Consultant. The consultant observed Adam in the classroom. She also led a workshop for the teachers about identifying and working with children with special needs. The consultant then designed an action plan that Carla could implement to help Adam, and all of her students, to grow and thrive.

Special Education

Carla’s Story

Robin felt guilty. When she focused her time on meeting the many demands resulting from her teen son Matthew’s autism, she knew she was shortchanging her younger child, Sara. When she focused on Sara, she knew Matthew felt isolated. And trying to find any real time for her marriage or herself seemed out of the question. Finding a babysitter with the skills to care for Matthew was not possible.

Then Robin found JCFS Respite. Now, a trained Respite worker helps Matthew with therapy “homework” and spends time with both kids, which allows Robin and her husband a well-deserved break, to reenergize and respond to the demands of caring for a child with special needs.

Services for People with Disabilities

Robin’s Story

Cindy sought counseling from JCFS to help her cope with her recent divorce. Then she lost her job as a social worker. After a long search, she found work at a far lower salary with no benefits. Unable to pay her rent or provide health care for her children, Cindy’s therapist referred her to a JCFS Financial Assistance Case Manager, who worked with Cindy to adjust her expenses, including getting a reduction in rent. In addition, JCFS staff also linked Cindy to valuable resources, such as pro bono health insurance for her children. While she continues to work on issues in counseling, she does so with the ability to provide basic needs for her family.

Counseling &Support Services

Cindy’s Story

Larry’s wife Gail has multiple sclerosis. As her condition worsened, Gail refused to leave the house to see friends or visit their grown children. The couple became increasingly isolated and depressed. Larry called the JCFS Disability Helpline. Jessica, a JCFS staff member, recommended an accessible van to make it less painful for Gail to leave the house. Larry said a modified van was not affordable to them.

Thanks to her vast knowledge of area resources, Jessica linked the family with an agency that had a used vehicle within their budget. Gail and Larry are back on the town, no longer living in isolation.

Services for Peoplewith Disabilities

Larry and Gail’s Story

Shauna, now 11, entered foster care at age seven. Her parents’ chronic substance abuse prevented them from giving Shauna a consistent place to live, eat or sleep. It was the caring eye of her foster parent who noticed that Shauna was having trouble walking and standing. The staff at JCFS quickly connected her to a specialist who discovered a benign brain tumor. Case workers, clinicians and our staff nurse provided daily support to Shauna and her foster parents from the diagnosis, through her many risky surgeries and difficult recovery. By working as a team, JCFS staff and foster parents ensured that this once neglected child has hope for a healthy future.

Child Welfare Services

Shauna’s Story

Alan recently lost his wife of 40 years. Unsure how to face this loss, he called an area synagogue whose Rabbi referred him to Jewish Healing Network of Chicago (JHNC). He spoke to the program’s director, Tracey, sharing his history with alcoholism and his fear that this loss would cause a relapse. Tracey connected him to an array of supportive services: pastoral counseling with the JHNC Rabbi, connection to a JHNC widow and widowers support group and spiritual exploration at the Renewal of Spirit Conference. Alan now also participates in a Jewish 12 Step Program.

Support for Communities

Alan’s Story

Ethan came to the JCFS Therapeutic Day School (TDS) after expulsion from his neighborhood high school. He was a defiant teen, exerting a strong negative influence on his peers and clashing with his parents. Ethan simply couldn’t grasp how his actions related to and affected others. Through the patience, consistency and therapeutic supports offered by the TDS staff, Ethan was soon better able to relate to his peers, teachers, and family, as well as thrive academically. After graduation he went on to attend a four-year college, even taking advantage of the opportunity to study abroad.

Education Services

Ethan’s Story