As we look back at 2021, we acknowledge that last year came with its fair share of both challenges and successes; good moments and hard ones. Through it all, our community stood by us. From helping us welcome and resettle Afghan refugees after US military forces departed Afghanistan in August, to stepping up and delivering Shabbat meals to homebound adults and seniors, we couldn’t have served so many people if it weren’t for you. We are astounded by the generosity, resilience, and selflessness we witnessed this past year. Here are just two examples of community members who were served in 2021:
Stephanie*, a client in our Project DVORA program, has been meeting with her domestic violence advocate bi-weekly since November 2020. Upon seeking DV-specific counseling services, our advocate was able to connect Stephanie to our counseling team, who is now working with her weekly. With both an advocate and therapist supporting her, we are able to more holistically serve Stephanie’s needs. This is a beautiful example of how the agency’s array of services allows us to better serve survivors of gender-based violence.
Also in 2021, we provided ongoing support to a Jewish, Russian-speaking woman who is caring for her husband with dementia. She was caring for him around the clock and getting very little rest. When she came to JFS, our Russian-speaking staff collaborated with our Family Caregiver Support Coordinator to provide education and support to the caregiver as well as her daughter in New York. We helped arrange for a Russian-speaking caregiver to come into the home to provide respite and counseling for both the woman and her daughter. Now, the whole family reports significantly lower levels of stress—including the husband receiving care, who is also more stable. This case exemplifies how our culturally, linguistically, and clinically competent services can have such an important impact on entire family systems.
We also want to share more of what we accomplished together by the numbers. These are just some of the highlights of 2021:
- Increased our annual budget this year from $10,701,822 to $12,687,250 to meet our community’s most urgent needs.
- Provided a total of $1,002,034 in emergency financial assistance to community members for eviction prevention, move-in costs, help with utility payments, and more.
- Resettled 113 Afghan SIV (Special Immigrant Visa) holders after US military forces departed Afghanistan in August 2021.
- Put on 64 mental health trainings and workshops for 2,372 community members and partners.
- Conducted 2,113 telehealth counseling sessions for 134 clients.
- Increased emergency financial assistance to all clients by 115% over FY20, and increased aid from $1,234 to $1,769 per household.
- Provided approximately 1,500 information and referral services to elderly clients over the course of the year.
- Increased clients served by more than 50% in our Older Adult Services program.
- Fully vaccinated 96% of clients in our Supportive Living Services program, with the support and coordination of Case Managers.
Thanks again for your support. This year, stay up to date on all things JFS by following us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. You can also visit our website anytime at https://www.jfsseattle.org/.
*Name has been changed
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