For nearly a year, Jewish Family Service has geared up its focus on improving mental health and overall emotional well-being. The organization has taken the lead in holding mental health intervention trainings, programs related to mental health awareness, and, perhaps most importantly, by launching a pilot program to help people access financial and supportive resources to achieve greater self-sufficiency. The interventions offered through the pilot program are provided by Elaine Strokoff.
Strokoff has more than 20 years of experience in the field, and spent 18 years as Executive Director of Downtown Daily Bread, an effort that transformed a basic soup kitchen into a comprehensive program for those in poverty and those who are homeless. “During my time at Downtown Daily Bread, I learned a lot about poverty and homelessness and people suffering from mental health issues. So, when Barry came to me and floated the idea of what JFS was thinking of doing, I thought it was a great idea.”
Through the JFS Pilot Program, Strokoff provides short-term interventions for people of diverse backgrounds who have an existing relationship with JFS or other Jewish communal agencies. “I assess what supportive services clients can benefit from, and then provide targeted assistance, including help with budgeting, exploring housing options or linking them to resources that will sustain them over the long-term. I work with diverse group of people, many of whom are in crisis, have lost housing, experienced a setback, or are dealing with a highly stressful situation. We try to problem-solve with them and try to stabilize their lives a bit.”
The goal of the pilot program, started with seed funding generously provided by Gail & Connie Siegel and Alyce & Mort Spector, is to assess the need for case management intervention and connect them with organizations which have the capacity to support them over time. “So far we’ve enjoyed quite a bit of success,” says Strokoff. “I helped a Jewish woman who had 3 children and was struggling financially. I supported her through a rough time and she was very grateful.” About 50% of the targeted clients who have participated have experienced a boost in their overall quality of life.
Fortunately, the program was recently approved for additional funding through the Martin M. Sacks Memorial Fund, a fund of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC). “This generous grant will enable us to enhance our hands-on interventions and financial assistance to the identified population as well as educate our community to the signs and symptoms of mental illness,” says JFS Executive Director Barry Stein.
While Strokoff is optimistic about the one-on-one client support, she encourages community involvement in spreading awareness and compassion throughout the community. “It’s the humane thing to do and it’s the Jewish thing to do,” she says. “Many people think that the Jewish community is immune to mental illness and financial hardship; but this couldn’t be further from the truth. The challenge for us is not only to get people to the services they need but to educate our community about the prevalence and impact of mental illness. I think the program has a good foundation and a good start and I am committed to its future growth and success.”
