J-Help: A View from the Front Lines

J-Help: A View from the Front Lines

The telephone is in a quiet corner cubicle at Jewish Family Services on N. Jackson Street. On this particular day it is answered by Rachel Nelson, while J-Help Intake Coordinator Beth Shapiro is on vacation. The phone appears ordinary, but over the past months it has become a virtual lifeline for desperate individuals and families who have watched their money and security disappear.

“We’re seeing people of all ages, from all across Milwaukee and Ozaukee Counties,” said Nelson, who has a Master’s Degree in Social Work. “Their stories are all individual and painful, and involve ‘tipping point’ events such as investments that have decreased in worth; job losses; looming foreclosure or evictions; unexpected cuts in entitlement benefits,” she said. “Each caller describes a difficult path that led from middle class life to ‘just getting by,’ or from ‘just getting by’ to a dire and frightening situation.”

“This is something we don’t talk about openly in our Jewish community,” said J-Help Chair Rick Ruvin. “Jews in need feel a lot of shame and stigma.”

“Our callers are often forced to prioritize among food, clothing, housing and health care,” Nelson added. “They are invariably pressed to omit services such as dental and vision care, and deferring these services can lead to very serious emergencies.”

“One common pattern is that the families involve interdependent multiple generations,” Nelson said. “An adult child is helping his parents, and suddenly he loses his job. Or parents take in an adult child who has problems, and then a change in their situation makes it impossible to continue the arrangement.” 

J-Help has a multiple-step intake process, which begins with the intake worker taking down the information, listening to the story and requesting documentation: for example, if the client is facing eviction, the intake worker will ask to see a copy of the lease agreement. The intake worker will also ask what other options and organizations the caller has tapped before approaching J-Help, since J-Help is designed as an option of “last resort.” Once the information and documents are gathered, the intake worker makes a recommendation, which is then vetted through review by Jewish Family Services senior staff.  

“We designed the J-Help intake process to be client-friendly and, at the same time, to ensure that donor funds are used in the best, most efficient ways,” said Sylvan Leabman, President/CEO of Jewish Family Services, the agency which houses and oversees the J-Help intake process. It’s a delicate balance, where we want to make certain that dollars are used correctly, but we keep the process nimble enough so that we can move quickly, for example, to prevent an eviction that’s imminent.”

Under the J-Help program, cash is never given to clients: they receive food cards and vouchers for the purchase of household necessities and other goods and services, or payment is made directly to landlords and utility companies. In addition, the intake worker may refer the caller for social services offered by Jewish Family Services, such as marital counseling and case management, as needed, or to outside agencies or programs that can help bridge the situation.

“Some of the calls are heart-wrenching,” said Nelson. “People are desperate. But what keeps me here is the thought of my mother Jeanette Nelson, of blessed memory. She was one of the founders of ‘The Ark,’ a Chicago-based organization that’s been providing a comprehensive social service safety net to Jewish people for many years. When I think of her, I know I’m doing the work I should be doing.”

J-Help is a Milwaukee Jewish Community Emergency Assistance Fund. J-Help raises funds to assist individuals and families in need in southeastern Wisconsin who are part of the Jewish community or are existing clients of Jewish Family Services. More information is available at www.milwaukeejewish.org. Individuals in need of help are encouraged to call (414) 390-5800.