Outreach

Our Community is Everyone

JFS services reach far beyond the Jewish community to touch the lives of individuals and families from urban Milwaukee to the suburbs of Ozaukee County and many communities in between. Members of our Board of Directors, executives and staff actively seek out opportunities for collaboration.

St. Catherine Residence helps women in transition with limited financial income overcome hardship and achieve their potential. JFS case managers perform mental health assessments and referrals, evaluate daily living skills, advocate on clients’ behalf, serve as representative payee/conservator, find more permanent affordable housing and health care, and facilitate socialization.

Students in the Brown Deer School District benefit from a change in state regulations that allows JFS to provide counseling services in non-traditional locations. The program evolved to give at-risk students easy access to counseling. Parents do not need to find a way to get to a clinic; students just step out of class for their sessions.

Interfaith Ozaukee and the Caregiver Coalition of Ozaukee sponsored “Honor Our Aging” at Crossroads Presbyterian Church in Mequon. The church donated space to Interfaith, the Coalition sponsored breakfast, JFS printed flyers and JFS Vice President Gina Botshtein was the featured speaker. As with all JFS educational programs, this event was free and open to the entire community.

JFS and the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center collaborated on a $100,000 multi- year grant from the Johnson Family Foundation (New York) to create an outpatient mental health clinic to provide counseling services specific to the LGBT community. Jim Welsh, Vice President, Clinical & Case Management Services, explains that in the first year JFS will help the Community Center create an infrastructure while JFS clinicians will see clients at the Center. At the same time, center staff will provide training for JFS staff on LGBT issues. The goal is for the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center to become a licensed and self-sufficient outpatient mental health clinic after three years.

The Milwaukee County Court System regularly refers families involved in the divorce process to JFS for a range of services, including the Court-Mandated Divorce Class for each divorcing parent with a minor child. JFS is one of the few agencies that offer the program, which is paid for by the parents. The JFS Family Center offers several additional programs for parents and children dealing with the conflicts of divorce. “Kids in the Middle®” creates a group atmosphere of safety for each child in which to express their emotions and feel less isolated. Private attorneys and the court system refer highly conflicted couples to “Parent Communication Coaching” to create a plan for the sake of their children. These programs are client-paid. The new P.E.A.C.E. (Processing Emotions And Communication Effectively) program offers insurance-eligible individual and family counseling for highly conflicted couples. The courts also refer to our H.O.P.E. (Helping Offenders Process Emotions) program to assist domestic violence offenders that have mental health issues.

Bringing Multiple Partners to the Table

JFS has also taken the lead in bringing multiple partners to the table at the same time. JFS leadership identified a need for young adults with developmental disabilities to have appropriate, independent and transitional housing options. As a result of bringing together Movin’ Out, Inc., a non-profit located in Madison and Milwaukee, whose mission is to insure safe, affordable, community-integrated housing for people with disabilities, and the General Capital Group, ten apartments in Glendale will be available this spring. Homes for Independent Living will provide on-site supportive staffing.

In addition, the Community Mental Health Education Project, a program of Jewish Family Services, has collaborated with many community organizations to help carry out its mission to raise awareness about mental health issues. Collaborators include Mental Health America of Wisconsin (MHA), Prevent Suicide Greater Milwaukee (colation between JFS and MHA), National Alliance on Mental Illness, UMOS, Dry Hootch, Grand Avenue Club, UWM Norris Health Center and more.

The Future of Social Services

Social services are becoming more of a shared enterprise, maximizing talents and expertise and minimizing costs. JFS, through the outreach of its executives, directors and staff, will continue to grow through collaborative partnerships locally and beyond.

For more information, please contact Juliana Bruno, Director of Outreach at
414-225-7338