Confronting Poverty

Collective Kindness* empowers Jewish families, as well as single parent families, facing financial setbacks to achieve long-term stability and self-sufficiency through its innovative "Smart Chesed" approach. The Kosher Debt Help program addresses a fundamental market failure or debt relief industry's profit motive, which creates inherent conflicts of interest, by removing the profit incentive entirely, substantially alleviating debt, and providing educational resources to achieve further financial stability.

The Ark enhances the health and well-being of low-income families and individuals across the Chicagoland Jewish community through a broad array of social services. Natan’s grant continues to support The Ark’s Child and Family Wellness Program, enabling it to expand its mental health services for children in partnership with Jewish day schools across the Chicago area, including many that have no other mental health professionals on staff. By offering support services to children, The Ark is able to engage families (many of whom may not otherwise reach out about needs) with a host of wraparound services for families, including psychotherapy, wellness programs, food security, and others.

Jewish Family Service of Metro Detroit is a nonsectarian human service agency that offers safety net, mental health, and older adult services, including emergency financial assistance when community resources are unavailable or insufficient. Natan’s renewal grant continues to support its JFS synagogue social worker initiative, which bridges the gap of limited clergy (and lay leader) capacity to better support community members in need by embedding a JFS social worker within a handful of synagogues. This JFS clinical staff member offers care coordination, resource connections, and crisis intervention for community members while also training clergy and community volunteers.

Jewish Family Service of Northeastern New York* is the NY Capital Region’s primary Jewish human service agency, offering counseling, providing essential support services, and fostering independence and healthy aging. Natan’s grant helps formalize and scale its Health Care Advocacy service, which provides older Jewish adults who are asset-limited, income constrained (ALICE) with culturally-attuned support to navigate the healthcare system, understand treatment plans, access benefits, resolve billing issues, and coordinate care to prevent financial destabilization.

Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA) works to eliminate abuse from the Jewish divorce process. Natan continues to fund the ORA Support Program, which provides women with critical emotional and practical support during their Jewish divorce process. ORA offers staff-facilitated support groups; peer support programs; expert-led workshops on financial literacy, emotional resilience, and the legalities of the divorce process; and community-building and advocacy initiatives.

PROPEL is a Brooklyn-based organization that empowers Sephardic women to become professionals in order to support their families and make a dual-income household the norm while alleviating other forms of communal support. Natan’s grant continues to support the Cultural Entrepreneurship incubator, which empowers Jewish women to launch and operate culturally-relevant, sustainable businesses while gaining financial independence. This program provides comprehensive support to lower-income families to turn entrepreneurial ideas into viable ventures while also challenging cultural norms about women’s roles in society and the family. Addressing this stigma and opportunity from multiple angles, PROPEL is also bringing entrepreneurial programs and internship opportunities to Brooklyn Jewish high schools.

Sister to Sister (Women’s Network for Single Parents) serves as a comprehensive resource and support network for Jewish divorced women. Natan’s renewal grant expands its Employment Initiative, which helps women with a range of employment services for those who are unemployed, considering a career change, and (aspiring) business owners. Working with a range of culturally competent partner agencies, Sister to Sister will offer more coaching, training, and vocational resources so these single Jewish women can better support their families and inspire their communities.

The Towers at Tower Lane* is a 328-unit HUD 202 housing corporation (senior living community) owned by the Jewish Community of New Haven. Natan supports its Proactive Partner Model, which uses assessments, evidence-based programs, and a custom data dashboard to track progress/regression of resident individuals and cohorts. This data-driven replicable model of preventative care helps very low-income older adults stay healthier and live longer independent lives, avoiding premature long-term care placement.