There’s an alphabet soup out there of government programs available to low income people in our community, but the system can get overwhelming for both the clients and the professionals. To better understand those programs, the Federation’s Caring for Jews in Need Strategic Initiative organized a program for professionals from across the LA Jewish nonprofit world to come together for a session titled “Navigating Government Programs that can Benefit your Clients and Families.” As part of Federation’s “Front Line Responders” workshop series, this session focused on learning the language of government benefits and how Jews in need can access those services.
Guest speaker Frank Tamborello, Executive Director of Hunger Action L.A., and editor of The People’s Guide; a resource book about welfare, health and other services offered in LA county, guided participants through the complicated web of financial assistance and entitlement programs including Medi-Cal, General Relief, Food Stamps and more. The “front line responders” in attendance including social workers, program directors, and synagogue staff learned about eligibility requirements for each program and how to identify those who qualify. “Thanks to Frank, we’ve learned more details about the benefits and services our program deals with on a regular basis, which will help us better support our clients,” shared one participant.
Nancy Volpert, Director of Public Policy at Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, also spoke at the workshop about some of the big picture policy debates in Washington and how they may affect government programs in the future. Key policy issues including sequestration, the federal budget and the Farm Bill could all have a lasting impact on the availability of key programs that support those struggling in our community.
With the insight and guidance of experts Frank Tamborello and Nancy Volpert, professionals in synagogues, hospitals, and Jewish social service agencies now have a stronger understanding of the resources that may benefit their clients and some insider tips on how to access them.
The Federation’s Front Line Responders workshop series is part of Federation’s work to Care for Jews in Need in Los Angeles, Israel and around the world. If you are interested in learning more about the workshops please contact Jenna at jfields@jewishla.org or (323) 761-8231. If you would like to learn more about government benefits available in Los Angeles County please read The People’s Guide.
