CJP Responds to Acute Needs in the Jewish Community
Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) is the oldest federated Jewish philanthropy in the United States. Mobilizing Boston’s Jewish community to build a more just and peaceful world, CJP supports more than 100 social service agencies, synagogues, day schools and programs locally and overseas.
Building on decades of philanthropic partnership with CJP, in 2015 we dedicated $1.9 million to strengthen CJP’s response to local Jewish poverty through the creation of the Anti-Poverty Initiative (API).
The API moves families facing significant financial stress to economic stability through a coordinated effort across five relief organizations:
- Jewish Big Brother Big Sister
- Jewish Family & Children’s Service
- Jewish Family Service of Metrowest
- Jewish Vocational Service
- Yad Chessed
“The Anti-Poverty Initiative has been a total game changer in our ability to transition families from crisis and vulnerability to safer and stable lives.”
Lino Covarrubius, Jewish Family Service of Metrowest
CJP’s Warmline is the cornerstone of the effort, providing families and individuals easy access to community-wide support with one phone call or email inquiry.
It increases coordination of benefits across agencies, improving efficiency and utility of scarce resources.
Since its launch in 2015, CJP’s Warmline has:
- Assisted more than 5,800 members of Boston’s Jewish community, 42% of them elderly
- Moved 91% of clients toward stability through coordinated access to public benefits and employment counseling
The Anti-Poverty Initiative has played a vital role in CJP’s response to the coronavirus crisis with its partner agencies well positioned to respond to acute needs in the Jewish community and beyond.
