Emergency Assistance & Case Management

Working directly with individuals and families from all walks of life who are experiencing financial crisis, JFS offers advocacy, referrals , outreach, and emergency financial assistance with the goal of developing effective long-term solutions.

Crisis Line - If you are experiencing a life-or-death emergency, please contact 911. If you are in a crisis and need immediate assistance, please call 704-364-6594 during our 9:00 am to 5:00 pm hours. If you are a current JFS client calling outside of regular hours, you will reach our on-call crisis line which is maintained by our licensed clinicians and is available after hours and on weekends.

Due to our funding, certain programs are available only to those of the Jewish religion, including the following services:

Food Pantry – JFS provides food, personal care items and other necessities to help individuals and families through tough times until independence is re-established. JFS food pantry recipients leave with more than just groceries – they leave with a feeling that the community cares about them and they are not alone.

Financial Assistance – JFS manages the Community Tzedakah Fund, a special fund made available through the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte. This fund allows individuals and families to receive a one-time loan for emergency needs such as a mortgage payment, rent our utilities. Click here to download the Financial Assistance application.

Jewish Experience Fund (Camp Scholarships) – The Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte’s Jewish Experience Fund promotes Jewish identity building among our Jewish youth through Jewish camping, community building, leadership development and informal educational opportunities. Click here to download the application for the Jewish Experience Fund 2011.

Jewish Education Loan Fund – The Jewish Educational Loan Fund grants interest-free loans to Jewish students from Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina and Virginia for post-secondary study at accredited institutions. JELF’s loans are ‘last dollar’ – they supply the final funds that a student needs to attend school.  Applications for interest-free loans for post-secondary education (college, graduate school, vocational and professional courses) will be available to Jewish students for the 2011-2012 school year from the Jewish Educational Loan Fund. The loan application is available on JELF’s website at www.jelf.org.  For more information, contact info@jelf.org, or call 770-396-3080. 

Dues Abatement - Both Temple Beth El and Temple Israel have engaged the services of the JFS Case Manager to provide this service to make decisions regarding dues abatement and religious school financial assistance.  In this way JFS helps maximize the resources of the entire Jewish Community by applying a consistent approach to evaluating individual scholarship needs.

Hebrew Cemetery - On behalf of the Hebrew Cemetery Association, the JFS case manager meets with individuals and families to assess financial need for those unable to pay full price to bury a loved one. Please contact the Hebrew Cemetery Association for additional information at 704-576-1859.

Please click here for Advocacy Websites and Resources.

It is important to contact JFS before financial situations become a crisis.  Make an appointment to speak with a case manager before your financial difficulties deepen so that you can be given the resources and tools to get back on track.

For more information about emergency assistance and case management, please contact Jewish Family Services at 704-364-6594.