The Network is committed to standing alongside our members when community safety nets are at risk. Recently, Jewish Community Services of South Florida (JCS) and The Network’s President & CEO Reuben D. Rotman co-authored an op-ed in the Jewish Journal of the Sun Sentinel to oppose proposed cuts to Miami-Dade County’s Community-Based Organization (CBO) Grant Program.

For decades, this program has funded essential services including food security, mental health care, support for unhoused families, homecare for seniors, pro bono legal services, and services for people with different abilities. The Mayor’s proposed budget reductions would devastate this safety net, stripping away life-sustaining programs relied upon by hundreds of thousands of residents.

As highlighted in the op-ed, more than 120 nonprofit agencies comprise the CBO network in Miami-Dade. Each dollar of county funding is often tripled through philanthropic matching, magnifying its life-saving impact. A reduction in support would not only endanger local families but also weaken partnerships and collaborations that extend far beyond Miami-Dade.

The Network proudly stands with JCS and the newly formed Advocacy Collective — a coalition of more than 60 social service organizations — in urging county leaders to restore these funds. Guided by our values and the principle of pikuach nefesh (to save one life is to save an entire world), we reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that vulnerable individuals and families continue to have access to the resources they need.