The Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies enthusiastically supports the FY 2022 spending package that was approved last week by Congress and signed by President Biden. This package includes critical investments that our Network has championed, including the provision of mental health services to be provided through telehealth platforms, without any requirement for in-person care, and an extension of telehealth services that are provided via Medicare so they are now available for 151 days after the Public Health Emergency ends, allowing those in need to continue receiving telehealth services from their homes.
As the economic impact of the pandemic and the nation’s growing recession continue to disproportionately affect those with limited financial resources, the Network is also especially pleased to note the substantial increase to $280 million, from $130 million in FY 2021, for funding support of the federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program and increases for services provided under the Older Americans Act and an essential increase to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 202 program for seniors and Section 811 program for persons with disabilities.
Additionally, the Network is most pleased to note the increase to $6 million for the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program, administered by the Jewish Federations of North America, providing comprehensive supports specifically administered via person-centered, trauma informed protocols, ensuring the safety and unique needs of Holocaust survivors and other older adults who have experienced trauma, and their caregivers. The Network also strongly endorses the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which provides comprehensive safety services for victims of intimate partner violence and does so in a manner that respects an understanding of the cultural needs of Jewish and other communities.
Lastly, the Network celebrates the allocation of $13.6 billion in combined military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and the extension of the Lautenberg Amendment to ensure family reunification of persecuted religious minorities from abroad, including 17,000 pending Lautenberg applications on behalf of Ukrainians.
As a longstanding partner of the Federal government, the member agencies of the Network stand ready to deliver the full range of mental health, workforce, resettlement and other essential support services so desperately needed to ensure safe and stable communities throughout the nation.
Judy Halper, Board Chair
Reuben D. Rotman, President & CEO