Jewish Care Victoria – supporting the community locally during the crisis in Israel
The current devastating situation in Israel continues to impact the Melbourne Jewish community locally.
Care a phone call away
Jewish Care’s ‘Front Door’ is receiving an influx of calls daily for assistance. The calls are coming from families and singles, both men and women who have recently arrived in Melbourne on the repatriation flights from Israel. Sadly, this includes, dislocated families where one partner or parts of the family unit have remained behind in Israel.
The common theme of the calls is from people who are arriving with just the possessions that fit into a suitcase and they are Australian Citizens but have not resided in Melbourne for many years. The requirements are for assistance with food vouchers, clothing, material aid, along with information about supports and services in the Victorian Jewish community.
The most acute settlement issue being experienced is finding accommodation, that is affordable and short to medium term. This is an immediate need and will also be an ongoing need given they have been repatriated during a housing crisis, where vacancy rates are already very low and application lists very high.
Jewish Care Social Services’ program offering also includes:
- Social work services – support individuals and families with multiple or complex life challenges such as family violence, mental health, child wellbeing concerns, and homelessness. With a daily duty worker (9am – 5pm, Mon – Fri), the social work team can also provide point-in-time emotional support and service coordination for people affected by the crisis in Israel.
- Financial services – includes financial counselling and interest-free loans.
- Employment services – for jobseekers.
- Community education – includes tailored resources, training and large-group sessions for community members and organisations.
In addition, and in light of the current situation in Israel, and its impacts on our community here in Victoria, Jewish Community Crisis Management (JCCM) is mobilising to coordinate the collaboration of key services and initiatives for resilience and empowerment across community.
Jewish Care, Australian Jewish Psychologists (AJP) and Chevra Hatzolah have come together to provide wrap-around mental health and wellbeing support for our community.
The ‘Front Door’ is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and can be contacted at (03) 8517 5999 or email info@jewishcare.org.au. Our Front Door team have a deep understanding of the Jewish community and speak a range of languages including Russian, Hebrew, Ukrainian and English.
The Social Services team deliver services to individuals and families in need of assistance, as well as responding to additional requests for support and coordination with other communal organisations.
