Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies

08/31/2026

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act changes how affordable housing gets funded. Some programs gain ground while others may lose it, and the effects will vary from state to state.

Learn more by connecting with a local member agency: https://www.networkjhsa.org/member-locator/

08/21/2026

Last week, The Network marked an exciting milestone in Chicago with the first pilot gathering of our Interfaith Coalition Building Project, an initiative designed to strengthen connections among local faith-based human service providers.

Led by Network VP of Public Policy and Advocacy, Jonathan Schrag, and Public Policy Associate Ariel Freed, MPP, the project grew from The Network’s participation in a national roundtable of 10 faith-based human service associations and more than a year of work to turn national collaboration into meaningful local relationships. Chicago is the first of five pilot communities, with additional convenings planned in Allentown, Houston, Indianapolis, and Louisville.

Network CEO Reuben Rotman welcomed 30 participants representing 18 organizations to our inaugural gathering, including leadership from all five Network member agencies in Chicago. Participants shared programs and best practices, explored opportunities for collaboration and advocacy, and discussed common challenges facing human service providers, from staffing and housing shortages to funding uncertainty and growing community needs.

The response was unanimous: every participant reported making a new connection, learning about a local service or program, and identifying opportunities to continue working together.

Following the gathering, The Network convened our Chicago members to advance another important partnership. With a new two-year, $100,000 grant from the Jewish Federation of Chicago (JUF), The Network will work with our five local member agencies to strengthen their federal advocacy capacity and elevate the voices of the clients and communities they serve.

Together, these efforts offer a promising model for how The Network can build stronger local partnerships while expanding our members’ collective voice and impact.

07/08/2026

On June 18th, the U.S. Department of Justice released a legal memo arguing that states have no obligation under federal law to serve people with disabilities in their communities instead of institutions. This was released just days before the 27th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark Olmstead ruling that recognized that unjustified institutionalization of individuals with disabilities is illegal, and that individuals with disabilities have the legal right to receive care in the community rather than in segregated settings.

The DOJ opinion does not change the law. Olmstead still stands, and so do the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504, but this appalling memo provides cover for states to ease enforcement on segregated care for individuals with disabilities. It also signals the Administration’s opposition to Home- and Community-Based Care, which has drastically improved quality of life for millions of our neighbors with disabilities since the 1999 Olmstead ruling.

Our Network stands on the simple conviction that every person deserves care and support, and no one should be pushed to the margins. Our member agencies help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live in their own apartments every day, earn a paycheck, participate in day programs, and stay close to their families and communities. Nobody should lose their place in the community because supporting them takes effort.

We call on the Administration to withdraw this memo and urge Congress to make clear that community living is a right, not a burden to society.

We stand with our member agencies and partner organizations in rejecting this harmful interpretation. Network member agencies have spent decades helping people build lives outside of institutions, and we will not see this progress reversed.

Roselle M. Ungar, Board Chair
Reuben D. Rotman, President & CEO

07/05/2026

As the United States marks its 250th birthday, we join in celebrating the enduring ideals of freedom, opportunity, and the power of community.

Today, we honor not only our nation's history, but also the countless professionals, volunteers, and advocates who strengthen communities every day. Across our Network, these values come to life as member agencies help build a more inclusive and caring society.

From all of us at The Network, we wish our members, partners, and supporters across the United States a safe, joyful, and meaningful Independence Day.

Happy Fourth of July! 🇺🇸

07/02/2026

Last week’s Supreme Court ruling in Mullin v. Doe cleared the way for the federal government to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Haiti and Syria. The Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies stands with our Haitian and Syrian neighbors who have been able to contribute to our communities thanks to TPS. We are deeply concerned by the ruling and the crisis it will cause for all TPS holders, which in turn will endanger critical services for the most vulnerable members of our communities, including Holocaust Survivors, older adults and individuals with disabilities.

Nearly one in three home care workers across the United States is an immigrant, and a recent Congressional report estimated that about 13,000 Haitian TPS holders work as nursing assistants, with another 8,000 serving as caregivers for aging family members, persons with disabilities and children.

Across our Network, many member agencies administer home care programs that provide daily, essential care services for the most frail and vulnerable members of the community and many count TPS holders among their most experienced aides and direct support professionals. Stripping their status will pull critical professionals out of a residential care system that already struggles with a national staffing shortage that is of crisis proportions.

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision allows the Administration to move ahead with terminating TPS for roughly 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians and establishes a precedent that puts more than a million TPS holders from 17 countries at risk. TPS is designed to allow foreign citizens to live in the United States while it is unsafe to return to their home country. The Supreme Court did not find the countries of Haiti or Syria to be safe; it found that no court has the power to ask. The government's own Level 4 travel advisories still warn Americans to stay out of both countries, and tell those already there to leave immediately, even as the Administration prepares to send these families back.

Our Network’s commitment will not waver. Our agencies will keep caring for the people who need them, but they cannot do it alone. That is why we urge Congress to protect the workforce that millions of older adults and people with disabilities depend on every day. Give TPS holders who have built meaningful lives here a stable, lawful way to stay and continue to care for the most vulnerable among us.

Roselle M. Ungar, Board Chair
Reuben D. Rotman, President & CEO

07/01/2026

07/01/2026

Today, The Network proudly celebrates our Canadian member agencies, funders and community partners whose dedication strengthens Jewish human services across Canada. We are grateful to stand alongside you as partners in this important work.

Wishing our Canadian members, colleagues, and friends a joyful and meaningful Canada Day! 🇨🇦

06/30/2026

Project EM is the first national workforce initiative that provides comprehensive career support and unites nonprofits and job seekers nationwide.

Watch the video and explore The Network’s workforce services.

06/22/2026

Please join us in welcoming The Network’s four newest members of the Board of Directors! They bring the leadership, expertise and vision to strengthen The Network and the millions of people our member agencies serve across North America.

👉 Andrea Ballard, Senior Director of Finance & Operations at Jewish Family Service in Salt Lake City
👉 Richard Cohen, President and CEO of Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) in Philadelphia
👉 Marsha Greenfield, public policy and advocacy leader
👉 Ruth Ruskin, clinical social worker and former President of JSSA Metro DC

06/18/2026

We’re proud to announce the appointment of Roselle Ungar, CEO of JFS New Orleans, as Chair of the Board of Directors! 👏

With decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, advocacy and community engagement, Roselle brings a deep commitment to strengthening human service agencies and the communities they serve. We look forward to Roselle’s vision as we amplify The Network’s impact together.