Buffalo, NY – Jewish Family Services of WNY (JFS) today announced it has been awarded $400,000 in county and state grants to expand the services offered at its Niagara Falls location. These services include providing support to individuals in Niagara County who are impacted by opioid use and related substance use and co-occurring mental health conditions and developing a community resource room for families participating in JFS programs.
“With this generous support from Niagara County and New York State Office of Faith and Nonprofit Development Services, we can address critical gaps for some of the community’s most vulnerable populations,” said Dr. Molly Carr, CEO, JFS. “From addressing behavioral health and wellness needs to help prevent relapse and foster lasting recovery, to providing a safe space for families to work towards securing self-sustainability, JFS staff is committed to empowering individuals with the resources needed for long-term success.”
Niagara County has awarded JFS with a $350,000 two-year grant to provide a comprehensive career support and care management for recovery program, designed to fill the gap for intensive care management, care coordination, counseling, and specialized employment services to county residents with opioid use disorder (OUD), related substance abuse, and co-occurring mental health conditions.
Currently 12% of JFS clients enrolled in its Niagara County-based health home program have OUD. With this funding, JFS can design a program to address the unique challenges faced by this population, ensuring that services are both relevant and supportive.
“While those in recovery are faced with many challenges, one of the biggest can be getting back into the workforce,” said Niagara County Legislator Jesse Gooch, chairman of the Community Services Committee. “The JFS program has a focus on employment services, something that is sorely needed, which is why we were happy to award them grant funding through the opioid settlement fund.”
In addition, New York State Office of Faith and Nonprofit Development Services awarded $50,000 for JFS to develop a community resource room for families served by its care coordination and health homes programs, as well as New American families. Staffed by JFS case managers and volunteers, this space will provide access to weekly open hours and include a technology suite and conference room for private tele-meetings.
The room will be equipped with laptops, internet access, printers, scanners, and additional tools such as noise-cancelling headphones. Case managers will be available by appointment to assist with job applications and interpretation services and help clients utilizing the space succeed with the technology. JFS also will have technical support specialists available to address problems and provide support.
While JFS has been offering services in Niagara Falls since 2021, the agency opened its first permanent office in August 2024 on Third Street to best serve the needs of its clients. The comprehensive career support and care management for recovery program and community resource room are both slated to launch later this year.