Fighting Poverty & Improving Wellbeing

As a community, we have a responsibility to help those in greatest need. Together with our network of partner agencies, we work to improve the lives of our community’s most vulnerable. We help those who live in poverty, people with mental and physical illnesses, individuals with disabilities, new immigrants, seniors, Holocaust survivors and others who need a hand up.

For thousands of years, the concept of charity and tzedakah has sustained, enhanced and strengthened Jewish life. UJA Federation, with the help of the community, embraces Torontonians’ needs at every age and life stage.

  • Bernard Betel Centre for Creative Living
    • $112,836
    • betelcentre.org
    • A vibrant community centre providing services and programs to seniors. These include fitness, recreation, trips and travel, special events, community support services, health and wellness, volunteer opportunities, lectures, computer classes, art lessons and Healthy at Home.

      Healthy at Home brings free social, recreational, educational, cultural, health promotion and other programs to 15 sites along the Bathurst Street corridor in North York and York Region. Its aim is to create supportive environments and to build social networks and connections for low-income, isolated and unaffiliated Holocaust survivors and seniors.

  • Healthy at Home Special Allocation
    • $112,836
    • Supports the Healthy at Home initiative.

  • Russian Golden Age Cultural Program
    • $31,846
    • Offers comprehensive recreational and educational opportunities, community support and wellness activities to Russian-speaking seniors.

  • Socialization Programs
    • $55,006
    • Provide events and activities to develop a supportive social network for seniors at risk of social isolation.

  • Circle of Care
  • Home Care for Holocaust Survivors
    • $135,000
    • circleofcare.com
    • Provides the special understanding, knowledge and sensitivity required to support Holocaust survivors, as well as access to the services they need to remain in their own homes and to age with dignity.

  • Transportation
    • $20,000
    • Every year Circle of Care provides rides to seniors living on their own, transporting them to doctors’ appointments, shopping trips and recreational activities, to support independent living and enhance their quality of life.

  • Chai Tikvah Foundation
    • $30,000
    • chaitikvah.org
    • Provides support services and housing for adult consumers of mental health services, including both residential and at-home support options.

  • Jewish Free Loan Toronto
    • $97,000
    • jewishfreeloan.ca
    • Provides interest-free loans to individuals in need in the Jewish community across the Greater Toronto Area.

  • Jewish Family & Child (JF&CS)
    • $2,969,490
    • jfandcs.com
    • Supports the healthy development of individuals, children, families, and communities through prevention, protection, counseling, education and advocacy services, within a Jewish framework.

  • Poverty Reduction Initiative: DoortoDoor
    • $127,000
    • jewishtoronto.com/door-to-door
    • This funding supported the delivery of services during the launch phase of the innovative DoortoDoor initiative, created to ensure accessibility to a range of life-sustaining services for vulnerable seniors and Holocaust survivors, and to provide them with a measure of hope and dignity.

  • Supplementary Financial Assistance Program (SFAP)
    • $2,100,000
    • Provides direct financial assistance to the most vulnerable members of the Jewish community.

  • Emergency Funds for Holocaust Survivors
    • $82,500
    • Assistance includes funds to cover emergencies such as rent money to prevent eviction or utility shutoff; emergency relocation; and health care services and medical devices not covered by government programs.

  • Holocaust Survivors Service Coordination
    • $75,000
    • Administers emergency medical and dental funding for Holocaust survivors.

  • Reena
    • $87,223
    • reena.org
    • Reena promotes dignity, individuality, independence, personal growth and community inclusion for people with developmental disabilities within a framework of Jewish culture and values.

  • Jewish Immigrant Aid Services Toronto (JIAS)
    • $925,000
    • jiastoronto.org
    • Provides the special understanding, knowledge and sensitivity required to support Holocaust survivors, as well as access to the services they need to remain in their own homes and to age with dignity.

  • Financial Supplementation Program
    • $115,000
    • Provides direct financial assistance to newcomer families in financial need.

  • Jewish Vocational Services (JVS) - Emet Employment
    • $213,361
    • jvstoronto.org
    • Helps people succeed by providing employment, social and educational services which meet the changing needs of the diverse communities served by JVS. Enables people to maximize their potential at work and school, and helps employers connect with the right human resources.

  • JF&CS/JVS Joint Employment Program
    • $30,000
    • jfandcs.com / jvstoronto.org
    • The Joint JVS/JF&CS Employment Program has been operating since 1997 to provide current JF&CS clients who are receiving income support with direct and individualised access to JVS Toronto employment services.

  • Kayla’s Children Centre
    • $100,000
    • kaylaschildrencentre.org
    • Provides high-quality, cutting-edge educational, therapeutic and recreational programs for infants, children and teens with special needs, and assists their families by offering support and respite. Kayla’s Children Centre embraces children of all abilities, religious affiliations and needs, and is rich in Jewish education and tradition.

  • Kehilla Residential Programme
    • $18,500
    • kehilla.ca
    • Champions affordable housing in the Greater Toronto Area and implements housing initiatives for the Jewish community.