San Diego nonprofits are preparing for the long haul as the government shutdown enters its sixth day. Jewish Family Service is now offering free groceries to federal employees and contractors who may be at risk of missing their next paycheck.
“We recognize this is a new set of folks that need assistance, so we’re here to support,” said Tom Stewart, VP of Strategic Integration from Jewish Family Service. Working in coalition with The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, Jewish Family Service is providing 40-pound bags filled with pantry staples and fresh produce. The bags will be available every Wednesday until the shutdown ends.

Dr. Bob Rubenstein and Marie Raftery have funded the Jewish Family Service David Rubenstein Memorial Scholarship since 2008, awarding financial aid to over 160 Jewish students in San Diego County to support their educational and vocational goals. “For us, it is very satisfying to be able to do that. It’s an honor. I’m grateful for having the opportunity to do it.” said Marie Raftery.

Jewish Family Service hosted a meaningful intergenerational challah bake that brought together Holocaust survivors and teens, led by 8th-grader Milana. Through shared stories and the hands-on tradition of braiding challah for Rosh Hashanah, participants built connections, honored memory, and celebrated the strength and continuity of the Jewish community.

The County is partnering with the San Diego Foundation on a new guaranteed income program for high-risk pregnant women as part of a new initiative called Born Well. The County has been involved with other Guaranteed Income Programs in recent years. The Family Income for Empowerment Program started in April 2023 in partnership with Jewish Family Service. Another County cash payment program was Recovery Action Fund for Tomorrow or RAFT, in partnership with Jewish Family Service. Guaranteed income programs provide direct, unconditional cash that gives families the freedom to spend money on their most immediate needs as they define them, such as food, childcare, medical needs or rent.

According to JFS’s new leadership duo⎯CEO Dana Toppel and Board Chair Theresa Dupuis⎯the needs in our community are growing more urgent and more complex. Together, they are stepping forward determined to meet the moment with compassion, purpose and resolve.

New CEO Dana Toppel and new board chair Theresa Dupuis talk about how Jewish Family Service is meeting today’s community needs in a sit down with Fox News. 

Dana Toppel, JFS CEO, and Theresa Dupuis, JFS Board Chair, sit down with KUSI to discuss JFS’s role in building a community where everyone has safe and stable housing, enough food to eat, and a supportive community around them.

San Diego’s latest and largest Safe Parking lot—the H Barracks operated by Jewish Family Service of San Diego as part of their Safe Parking Program—is welcoming people who are living out of a vehicle and are looking to rest without worry for the night. On Thursday, ABC 10News was the first to go inside the lot since it opened on May 31 and had been welcoming people who don’t have a place to go. Sometimes being homeless doesn’t mean being on the streets.

A 190-space Safe Parking Program site was recently opened by the city of San Diego at H Barracks, offering vehicle dwellers services to help them avert homelessness. The Safe Parking Program provides individuals, seniors, and families a secure place to stay while accessing services and pursuing housing. Sites include restrooms, mental health services, and job training, and participants work with case managers to create individual housing goals. A judge ruled recently in the city’s favor — and against a developer’s request — for a temporary restraining order that would have prevented the swift opening of the H Barracks Safe Parking Program, which is operated by Jewish Family Service of San Diego.

Jewish Family Service of San Diego hosted its annual 2025 Heart and Soul Gala April 26 at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. With guests, community leaders and JFS partners in attendance, the event celebrated the philanthropic contributions of the 2025 honorees Karen and Jeff Silberman, Solana Beach residents, and Susanna and Michael Flaster, and commemorated JFS CEO Michael Hopkins’ 13 years of leadership, ahead of his retirement this summer.

Nonprofits and city leaders urge state intervention to support San Diegans facing high living costs. Jewish Family Service is actively involved in addressing these challenges through initiatives and offering programs. “Food security is not just about hunger. When families are given access to housing, healthcare, job support and cash assistance, they can put food on the table and build a foundation to not just survive but thrive,” said Kaley Levitt, Jewish Family Services President of Government Affairs.

Jewish Family Service has served over 4,500 San Diegans sheltering in their vehicles, including 650 children, through its Safe Parking Program. The new Safe Parking Lot, known as H Barracks, has room to accommodate 190 vehicles overnight and will also be run by JFS.

In a tribute to the late Robert Resnik, the community was encouraged to honor his memory through donations to Jewish Family Service, reflecting the Resnik family’s long-standing connection to and support of JFS’s mission. JFS is honored to be part of the Resnik family’s story and grateful for the support during this time of remembrance.

As part of Harvard Law School’s spring break pro bono initiative, students traveled to California to assist with asylum work in partnership with Jewish Family Service (JFS). The collaboration provided students with hands-on experience in immigration law while contributing to JFS’s critical legal services for asylum seekers.

The City of La Mesa and Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) are launching the City’s first-ever Older Adult Rental Assistance Program, assisting seniors aged 55 and older who are at risk of homelessness. The program, operated by JFS, will provide 40 participants with a $500 monthly housing subsidy paid directly to their landlords for 12 months and individualized case management. Applications are being accepted beginning the last week of March. Priority will be given to applications filed by April 4.

Featured in The San Diego Union Tribune, a new rental assistance program in La Mesa, operated by Jewish Family Service of San Diego, aims to provide rental subsidies to seniors to prevent homelessness.

Meet Phil, a dedicated volunteer with Jewish Family Service (JFS), where he supports multiple programs. He delivers hot meals to older adults once a week, helps low-income families with tax preparation, and occasionally assists older adults with small handyman projects through the JFS Fix-It program. Phil also volunteers as a driver for JFS’s On the Go program, helping older adults remain active, healthy, and connected to their community. To explore the many ways you can give back, visit www.jfssd.org/volunteer.

President Donald Trump froze the federal funding that allowed resettlement agencies to support newly arrived refugees. Michael Hopkins, CEO of Jewish Family Service of San Diego, said that his organization received a stop work order and is fundraising to support the 22 recently arrived families in its care. That includes a family of six from Afghanistan who arrived the day before the stop work order, Hopkins said. The father of the family had worked with the U.S. military, he said.

Faced with a halt in federal funding and the closing of the border to refugees, Jewish Family Service of San Diego is shutting down its shelter and shifting focus to legal support of asylum seekers.
CEO Michael Hopkins said in a statement received Saturday that following the Trump administration’s suspension of the CBP One smartphone asylum-filing application on Jan. 20, no refugee individuals or families have been released to the shelter. In addition, $22 million in promised federal funding has not been received, leading to future layoffs of the shelter staff.
“While there are no longer individuals or families seeking asylum released from short term federal immigration custody to our shelter services, we are seeing increased needs for immigration legal assistance and other social service supports to vulnerable San Diegans,” Hopkins added.

Jewish Family Service said that once the layoffs are finalized in April — the law requires 60 days notice for mass layoffs — it will cease operations of its San Diego Rapid Response Network migrant shelter services. The organization said in a statement that its transition shelter — which provided medical screenings, food, case management, legal support and travel coordination — has received no new migrants since Inauguration Day, when the Trump administration ended use of the CBP One app.The organization also said it has not received any of the $22 million it was awarded last year by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Shelter and Services Program.

Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) is pausing its Migrant Shelter Services due to recent federal immigration policy changes and the cancellation of federal funding. While JFS remains committed to serving immigrants and refugees, the organization is shifting its focus to bolstering pro bono legal services and continuing vital community support programs.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has announced sweeping changes in federal funding and policies.
As a result, Jewish Family Services of San Diego (JFS) announced potential layoffs of its migrant shelter workers. A number of staffers were given a 60-day notice on Monday. In part of a statement released Monday, Hopkins wrote, “Due to recent changes in federal funding and policy, the San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN) Migrant Shelter Services will be paused until there is better understanding of future community needs.”

Jewish Family Service of San Diego announced on Monday potential layoffs of its migrant shelter workers. A number of staffers were given a 60-day notice due to a change in federal government funding and policies. On Jan. 20, when the federal government shut down the CBP One App, which allowed migrants to claim asylum at the border, JFS says it stopped receiving new families at Shelter Services. JFS says no clients means potential layoffs and redirecting its resources. In part of a statement released Monday, JFS CEO Michael Hopkins wrote: “Due to these changes in federal funding and policy, the SDRRN Migrant Shelter Services will be paused until there is better understanding of future community needs.”

In this Op-Ed by Jewish Family Service CEO Michael Hopkins, he discusses the agency’s longtime commitment to Welcoming the Stranger and why it is important to look at refugees on the human level. Hopkins writes, “Immigration is a controversial topic these days, but let’s break it down to the human level. Specifically, I’d like to talk about refugees, who are the most vetted group of displaced people allowed into the U.S. with a clear legal pathway to citizenship. Refugees, half of whom are children, have been forced to flee their home country because of persecution, war or violence. Their lives are at risk, and they have nowhere else to turn.” Hopkins continues to share a story of an Ahmad, who worked with the U.S. military in Afghanistan “Our values are unwavering. We know that assisting families like Ahmad’s and the 21 others in our care is the right thing to do. JFS will continue to meet the moment in partnership with the community.”

This week, the Trump Administration froze nearly all federal grants and loans—creating confusion and concern among many nonprofits. JFS is working diligently to prepare and pivot in the days ahead to ensure that our most vulnerable community members continue to have access to basic needs assistance. According to JFS CEO Michael Hopkins, “As an organization, I think that we have a pretty strong muscle to handle these situations.”