According to the National Institute on Aging, loneliness can be as damaging to health as many chronic conditions for older adults. However, staying connected with the community can be a powerful antidote.
For many older adults, lack of transportation compounds loneliness and isolation from their friends, family and communities in which they belong. Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) addresses this need through its On the Go program, providing free, volunteer-driven rides to San Diego residents ages 60 and older of all backgrounds. On the Go is seeking volunteer drivers to meet the growing demand for safe rides and friendly faces, especially as it has just expanded services to include three new zip codes: 92101 (Downtown San Diego, Little Italy, Bankers Hill and Balboa Park), 92078 (Southern San Marcos), 91978 (Spring Valley).

What does it take to meet urgent needs today while building a stronger future for tomorrow? Tune in to this week’s episode of Stop & Talk, where JFS CEO Dana Toppel explores that question and shares insights on leadership, partnership, and creating lasting change across San Diego County.

In this opinion article by Chris Jennewein, he details the story of Nicolas, a landscaper who has worked in his neighborhood for over 35 years and suddenly didn’t show up. It turns out he was detained by ICE on Monday and is being held at the notorious Otay Mesa Detention Center. His cellphone was taken away. His wife and three U.S.-citizen children, who live in Carlsbad and Escondido, are scared and unsure what to do. Both Rep. Mike Levin’s office and Jewish Family Service of San Diego were contacted for help, but for now he remains just another case number at Otay Mesa.

The Heart & Soul Gala was a heartfelt evening raising more than $2 million to support Jewish Family Service programs that serve people throughout the community.

The nonprofit Jewish Family Service of San Diego raised more than $2 million at its recent Heart & Soul Gala to support the nonprofit’s community programs, ranging from nutritious meal delivery and support for Holocaust survivors to immigration legal support and a variety of older adult programs and resources.

Kindness Initiative (KI) and Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) are deepening a coordinated effort to better serve Jewish individuals and families in need across the community – while remaining fully independent organizations. Effective June 1, 2026, Kindness Initiative will co-locate its Member Services case management division at the Jewish Family Service Joan & Irwin Jacobs Campus in Kearny Mesa (8804 Balboa Avenue, 92123).

As family homelessness hits record highs, the Safe Parking Program at JFS offers autonomy, dignity and safety during the search for more permanent housing.

County officials urged recipients to submit renewal paperwork on time, keep their contact information updated and respond promptly to any requests for documentation to ensure their eligibility can be reviewed. If you need food, regardless of immigration status, Jewish Family Service is an option.

CEO Dana Toppel discusses the meaning of Passover and how we see that meaning every day at Jewish Family Service.

Older adults are the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population in the United States, with numbers projected to triple between 2017 and 2030. The JFS Safe Parking Program is featured in Episode 4 of Century Lives: The Home Stretch from the Stanford Center on Longevity. This insightful episode explores the factors driving this crisis—from the national housing shortage to the economic realities of living on a fixed income—and highlights innovative solutions here in San Diego. This episode features Dana Toppel, JFS CEO, and Mike Phillips, JFS Senior Director of Housing Services, along with key experts and partners all working on the front lines to address senior homelessness.

CEO Dana Toppel writes: As a community, we have the honor of standing with survivors and lifting up their lives, experiences, and voices. Let’s ensure that their remaining days are filled with love, light and dignity instead of hate, fear and pain.

Survivors are confronting urgent and increasingly complex needs shaped by aging and the lasting wounds of their past. We embrace our collective responsibility to ensure they receive compassionate care and support in their final years.

At Jewish Family Service of San Diego, we serve over 500 Holocaust survivors in Orange and San Diego Counties, including Helen, through our Supporting Our Survivors program. In the last three years, the number of recipients we assist has increased by 234.

This resilient population deserves and needs compassionate, trauma-informed and culturally competent care to live their remaining years in dignity.

Helen and all survivors deserve the chance to keep saying, “Today is the beginning of another good day in my long life.”

In this Op-Ed by CEO Dana Toppel, she addresses how we care for Survivors on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, designated by the United Nations General Assembly as a day to remember those who have passed and honor those who survived and carry lifelong invisible wounds of the past.

Yet the history books aren’t closed—there’s still an opportunity to uplift the lives of those who’ve suffered greatly in one of the world’s worst atrocities. On this day of remembrance, we honor survivors not only with our words, but with action.

As a community, we can help Holocaust survivors who endured history’s darkest chapter live their remaining years with dignity, care and compassion.

CEO Dana Toppel shares in this Op-Ed: “Because of what I went through, I had no teeth in my mouth. I never smiled with an open mouth,” said Ben, 89.

Ben survived the Holocaust. Today, he lives in San Diego as one of thousands of Holocaust survivors still with us. His story is a testament not only to unimaginable resilience, but also to the responsibility we share to ensure that those who endured history’s darkest chapter can age with dignity.

While the number of Holocaust survivors is steadily declining, their needs are growing more urgent. I see this every day in my role at Jewish Family Service of San Diego, which supports more than 500 Holocaust survivors in San Diego and Orange Counties. They range in age from 81 to more than 100 years old and speak English, Russian, Yiddish, Ukrainian, French, Hungarian and other native languages. Each survivor carries a lifetime of memories of loss, survival, rebuilding and perseverance.

These men and women endured unspeakable trauma during the Holocaust. Many lost parents, siblings, spouses and entire communities. They rebuilt their lives from nothing, often arriving in the United States with no resources and deep emotional scars. Today, as they age, many face new challenges, often alone and in poverty.

Over the past five years alone, rents in San Diego have surged by more than 40%. Nearly half of San Diego households are now considered “rent-burdened,” spending more than 30% of their income just to keep a roof over their heads. Low- and middle-income families—the people who power our economy and anchor our neighborhoods—are increasingly being pushed out of the region altogether. By combining the deep expertise and proven track record of reputable housing developers with the success of mission-driven nonprofits, this partnership offers a bold, practical path forward with real community benefit and financial efficiency—and establishing a replicable model for the region. Over the next five years, we hope to scale this approach, potentially bringing upwards of 2,000 low- and moderate-income, high-quality affordable homesto the San Diego region.

Families staying at the Rose Canyon Safe Parking lot are enjoying some upgraded amenities. Program operator Jewish Family Service (JFS) of San Diego unveiled a newly renovated common space – created to bring comfort, connection and a sense of home to the families staying at the site. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, JFS staff, and community partners celebrated the transformation of this space into a welcoming environment where children, youth, and parents can gather, share meals, study and simply be together as they work toward more stable housing.
“The City’s partnership with Jewish Family Service to operate our Safe Parking Program is delivering real results,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “Jewish Family Service sets the standard for how to pair shelter with services, transforming a safe place to sleep into a pathway to stability for families. Support from a generous community donor and nonprofit partners is helping expand this impact and demonstrates the power of partnership in reducing homelessness.”

The site, run by Jewish Family Services, shows family-friendly renovations to accommodate people using the safe parking site. Samantha Gleiberman, who had the inspiration for the project, shares “Being here at night, the kids were playing in the dark and they didn’t have a place to do their homework and the parents didn’t have a place to relax and cook family dinner.”

One of the city’s safe sleeping parking lots, run by Jewish Family Service, has just been renovated to include a new community space and various other appliances. Karla, a client on the lot, explains what it means for her family, “My kids don’t call this the JFS Safe Parking space. We call it home. My kids say, ‘We are going to go play, go do our homework.’”

A renovated community space at the JFS Rose Canyon Safe Parking Program is helping families find comfort, connection and stability as they work toward permanent housing.

Two hundred San Diego families working to make ends meet now have presents to give their children thanks to a toy drive organized by Jewish Family Service of San Diego in collaboration with interfaith partners and community members.

“One in four San Diegans struggled with food insecurity even before the shutdown, and rising costs for housing, medical care, and childcare continue to strain household budgets,” said Tom Stewart with Jewish Family Service. “During our drive-through distributions, we heard from San Diegans who shared that the food they received helped free up limited income for other essential expenses like rent, medical costs, and childcare. Because that need has not gone away, we made the decision to continue these food distributions and open them to all members of the community.”

Jewish Family Service of San Diego held its first Joan Jacobs Signature Brunch recently at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine. More than 400 guests listened to Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actress Julianna Margulies — best known for her roles in “ER” and “The Good Wife” — speak about her career, upbringing, resilience and work with the Holocaust Educator School Partnership, an education program managed by the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.

The brunch celebrated the life of the late Joan Jacobs, community leader, philanthropist and lifelong supporter of Jewish Family Service.

Elaine Galinson was also honored with the inaugural Pauline Foster Leadership in Action Award. The event was chaired by Elissa Davis, Daryl Gelender and Sally Shaps.

December Nights returns to Balboa Park with hundreds of thousands expected to enjoy free museum access, live entertainment, and festive activities. Jewish Family Service of San Diego will play a key role through a special partnership with SDG&E to collect socks and underwear for people staying in JFS’s Safe Parking lots, supporting our community members during the holidays.

NBC 7 spotlights the ongoing impact of GivingTuesday donations and how it fuel essential programs across San Diego. The story highlights how Jewish Family Service is combating nutrition insecurity in San Diego, where 1 in 4 residents are food insecure. JFS delivers a critical lifeline by providing 900,000 meals every year to community members who might otherwise go without.

Jewish Family Service combatting hunger in the region. Elizabeth Alvarez stopped by Lieber`s Corner Market at Jewish Family Service’s Joan & Irwin Jacobs Campus in Kearny Mesa to see how the agency is serving the community.

San Diego Unified is expanding its support for students and families experiencing homelessness through a new partnership with Jewish Family Service of San Diego to operate a Safe Parking site. This collaboration strengthens the district’s comprehensive efforts to remove barriers, provide stability, and help every student thrive.