After two months negotiating with a potential contractor to run a migrant center, San Diego County is going back to the drawing board to select an operator for a transfer center and respite shelter to help recently arrived migrants. The county and Jewish Family Service of San Diego couldn’t develop a sustainable plan and agreed to end contract talks for the nonprofit to operate the center, they announced Friday. “Despite best faith efforts, the two parties have been unable to develop a plan to meet the scope of work required to address the needs of migrants in the region based on federal funding criteria and have mutually agreed to end negotiations,” county spokesperson Michael Workman said in a joint statement with the organization.

Jewish Family Service of San Diego’s On the Go program currently helps more than 2,000 seniors in need with transportation. Volunteers assist local seniors by driving them in their own cars to the grocery store, the doctor’s office or other essential destinations. “As we know, the population here in San Diego is definitely trending upwards with older adults in our community. So we see a great need for folks who want to stay living independently in their homes but maybe who can no longer drive,” said Sunni Robertson, Director of Volunteer Engagement, Jewish Family Service of San Diego.

Volunteer driver Betty Carroll shares stories from her work helping seniors maintain independence with Jewish Family Service of San Diego’s “On the Go” program.

A shift in thinking about aid among some policymakers and nonprofits has led to the creation of pilot programs across the U.S. where households get cash, with no strings attached, so they can spend it as they see fit. A local nonprofit, Jewish Family Service of San Diego, has been testing versions of this approach in four programs.

He and his wife faced persecution under the Ortega regime, which has imprisoned, tortured or killed many for speaking out. They spent months trying to travel through Mexico on the notoriously dangerous train known as la bestia only to be caught by Mexican officials and sent back south. They faced robbery and kidnapping along the way, he said.

After they finally made it to San Diego last year, they spent months at the San Diego Rapid Response Network shelter run by Jewish Family Service, the father said. But, they didn’t have anyone to receive them in the United States, and eventually, they had to leave the shelter.

During this year’s Annual Meeting & Award Luncheon held on June 25 at the Catamaran Resort Hotel, Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) inducted six long-time San Diego business and civic leaders to its board of directors. “Each new board member has an extraordinary level of expertise and community insight and is a testament to JFS’s diverse make-up and visionary leadership,” said JFS CEO Michael Hopkins in the news release. “Their experience, insight and passion will be significant assets to JFS, as we focus on breaking cycles of poverty and building a stronger San Diego.”

The Jewish Family Service (JFS) annual Heart and Soul Gala took place May 18 at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria was a guest speaker at the event and RSF residents David and Sharon Wax were among the honorees at the gala. Funds raised at the event help support JFS which provides compassionate care and supportive services.

On June 20, Take on Alzheimer’s, part of the California Department of Public Health, organized an event in San Diego County. This event gathered county officials, research organizations, and caregiver advocates. Jewish Family Service (JFS), which offers programs for individuals with early-stage Alzheimer’s and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), was one of the participants. JFS is dedicated to meeting the evolving needs of older adults. Learn more at www.jfssd.org/olderadults.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Jewish Family Service, I am writing to share the bittersweet news that after 13 years at the helm of JFS, Michael Hopkins will be retiring a year from now, on June 30, 2025. Over the last several months, the Board has been fully engaged and working diligently to design a seamless transition, while we prepare to announce the Board’s selection of our next CEO at the end of this month.

While thousands of people seeking asylum in the U.S. wait in shelters in Mexico, hundreds who have already been granted the opportunity to begin that process through the CBP One app have found a safe landing place at the San Diego Rapid Response Network migrant shelter operated by Jewish Family Service of San Diego. Read the story of one family who escaped political persecution and found safety at the SDRRN migrant shelter.

Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFS) has named Tanya Hackel as the organization’s new chief advancement officer. In her new role, Hackel works closely with JFS’s development, marketing, and volunteer engagement departments to enhance relationships with supporters, stakeholders, and the community in support of JFS’ vision and mission.

Featured on the front page of The Union-Tribune’s Sunday edition, this in-depth report follows Saundra, a single mom of three boys, working multiple jobs and struggling to make ends meet.

As San Diego remains the top spot for border crossings and struggles with limited shelter space for asylum seekers, many individuals find themselves on the streets, ultimately becoming part of the city’s homeless system. “Providing respite shelter actually prevents individuals from being on the streets,” said Kate Clark, Senior Director of Immigration Services at Jewish Family Service. “We are unfortunately caught between two broken systems: the immigration system and the homeless system.”

Hear from Sunni Robertson, Director of Volunteer Engagement, in an interview with Roy Robertson, about how members of the community can provide safe and reliable transportation for older adults through Jewish Family Service’s On the Go program. By volunteering, you help ensure they remain active, healthy, and connected to the places and people they love. Volunteers offer one-way rides, taking seniors to doctor’s appointments or occasionally to visit friends.

From living in her car with her kids to finding safety and support through our Safe Parking Program, Genesis is now happy to have a home where her kids are enjoying sleepovers and home-cooked meals. Run by Jewish Family Service of San Diego funded by state HHAP funds, Safe Parking helped Genesis get back on her feet.

Zora Murry has shared a camper with her mother and two younger siblings at the safe parking lot for the past couple of months. It is 1 of 6 safe parking lots run by the San Diego Jewish Family Service (JFS). Four of them, including Rose Canyon, are funded by the City of San Diego, which is partnered with JFS. “As of right now, I’m homeless. But being homeless doesn’t stop me,” Murry said.

No one deserves the treatment faced by those in Customs and Border Protection custody, especially vulnerable people who are pregnant or have just given birth. Join JFS in calling on Customs and Border Protection to end the wrongful detention of pregnant, postpartum and nursing parents and their children.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to proceed with a plan for a long-term transfer center and respite shelter, backed by federal funding for arriving migrants. This funding, allocated to non-federal entities like Jewish Family Service, will support essential humanitarian services for families lawfully seeking asylum in the United States.

The Board of Supervisors approved a plan for a long-term migrant transit center, backed by $19.6 million in federal funds. Chairwoman Nora Vargas emphasized the importance of the funding saying “it is vital for providing dignified and humane assistance, including essential resources such as food, clothing, and crucial information to safely guide people to their intended destinations.”

San Diego has become the top region along the southern border for migrant arrivals. The Biden administration has allocated $45 million to California programs aiding migrants who have crossed the border. Learn more on how you can help ensure San Diego remains a welcoming place for those in search of a safer life—free from violence and persecution.

Earlier this month, the San Diego region was given nearly $40 million from the federal government’s Shelter and Services Program to help the migrant population. The money is split in half between San Diego County and Catholic Charities of San Diego and Jewish Family Service, organizations that has run migrant shelters in San Diego for years. Now that the money has been awarded, advocates want to see a collaborative approach between all levels of government and local service providers to come up with a lasting migrant welcome program.

FEMA announced our region will receive more than $39 million as part of its Shelter and Services program, half of which the county is getting directly. “There is a gap of about $11.8 million, even just to maintain the existing infrastructure that we have in our community. And so again, it’s really a critical opportunity for the county to come alongside organizations like Jewish Family Service and Catholic Charities, in addition to those advocates and organizations that are supporting for the folks that are being released to the streets of San Diego,” said Kate Clark, Senior Director of Immigration Services at JFS.

Jewish Family Service says it has helped 200,000 migrants in transit through San Diego County since 2018, providing them with temporary shelter, meals and transportation to their final destinations across the U.S. When county funding ran out in late February, JFS did not stop aiding asylum-seekers. “Organizations like Jewish Family Service in San Diego, Catholic Charities, Immigrant defenders, Al Otro Lado, Haitian Bridge Alliance, the list goes on for organizations that continue to step forward in the absences of funding,” said Kate Clark, Senior Director of Immigration Services with JFS. Learn more on how you can help ensure San Diego remains a welcoming place for those in search of a safer life—free from violence and persecution.

Local migrant services groups are urging San Diego County leaders to collaborate with those working directly with migrants on the ground before deciding how to spend its recent $19.6 millions allocation from the federal government. “It is our expectation that we’re able to think through a regional plan that hopefully gets to a place of avoiding street releases,” said Kate Clark, senior director of immigration services for Jewish Family Service of San Diego, “but in order to do that, the organizations that are closest to the work really need to inform the county how they can put forth a plan to the federal government to use these funds.”

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it would offer $39.2 million in new federal funding to the San Diego region as part of its Shelter and Services Program. But there are now concerns that the very groups which built these advocacy networks locally are being left out of discussion. Learn more on how you can help ensure San Diego remains a welcoming place for those in search of a safer life—free from violence and persecution.