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.”

Arrests for illegal border crossings plummeted more than 80% to about 47,000 in December from an all-time high of 250,000 the same period a year earlier. Arrests fell by about half when Mexican authorities increased enforcement within their own borders a year ago and by about half again when former President Joe Biden introduced severe asylum restrictions in June. The Associated Press joined the Border Patrol for six hours Thursday in San Diego, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings much of the last year, and found no migrants until the last half-hour. Jewish Family Service of San Diego said Friday its shelter had not received any migrants since the Trump administration ended use of the online border app, CBP One, for migrants to legally enter. It served 791 people the week before Trump took office.

Colleagues Fred Caban, Jr. (38) and Tom Stewart (47) remember the successes and challenges of addressing food insecurity and other social issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss their work at the Jewish Family Service of San Diego and what they hope future generations learn from the pandemic.

San Diego County is implementing a new state law expanding who can be placed in an involuntary hold for psychiatric evaluation and treatment. NBC 7’s Shelby Bremer has more on this change and impact.

Experts say they expect about 1,500 additional detentions in 2025 with expansion of gravely disabled definition. Standing before a group of mental health care professionals at the Psychiatric Hospital of San Diego County on a recent afternoon, JFS Senior Director Mike Phillips explained the highly nuanced criteria of Senate Bill 43, the law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom that many have said attempts to increase the number of unhoused residents placed under government conservatorship.

In a heartwarming display of community service, a local Girl Scout is making the holidays brighter for San Diego’s unhoused community. Sofia Klein turned her love of reading into a Little Library at the JFS Safe Parking Lot in Mission Valley. Her Literacy Program has even earned her the coveted Girl Scouts Silver Award, a testament to her dedication to community service.

Meet Marion and Harvey Yurow, an 88-year-old retired teacher and a 92-year-old retired research chemist, who are finding new ways to maintain their independence as they navigate the challenges of no longer being able to drive. Thanks to On the Go, a Jewish Family Service program, they receive free rides to medical appointments and more. On the Go urgently needs volunteer drivers to help older adults like Marion and Harvey stay safe, independent, and connected to their community. Learn more at www.jfssd.org/otg.

Jewish Family Service’s On the Go program helps older adults like Harvey and Marion Yurow, who find it harder to access safe and reliable transportation. OTG relies on volunteer drivers but faces a growing need, especially in East and North County. By giving just one or two rides a month, volunteers can make a meaningful difference, helping older adults maintain independence and stay connected to their community. Learn more at www.jfssd.org/volunteer/serve-older-adults.

“Every person in the Safe Parking Program has a unique situation, and we make a plan with them based on their circumstances,” says Nichole. “The average length of stay varies greatly as some guests are disabled or seniors on a fixed income waiting for an affordable housing unit, while some guests just need a temporary place to stay for three to four months to save money to enter back into more stable housing. Challenges guests often face include a low-volume of available, affordable rental units or a low credit score that prohibits someone from meeting income requirements for a rental agreement, especially when they require two or three times the monthly rent.”

“The last three weeks have been filled with reflection, as November often brings. But this year feels different. It demands more courage from each of us.” This is how Dana Toppel, CEO Designate/COO, begins her discussion of how, as a community, we need to “stand side by side, grounded in our shared humanity, (and) become unbreakable.”