Latter-day Saint Charities, the humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, recently donated funds to The LJD Jewish Family & Community Services (JFCS) to provide local struggling individuals and families, including seniors, with housing assistance.
The one-time payment is estimated to provide assistance to more than 80 households over the next year in the Jacksonville area. The goal is to allow households to remain in their current housing accommodations, wherever possible.
“Emergency financial assistance is the heart of JFCS wraparound care, keeping families safe, together and in their homes," said JFCS Chief Executive Officer Colleen Rodriguez. “For families struggling with poverty, whether generational or situational, housing stability is a top barrier to family safety and wellbeing.”
Flexible funding from Latter-day Saint Charities will allow The JFCS to directly address the range of needs of families in crisis and help them achieve housing stability. This funding will allow JFCS to meet people where they are and provide the support that makes sense for each individual family. Whether it's rent, utilities, a car repair, prescription assistance or a GED program, it's a win for the entire family. With support tailored to each family, JFCS can help families build the skills and resources to achieve and maintain true housing stability.
Latter-day Saint Charities is committed to supporting local nonprofit organizations with interfaith efforts to achieve the greatest good. JFCS met the criteria for support due to their long-standing impact in this area and the impressive programs in place to help those in need in many ways.
“JFCS stood out to us as an organization in alignment with our charitable goals,” said Stephen Heywood, president of the Florida Jacksonville East Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “I am so pleased we were able to facilitate this support.”
As a separate initiative, the two organizations have also collaborated to provide food assistance to the JFCS’ registered program participants. In 2022 the Max Block Food Pantry served more than 174,699 meals to more than 19,000 clients.
"We could not be more grateful to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their partnership and incredible generosity,” said Rodriguez. “Through this most recent impactful gift we are able to continue our work, preventing homelessness for the most vulnerable in the community.”
