We offer short-term, limited financial assistance to households with Jewish member(s) to cover an unexpected financial crisis, such as job loss, interruption in income, or unexpected expenses that threaten stability. Assistance is available only once in a twelve-month period.
Starting July 2023, we can only accept financial aid requests from households with Jewish member(s). Because JFS is a Jewish organization, we have a primary responsibility to serve the Jewish community. If you are a non-Jewish household, please visit Washington 211 or dial 2-1-1 on your phone for other resources.
We receive more requests than we can accept and are not able to assist everyone who requests assistance.
We may be able to help with:
Rent assistance, including current and past due rent
Move-in costs (You must already have a unit identified and an agreement made with the landlord and be able to submit lease, ledger, and landlord W-9).
Utilities
Unexpected bills such as medical, dental, car repair, etc.
We cannot help with:
Finding housing for you
Financial assistance for emergency shelter
Motel/hotel costs
Housing location support
Mortgage payments
Homeowners’ association payments
Home repairs
Do you qualify?
You are a household with one or more Jewish members
You have low-income or very low income
Your household has not received financial assistance from JFS in the past 12 months
For rental assistance, you must have a plan in place to be able to pay rent going forward and be able to submit the lease, ledger, and W-9 from your landlord
For move-in costs, you must have a unit identified, have an agreement with the landlord, and be able to submit the lease, ledger, and W-9 from your landlord
For utilities or other bills, you must have a copy of the bill or invoice
Watch your email. We will email you by Thursday after you apply to let you know the status of your application (check your spam/junk folder).
Explore other options. Because we cannot help everyone who applies, so please visit Washington 211 or dial 2-1-1 on your phone to find additional resources, shelter, and housing options.
