Meet Inna Oganesyan as She Celebrates 30 Years with JFS

Inna Oganesyan, Aging Care & Connections care manager, recently celebrated her 30th anniversary with JFS! We sat down to learn more about Inna’s career, the changes she’s seen in the agency, and her roles over the years.

JFS: When did you start working at Jewish Family Service?

Inna Oganesyan (IO): I arrived in the United States in 1991 as a refugee from the Former Soviet Union and began working with JFS about a month later as a case worker in the resettlement department.

JFS: What did that job entail, and what was it like to help refugees when you were new to the country yourself?

IO: Refugees were only allowed to bring $30 per person to this country, so everyone needed housing, furniture, household supplies, jobs, food, help to enroll their kids in school, etc. And, of course, they needed assistance navigating a new country. I knew first-hand how difficult the transition was and tried to make it easier for the people we served. JFS was one of two locally accredited resettlement agencies and worked closely with HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society). We resettled about 500 individuals a year, mainly from the Former Soviet Union at the time. Thanks to grants and dedicated volunteers, we provided furnished apartments and household items, such as dishes, linens, cleaning supplies, and more. The Russian community is very education-oriented, and people wanted to get to work and enroll their kids in school as quickly as possible. Even though most were eligible to go on welfare, we helped them get jobs right away, and they didn’t need government support.

JFS: What was JFS like in 1991?

IO: We had an office in Empire Park on Colorado Boulevard and had about 15 employees, mainly  resettlement, employment, and volunteer services. We didn’t have computers yet, and there was a lot of paperwork to submit. Plus, I was still adapting to a new culture while helping other immigrants.

JFS: What are the other jobs you’ve held at JFS over the years?

IO: After the resettlement department closed, I became the New American Support Services program coordinator. In that role, I oversaw a wide range of services for new arrivals to the United States and the vast Russian-speaking community of Denver. I advocated for refugee client rights, administered emergency relief products and services, and provided bilingual culturally-sensitive training. I also implemented and supervised a citizenship program at JFS. We partnered with other resettlement agencies to help refugees and immigrants with green card applications and the citizenship application and process, and we held citizenship classes. We provided services to hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers worldwide, including Ethiopia, Eritrea, Turkey, and Burma, until that department closed in 2015.

Then, I moved into my current role in the Aging Care & Connections department serving Russian-speaking Holocaust survivors and older adults. I currently have 50 clients. The main goals are to keep them safely in their homes and ensure they have enough food. To meet these goals, I set them up with homemaker services to keep their homes clean, arrange food delivery through Kosher Meals on Wheels or the JFS Weinberg Food Pantry, connect them with medical and community resources, coordinate transportation for appointments and errands, provide Russian translation and interpretation services, and more. Through funding from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, we can help pay for medical and dental needs that insurance or public resources don’t cover and reimburse clients for home care providers. I also check in regularly with these clients, so they know someone cares about them and feel less isolated.

JFS: What do you like about your job, and what has kept you here for three decades?

IO: I love that I have been able to help thousands of people over the years. I have formed close relationships with so many individuals that I resettled, especially from the Russian community. We know and trust each other. I still get calls from people I helped years ago to ask for my advice on things unrelated to JFS. The whole agency has a great reputation and is trusted. I often receive thank-you notes, including one I recently got from a client who was touched by all the attention we’ve given her, which she doesn’t get from anyone else in her life. I enjoy learning in all the different roles I’ve held, and I’m grateful to work for such a wonderful agency. I also appreciate the connection with the Jewish, Russian, and refugee communities and have always felt like I’m in the right place. I will continue to work as long as I’m still helping others!

Thank you, Inna, for your compassion and dedication to the community you serve and to JFS.