Denver, CO (November 16, 2022) JFS is pleased to announce they are returning to their roots and have become a permanent Reception & Placement (R&P) agency as a HIAS affiliate, making them the fourth resettlement agency in Colorado. HIAS is a nonprofit that provides vital services to refugees and asylum seekers while advocating for their fundamental rights so they can rebuild their lives.

As a permanent R&P agency in 2022-2023, JFS estimates it will serve hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, Sudan, Ukraine, and Latin America.

“We are honored to become a HIAS resettlement partner,” said Linda P. Foster, President and CEO of Jewish Family Service of Colorado. “We’re returning to our agency’s roots to welcome and resettle refugees with integrated services, including case management, housing placement and stability, employment support, culturally appropriate food, and mental health counseling to help them adjust to life in Colorado and become integrated into the community.”

As a tribute to our former president and CEO, Yana Vishnitsky, the resettlement program has been named the Yana Vishnitsky Refugee Resettlement program. In 1978, Yana fled Soviet Russia with her 4-year-old son to start a new life in Colorado. JFS sponsored the Vishnitsky family’s relocation, the agency welcomed them and provided an apartment stocked with furniture, food, and household items. Because she was fluent in English, she was hired by JFS to help other Russian émigrés. Yana's career at JFS spanned 38 years, and her dedication to the very agency that resettled her as a refugee, was profound.

To learn more about the program and how you can help visit jewishfamilyservice.org/resettlement.