Providing a Non-judgmental Safety Net

What do you do when you need life-saving medical treatment but don’t have insurance or even enough money for rent or food? Unfortunately, this was the dilemma Corey found himself in about 10 years ago when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Corey was already struggling with diabetes, having enough food to eat, and paying his rent, and on top of all of those challenges, he lost his health insurance.

Corey reached out to Rabbi TelRav, associate rabbi at Temple Sinai at the time, who referred him to Jewish Family Service (JFS). “I contacted JFS and worked with a case manager for rental assistance and received food from the food pantry and some grocery gift cards,” Corey recalled.

While the support from JFS helped tremendously, Corey needed to start chemotherapy, and the only way he could find to pay for it was to sell illegal drugs. “I got involved in the legal system, struggled with probation, and spent about 18 months in prison,” Corey explained. “When I was released from prison—homeless and unable to afford food as a diabetic and stage-three cancer patient—I came back to JFS for help.”

Initially, Corey went to a local homeless shelter but felt discriminated against when he brought kosher food and his Muslim friend brought halal food. But at JFS, he was welcomed back with open arms. “Jewish Family Service doesn’t discriminate against anyone,” Corey said with a smile. “I’ve seen Muslims, Jews … everyone at the food pantry.” Corey received food, rental assistance, and employment resources from JFS. “A couple of times, I also received donations for kosher for Passover items that I couldn’t afford. I try and stay Kosher for Pesach. That's a big one for me,” he said. Over the years, Corey also turned to Rabbi Baskin, former Jewish community chaplain for JFS, for support.

At the end of 2020, Corey received a Jewish interest-free loan to start a business drawing Methods of Handling Traffic for road construction projects. As of September 2021, Corey is also officially cancer-free!

“Without JFS, I would probably still be in prison or on the street,” said Corey. “I needed a certain stability that I couldn’t accomplish without the help I got there.”

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