Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty

Met Council provides comprehensive social services to aid, sustain, and empower poor and near-poor New Yorkers. For more than four decades, Met Council has supported and championed families, seniors and adults living in poverty and near-poverty. Met Council provides immediate assistance to New Yorkers in crisis and creates pathways to self sufficiency through the following programs: America’s Largest Kosher Food Pantry System, Emergency Social Services, Family Violence Services, Home Repairs, Benefits Enrollment & Outreach, and Affordable Housing. Their grassroots Jewish Community Council network provides support to families in their neighborhoods—right where they live. The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty is the voice of the Jewish poor and the first line of defense for their community’s needy. They fight poverty through comprehensive social services and treat every individual with dignity and respect. Their network of grassroots Jewish Community Councils strengthens families and neighborhoods throughout New York City. In the fight against poverty, they serve immigrants, seniors living on fixed incomes, the un- and underemployed and anyone else in need. As an organization founded on Jewish values, they serve everyone with dignity and empathy, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion. They use a strengths based approach that empowers their clients to confront their crisis. Their caseworkers conduct a thorough assessment with the client to create an effective intervention plan and develop a resolution. They leverage government contracts with privately raised funds from individuals and foundations to increase the impact of their services. Their culturally sensitive professionals provide an array of services to members of insular and immigrant communities utilizing a nuanced understanding of the clients’ community norms to move them from crisis to stability. Together with their network of local Jewish Community Councils, they serve as the front line of defense for all those in need, providing essential anti-poverty services in all five boroughs. They maintain a “no wrong door” policy, serving all of a client’s needs, regardless of the point of entry to Met Council. This holistic approach addresses both immediate and lasting needs in a client’s fight against poverty. Through advocacy and comprehensive social services, they promote awareness of the needs of the more than 500,000 poor and near-poor Jews in New York City.