Jewish Family Service Of N.M. Closes Doors

Jewish Family Service of New Mexico, a nonprofit that provided services primarily to seniors, announced this week that it has closed due to “erosion in funding” from federal, state and private sources, according to a statement on the group’s website.

The nonprofit was “unable to obtain sufficient resources to keep our programs going” despite submitting numerous grant proposals, Michael Gemme, the group’s executive director, wrote in the statement posted Monday.

“Demand for services continued to increase, while the availability of funding decreased significantly,” the statement said.

Gemme could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Phone messages to the organization were not returned.

“This development was shocking to us,” said Sam Sokolove, executive director of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico, which provided about $70,000 in funding last year to Jewish Family Service.

Sokolove said the federation will seek a “full accounting” of Jewish Family Service’s finances to provide answers about why the nonprofit closed.

“The speed of the end of the agency was astonishing,” Sokolove said. “We want to make sure that the organizations that we work with are presenting accurate information and we feel confident in their sustainability.”

The Jewish Federation and other Jewish organizations in New Mexico remain in sound financial condition, he said.

JFS provided services such as care management, housekeeping and transportation for seniors, a community food pantry, wellness programs, Jewish chaplaincy and Holocaust survivor support.

JFS planned to send letters to clients and contributors notifying them of the closure and contact vulnerable clients by phone to refer them to other services, the statement said.

The website, at www.jfsnm.org, also provides a link for alternative services available in the community.
— This article appeared on page C3 of the Albuquerque Journal