Thousands of Jewish residents of Greater Philadelphia in all age groups will be significantly affected if the budget cuts currently being recommended by the Reagan Administration are fully implemented.
The analysis comes from a survey of Federation social service and health agencies just completed by the Department of Allocations and Planning of the Federation of Jewish Agencies of Greater Philadelphia (FJA), reported by Dr. Ernest Kahn in the latest issue of the Jewish Exponent. Kahn is director of the department. The FJA reported the possibility of a “worst case” impact of $7 million lost to its social agencies alone. Other reductions could occur in the FJA’s constituent health and education agencies.
Robert Forman, FJA executive vice president, cautioned those served by its constituent agencies that “the Administration proposals must be approved by Congress before the cuts take place and major changes may occur. There is no reason to panic at this point.”
ENTIRE CETA PROGRAM OUT
In one area of government funding for FJA and its agencies, the anticipated reductions have already been initiated. On March 6, the FJA was advised by the Philadelphia Office of Employment and Training that its entire Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) project was to be phased out by March 31. This action was taken by the city in anticipation of congressional approval of the President’s request for a $900 million reduction in current CETA funding prior to the elimination of the entire program in 1982.
The elimination of this program will mean a loss to FJA and its agencies of $1,180 million for fiscal year 1981 alone, which concludes Sept. 30. In addition, the Jewish Employment and Vocational Service, which held a separate contract for classroom training programs for CETA trainees, will lose an additional $356,000 through the phasing out of this program by the end of March.
The closing of the FJA CETA project will wipe out 138 positions for CETA trainees as well as 14 administrative, training and supervisory positions. The project staff is currently exploring with the City Office of Employment and Training alternatives for the employment of all of these trainees who would otherwise be unemployed. Many of them have not established eligibility for unemployment insurance and may have only public welfare as an alternative.
Among these CETA trainees are long-term Jewish residents of Philadelphia, as well as recent Soviet Jewish immigrants; Vietnam war veterans; members of various ethnic minority groups; and a particularly large number of physically handicapped people. At the Jewish Family Service (JFS), CETA trainees provided ongoing home health care and chore services for 350 elderly people each month.
SOME OF THE AGENCIES AFFECTED
The agencies participating in the FJA’s CETA project who will lose trainee positions include the Federation Day Care Services, HIAS-Council Migration Service, Jewish Community Relations Council, JFS, Jewish Ys and Centers, Moss and the Philadelphia Geriatric Center.
While all Federation social and health agencies anticipate reductions in funding available from federal programs, many were reluctant to cite specific dollar figures because the full ramifications of the proposed budget cuts cannot yet be foreseen. This is primarily due to the fact that the Reagan Administration proposed the grouping of 40 currently separate programs into single block grants for social services to be awarded to each of the 50 states.
In addition, these block grants would receive 25 percent less funding in 1982 than is the case for the combined programs in 1981. Decisions concerning the distribution of these funds would be in the hands of the states.
TENTATIVE ESTIMATE OF FUNDING CUTS
While it is too early to make a dollar estimate of this impact because of the administrative and legislative actions which still need to be taken on both the federal and state level, some agencies are, however, in a position to make at least tentative estimates of possible funding cuts.
Benjamin Sprafkin, JFS executive director, estimated that if all federal funding for his agency were to be withdrawn it would mean the loss of about $550,000, in addition to the $350,000 already being withdrawn because of the cancellation of the CETA project.
Speaking for the Jewish Y’s and Centers (JYC) Executive Vice President Samuel Sorin pointed out that the agency currently receives $600,000 a year under a contract for the delivery of services to the elderly from the Philadelphia Corporation on Aging This grant finances much of the work of the David Neumann Senior Center in the Northeast and the Multi-Service Center in South Philadelphia and provides services for between 5,000 and 6,000 elderly people each year.
“If programs for the elderly are cut, then this program would be endangered,” Sorin said. In addition, the JYC could lose between $30,000 and $50,000 currently available through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Other agencies which expect to sustain reductions in the governmental funding available to them, but are unable to make specific dollar estimates, include the Association for Jewish Children, the Jewish Employment and Vocational Service and the Rebecca Gratz Club. All of these agencies indicate that they do not expect to have alternative funding available and that cuts in services will result from the reductions in federal support.
NO SERIOUS DIFFICULTIES FOR DAY SCHOOLS
While all of the social service and health care agencies foresee serious impact from the proposed budget reductions, the day schools affiliated with the FJA face less drastic consequences. These schools do receive some federal assistance for school lunch programs, textbooks and instructional materials.
In the case of three of the schools–Akiba Hebrew Academy, Solomon Schechter Day School and Torah Academy–such support amounts to several thousand dollars at each school but would not create serious difficulties in the view of school administrators. The Beth Jacob Schools receive larger amounts of government subsidies and could be more seriously affected. If all financial support for feeding programs were withdrawn, Beth Jacob faces the elimination of its reduced-price lunch program.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
