About Us

For more than 100 years, JBFCS has set the highest example of what it means to belong, of what it means to take care of your neighbor—in a neighborhood that’s the world’s largest: New York City.

No matter who you are, whom you worship (or don’t), or how much money you have (or don’t), you are a member of the human family.  At JBFCS, we believe that each of us—all of us—must take care of one another.  This is our philosophy. Our compass. And, with it, we have become one of the largest and most respected mental health and social service nonprofits in the country.  Our programs are located throughout the NY metropolitan area---from as far south as Staten Island to our campus up in Westchester county.

 Through a comprehensive range of 175 community-based programs, residential facilities and day-treatment centers, we serve more than 55,000 New Yorkers annually from all religious, ethnic and economic backgrounds.  Serving with commitment and compassion are more than 2,200 professionals, including social workers, licensed psychologists and psychiatrists, and a cadre of clinical support personnel, as well as the heart and soul of JBFCS: our more than 2,000 volunteers.

While it is near impossible to articulate how a 100 year old agency with 175 programs and 55,000 clients does what we do...the myriad of services we provide can be...more or less...broken out into the following areas of focus:

Adults Living with Mental Illness:  They are extraordinary people living ordinary lives—the 26.2 percent of Americans who, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, suffer from diagnosable mental disorders. They are our brothers, our mothers, our sons and daughters, our friends; and they suffer from anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, even schizophrenia. JBFCS offers an array of care to address their needs, and the needs of those who love them. Through our residential facilities, day treatment programs and outpatient counseling services, clients receive care based on long-standing best practices, from compassionate mental health practitioners.

Children and Adolescents:  They are communities most vulnerable--- our children.  JBFCS is determined to provide protective, supportive and nurturing spaces for children of all ages.  So they can thrive, transition safely into adulthood and achieve long-term success. We serve high-needs children who require specialized services and care. Children who are developmentally delayed, severely autistic, emotionally troubled, sexually abused, violent offenders or suffering the effects of trauma are lovingly cared for in special-needs nursery classes, pre-school settings, alternative schools, day treatment facilities and residential programs.

Jewish Community Services: Service to the Jewish community has been and always will be a core value of JBFCS. Community Connections is the Jewish Family Services of NYC. We reach thousands of Jewish New Yorkers and help them meet life's challenges through the life cycle counseling, spiritual care, synagogue partnerships and mutual support networks.

JBFCS’s programs serve people of all races, religions and ethnicities. JBFCS also serves the city’s Jewish community, which is extremely diverse. Tailored to support the cultural and psychosocial circumstances of New York City’s Jewish community, these programs integrate Jewish values and traditions as a fundamental component. Programs range from spiritual support of family members in crisis and peer support of at-risk Jewish teens, to hospice care and services for developmentally or physically disabled members of the Orthodox community.

Counseling Services: Counseling is at the center of virtually all JBFCS programs. Our psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and case managers are among the most qualified in their respective fields. JBFCS’s clinical standards and methodologies provide models of care that are replicated in programs across the country. Most important, however, is our approach to counseling. It fosters hope in the lives of the individuals we serve, and embraces their potential to be productive, healthy, contributing members of their communities.

Domestic Violence & Preventative Services:  Children and families exposed to poverty and racism experience trauma at disproportionately high rates.  Child abuse. Domestic violence. Rape. Gun violence. The list goes on. Such traumas can devastate victims, causing an increase in aggressive and/or suicidal behaviors, as well as a propensity toward chemical dependency and criminal activity. Those most profoundly impacted by trauma’s lasting imprint are children and veterans. With unconditional love, and with the best that science has to offer, JBFCS is working tirelessly to break the cycles of violence.

 Early Childhood & Learning: Children, adolescents and families facing developmental and learning challenges turn to our Center for Child Development and Learning. In school-based and community settings, we provide a range of services: assessments, center-based therapeutic educational programs, remediation, counseling and consultation. Each child is an individual, a member of a family, and part of the community.

Through our Institute for Infants, Children and Families, we are training the trainers in our work with the very youngest: zero to five. At our affiliate, The Shield Institute, educational and clinical staff provide services to children and students starting at age 3, many on the Autism spectrum or with severe behavioral challenges. Working closely with their families these children are provided with "best practices" increasing their opportunities for inclusion in less restrictive environments.

 People Living with Developmental Disabilities:  Every day the developmentally disabled live lives of courage, hope and dignity. Along the way, they teach the rest of us the true meaning of grace. It is for them that our services are designed—so that they may live full lives, replete with purpose, joy and as much independence as possible.  JBFCS offers personal care nurses for those in residential programs and acute care facilities for those unable to remain in a family setting. Like all successful ventures, JBFCS’s programs rely on collaboration—between the client, their family and caring practitioners.

Professional & Leadership Development:  As a premiere training institution for students and practitioners alike, JBFCS provides the knowledge and skills for responding to new and increasingly challenging community crises. In the disciplines of education, social work, psychology and psychiatry, our research, publications, teaching, professional symposiums, internships and residency programs continue to make significant contributions, establishing high-outcome standards and benchmarks in the field social services.

Support for JBFCS services is provided by individual contributions, bequests, program fees, foundations and government grants. JBFCS is a recipient of funding from UJA-Federation of New York and is a member of the Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agencies.