JSSA Wins Best Homecare Services, Best Hospice Care

Second Place in Best Place to Work

Jewish Social Services Agency doesn’t offer just one service. Or two. They offer everything from end-of-life care to divorce support to social skills groups. JSSA has a center dedicated to supporting people with autism and a Holocaust survivor services and family support group.

“We’re really blessed in this area to have lots of high-quality, mission-driven nonprofits here and JSSA is thankful to be considered a top one among them,” Todd Schenk, the CEO of JSSA, says. “We’re really focused on supporting people in the community.”

JSSA was founded in 1893 to serve the needs of Jewish immigrants in the United States, before there was a social support network from the government, Schenk says. Now, the organization has expanded to four locations—three in Rockville and one in Fairfax—and helps close to 35,000 people every year, regardless of religious background.

What sets JSSA apart from other area nonprofit organizations is its holistic approach, Schenk says.

“Because we have a variety of services, we can often deal with complex issues,” Schenk says. “When people are faced with challenges, there’s not a single service that can meet all of their needs and they need multiple services. Often, they need to cobble together service from many different agencies.”

He added that JSSA is a one-stop shop for various types of services and interventions: “The coordination is more seamless.”

JSSA has adapted to new issues as the needs of the community have evolved, specifically older adults’ preference for at-home care.

“Decades ago, it was much more common for people to get health care service at the hospital or the doctor’s office, and now it’s much more common for there to be more creative, innovative approaches to supporting people’s health and functioning within their home and allowing them to age successfully in place,” Schenk says.

Schenk says JSSA’s employees care a lot about giving patients the tools to function well and live healthily.

“There are lots of easier jobs that folks could do, and probably make more money in, but people come here because they really have a passion for giving back to the community and JSSA’s mission enables them to harness that passion and to make a real impact on people’s lives,” Schenk says.