Accompaniment processes in the field of family finance and coping with debts to immigrants
K., single mother of a 12-year-old boy with special needs. Immigrated to Israel 5 years ago. K. is without any support systems, holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration, approved by the Ministry of Education. When she came to the program, she worked in elderly care and received income support. At the beginning of the process, she was not interested in applying to the National Insurance Institute even to claim a disability pension for a child with low self-confidence.
The escort tells of a complex process, but with perseverance and will, she felt that she had succeeded in giving K. the answer. “We helped her strengthen her sense of self-efficacy, showed her that she had strengths and strengthened her self-confidence. We checked her employment status. We helped write resumes and prepare for a job interview, and with our encouragement, K. dared to finish her job caring for the elderly and took on a job that was found with our assistance, as an assistant bookkeeper and payroll accountant. K. decided to forgo supplemental income in order to work more hours and advance to a position with a higher income, because she understood that this way she would be able to advance. It was a very difficult decision for her, but she was brave enough and confident that this was what could move her forward.
In addition, as part of Paamonim’s cooperation with Elbit Systems, we contacted the company and the child received a computer.
At the beginning, K. had a minus and together we built a budget. K. recorded all her expenses consistently so that she could keep track of them. Today, at the end of the process, she has no overdraft, her bank account is balanced and she has even started saving!”
This is only one of the 456 participants, immigrants from 28 countries, in a beneficial absorption program operated by Paamonim, in cooperation with the Ministry of Aliyah and Absorption. At the conference held on January 25, the organization summarizes the 2021 year of activity and presented plans to expand its activities to 2022.
The conference was attended and attended by the Director General of the Ministry of Aliyah and Absorption, Mr. Ronen Cohen, who said that the program is an exemplary example of how to properly deal with the challenges of aliyah and help immigrants. Cohen had met with a beneficial absorption team at the paamonim in the Netanya branch about two weeks earlier and was impressed by the extensive activity. He said: “The escorts, who speak the language of the immigrants, are a guiding hand and a force multiplier, who in the end take care of the small things and this is very important – this is a game changer. I wish we could grow the program and inject more resources into it so that it will touch as many families as possible. There is no doubt that there are other families who need this assistance and I need to do everything possible to reach them.”
Ms. Sarah Cohen, former director of the Social Services at the Ministry of Aliyah and Absorption, noted that the work with the paamonim was wonderful. “You are the most committed and significant partners with so much willingness and desire and mobilization, from the very beginning. You weren’t just a franchisee or supplier of the firm that won the tender – you were a true partner. As soon as you entered the picture, we did strategic thinking from vision to practice and conducted a process of joint development.”
Ms. Dali Eli, Director of the Central District, Ministry of Aliyah and Absorption, said: “The service has become a tool in the professional toolbox of employees in the office. This has been proving itself for several years, as a response to the treatment of families who found themselves in economic distress due to immigration. For years, the assistance provided has not only been limited to guidance on how to get out of the overdraft at the bank and get out of the financial difficulty, but the lenders have also engaged in cultural, social and economic mediation in the local language, and this is what makes the difference between a family that is falling apart and one that stands on its feet and manages to get out of the crisis and integrate optimally into Israel. You’re teaching immigrant families to fish, not just giving them fish.”
Mr. Zvika Goldberg, CEO of Paamonim, noted that he was very pleased with the partnership with the firm and accepted the firm’s offer: “We would be happy to think together about how to expand the partnership. Together we will do and succeed.”
Additional invitees – (Minister of Absorption – invited but did not arrive) Deputy Director General of Encouragement of Aliyah and Returning Residents, Ms. Dganit Sankar, the welfare service staff at the Ministry of Aliyah and Absorption, district directors, district directors and absorption consultants, management and staff of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and management, and the Paamonim team and the staff of the beneficial absorption program
At the conference, data summarizing the 2021 year of activity were presented by the program director, social worker Galit Cohen, Dr. Shahar Timor-Shalevin from Bar Ilan University, gave a lecture on poverty-aware social work, followed by Adv. Michal Harel, program manager on behalf of Paamonim, gave a lecture on debt as a socioeconomic challenge and their impact on the individual and methods of intervention. In addition, program participants spoke about the process they underwent. The conference featured an exhibition of works and initiatives by artists participating in the program.
The “Beneficial Absorption” program operates in 15 locations nationwide from the Upper Galilee to Eilat and consists of professional teams of social workers and family escorts who speak languages relevant to the area, who offer holistic and professional accompaniment and intervention. Participants are referred to the program by the District Social Worker of the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption.
The goal of the program is to strengthen and improve social-economic and personal adaptation and acclimatization processes. The challenges are many: there is complexity stemming from the characteristics of the target population and the diverse needs with which they are reached. This requires teams to be experts in a wide range of content worlds. There are also challenges in obtaining tailored responses in social services and mental health services. In addition, many program participants are in acute economic crisis and need financial assistance. In the past two years, all of the program’s responses have been adapted to remote work and in accordance with the guidelines.
Looking forward to 2022
Expanding the response to 500 participants, about 1500 beneficiaries.
Expanding the number of courses and training offered, opening an online preparatory workshop for the world of employment, strengthening collaborations with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services and the National Insurance Institute.
A little about 2021
- Total 456 participants
- 1220 persons
The program provides a solution for immigrants from 28 countries
Detail:
The program provides solutions for immigrants with various challenges: participants with health difficulties (177 participants), families with children with special needs (99 participants), participants coping with loss in the past year (26 participants), domestic violence (23 participants) or loneliness and lack of support (66 participants).
337 participants received guidance in the field of exercising their rights and 178 participants began receiving allowances following the intervention of the family escort. The total retroactive refunds received by program participants throughout 2021 is NIS 755,472!
191 participants were accompanied by the employment axis – of these, 69 did not work and began working, 47 participants began studying, and participants improved their salary or job position.
210 participants received social and community integration and began receiving responses from the local authority’s social services departments, or were connected to community aid agencies.
129 families were accompanied by wise economic conduct and improved their financial situation and settled their debts.
The program’s staff became more professional this year and underwent training, professional courses and ongoing training, and a Zoom club was opened to provide an online response in light of the situation.
