Bring Health Care to 4000 Needy People in Israel

Elena arrived at our Mobile Citizen Rights and Health Center when it was stationed in Haifa. She came from a difficult background; though she was only 24, she was already divorced and a mother of a five-year-old daughter. In the not-so-distant past she had undergone physical abuse, which left her with chronic health problems. Her family had cut ties with her, and, as Elena told the center’s volunteer, she was on the brink of collapse.

Elena wanted to give herself and her daughter a clean start. She had come to our Mobile Center from Kiryat Shmona, Israel's northernmost city, hoping that we could help her get public housing. In the past, she had applied for eligibility for public housing, but had been denied due to the fact only families with three or more children who have been living on welfare benefits for a 24 month period are eligible for public housing. “I’m willing to move anywhere in Israel to get public housing,” she said, “I really need this to help me get back on my feet.” The staff at our Mobile Center prepared the necessary paperwork, and sent it to the public housing office near Haifa in Kiryat Bialik.

The request was denied, for the same reason as Elena’s previous request, on the grounds of ineligibility. Nevertheless, our staff persevered, and went in person to the housing offices to reason with the officials there. After two months of negotiations, Elena was notified that she was being granted a two-room apartment in a public housing complex near Haifa. “I’m so grateful to YEDID for all of their help,” Elena writes. “Finally, I can start getting my life back on track.”

The goal of YEDID's Mobile Citizen Rights and Health Center is to empower and strengthen residents like Elena of Israel's socioeconomic and geographic peripheries in the areas of health and social rights. The Center's objectives are to help clients navigate the national health system; to provide preventative medical services; and to supply information about legal rights and social benefits in the area of health care and other areas (such as housing and National Insurance, to name just two).

From the beginning of November 2013 through the beginning of February 2014, the Mobile Center provided 120 clients with rights counseling. The most prevalent subjects for which people turned to the center for non-health related issues during this period were issues concerning public housing and mortgages (32%), matters related to debt and repossessions (26%), and labor law problems (15%). Clients served included immigrants and veteran Israelis, Arabs and Jews.

The Mobile Center's plans for the coming months are to continue running Health Days, to recruit more volunteers with specific skills such as fluency in Arabic and Russian, and professional experience in relevant fields. Thanks to a generous donation, we will be able to increase the Mobile Center's operation from three to six times a week in the near future! An increase in days will allow us to access and assist more clients in Israel's underserved peripheries.

On behalf of YEDID's staff, volunteers, and clients, I thank our supporters for their partnership. The immediate and essential assistance that the center provides to individuals across the country could never happen without your help. Thank you so much!