By Helena Flusfeder | Resource Development Coordinator
For the first time, our two innovative mobile rights centers are helping some of Israel's most vulnerable people access their rights and benefits. This includes Bedouin living in villages throughout the Negev region in the South, and the far-flung inhabitants of Druze villages in Israel's North. Among the clients we serve are the elderly and infirm who are not able to access our centers themselves. That is the beauty of this project that we can drive out directly to help those people.
Each mobile unit serves a broad social and geographical range and will collect valuable information on the needs of these vulnerable populations. With your help, we have already been able to hire new Directors for these centers and hold training sessions for them.
According to our database, more than 50 people were helped over the last year through our mobile rights center in the north alone.
Ahmed's Story
The Director of our mobile center in the north recounted the following story about Ahmed, who was an educator from Haifa.
He was ill and needed a heart transplant. His earlier transplant had been successful for a couple of years, and then failed, because of medication he was taking for his kidneys.
He originally came to our mobile center when he needed to renew his application for rental assistance. He was legally required to go to the mortgage company himself, but because he was in hospital, was unable to go. Ahmed was worried that he would lose his eligibility for rental assistance.
Our director of the center took care of the bureaucratic details, and the relevant documents were given to the mortgage company. The investigator came to visit Ahmed in hospital, and we recently heard that he received what was due to him.
In addition, our staff reviewed his documents and realized that the National Insurance Institute (bituach leumi) had been withdrawing money from Ahmed's account every month due to "debts." Yet, he was unaware of these "debts."
It later turned out that Ahmed had a work pension of over $8,200.
We explained to him what to do in order to receive the money and not pay the tax on early withdrawal!
Thanks to your help, we are able to offer rights and health assistance to some of Israel's most vulnerable.
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