Diego Trujillo, the host of HEALS Pod, welcomes Kenneth Moskowitz from JFSA for an insightful conversation in this episode. Kenneth shares his journey of moving to Las Vegas and taking on the role of CEO at JFSA, a social service agency established in 1977. The discussion delves into the various programs and services offered by JFSA, ranging from adoption services to behavioral health support for individuals of all ages.
Kenneth highlights the importance of addressing the unique needs of the Las Vegas community, such as addiction support in a gambling-centric environment and assistance for the homeless population. He emphasizes the agency’s commitment to identifying gaps in services and expanding programs to meet those needs effectively.
The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by families, misconceptions about adoption, and the importance of providing comprehensive support for seniors, including companionship programs and services for Holocaust survivors. Kenneth discusses the agency’s approach to individualized care, focusing on the client’s needs and creating a supportive environment for both clients and staff.
Furthermore, Kenneth shares the agency’s recent initiative to establish a breast cancer support program, showcasing JFSA’s dedication to addressing critical issues in the community. The episode concludes with a discussion on future plans, including the development of additional addiction support services and a comprehensive social services network to streamline assistance for individuals in need.
Full Transcript
DIEGO TRUJILLO:
Good morning or afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. This is Diego Trujillo, the CEO of Las Vegas Heels, here for another episode of HEALS Pod. Excited to have with me Kenneth Moskowitz from JFSA. How are you doing today, Ken? Good, good. Thank you, Diego. Thanks for having me. It’s a pleasure to have you, not just here, but in the community. I have known of the work you do, though we have not actually met in person, so it’s a pleasure to be able to have a conversation, find out a little bit more about JFSA and what you guys are doing in the Las Vegas Valley. How long have you been in Las Vegas?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: The agency’s actually been around since 1977, so quite a while. All right, longer than me.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: I was born here in 1984. And how long have you been in Las Vegas?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: I’ve been here since 2015.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: All right, I’m curious, what brought you to Las Vegas? What was the plan?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, I was actually working in South Florida, where I was running a JFS agency back there, and then went into a private practice, and then got connected with a headhunter, basically, that they were looking to bring in a CEO to the agency out here. And I came out here, it was just a great opportunity, and I’ve been here since then.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: How do you feel compared to Florida?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: It’s a little cooler here in the winter than I’m used to, but I’ve adjusted. A lot of work to do. Yeah.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: A little bit as a community. How do you find the comparison now that I bring up Las Vegas versus Florida as far as the organization? What did you do in Florida before coming?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: yes so uh… you know i was actually i was the ceo of uh… j f s which is a similar family service agency in south florida on broward county area the fort lauderdale area on similar type of organization similar type of services tried to meet the needs in the community for people that were struggling and uh… when i came out here uh… it was really uh… taking the agency that was in existence and building off of that and looking to continue to expand it to uh… meet those gaps for people
DIEGO TRUJILLO: It’s always fun. So you already had the CEO experience running the organization per se.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Oh yeah, I’ve been in the field for the nonprofit field for many, many years.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: My curiosity lies then, what were the differences you noticed moving to Las Vegas? What were any key needs or shortages that you see here as opposed to Florida? At least with the families and the population that you serve?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: I mean, to a certain extent, it’s similar. You know, the needs across the country are pretty similar as you go from community to community. There may be various changes. For example, here, like addictions is a big thing. In the gambling mecca of our country, you know, you see a lot of people that are struggling like that. You know, big homeless population here, people that are out on the street and are struggling just to survive.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, absolutely. And I guess the challenge for us is always, right, the paradox of this CEO is how do we navigate this with very limited budgets, limited resources, and how can we make the largest amount of impact? Right. All right. Well, fantastic. Well, welcome to Las Vegas. Tell us a little bit about JSFA here in Las Vegas.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: yes so i’d say if i say as i said you know was uh… has been around since nineteen seventy seven uh… started out as as a smaller organization providing a minimal services working with seniors uh… some emergency assistance and counseling uh… you know just trying to fill some gap in the community it did initially start out from the jewish community as a need to meet some of the needs within the Jewish community and over the years it has really expanded and grown to go well beyond that where we are here to really service anybody that’s in need.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: That’s amazing to hear. So you started kind of ultra focused and then expanded your vision from there.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Absolutely, absolutely. You know, as an organization that gets support from a variety of sources, we get a lot of government funding. You know, it opened up that door for us to really be able to identify what are some of the gaps and needs in our community that weren’t being served. And that’s really what we, you know, we focus on is really identifying that and growing from there.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Right. And looking to do the gaps because sometimes here in the Valley, we can really duplicate services quickly.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Exactly. That’s something we try not to do. We really try to assess and determine where their needs are not being met, develop and build programs off of that, as well as if there are some services being offered, there may be parts of our community that are not getting that assistance, so we’ll see if we can jump in there and do something as well.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, I remember even in my own personal life, actually, I took, there was a time I was delivering food, and it was kosher food deliveries, and I never had thought about it. When I went to go pick up some food, it was a part of a WhatsApp group from some friends of a friend that would go and play paintball and do different activities together, and one of them was like, hey, there’s these families in need. And when I asked them, I was like, well, isn’t there food banks? Because I would have to drive to North Las Vegas with a box of food, and they go, yeah, there is, but it’s not kosher, so the family can’t really, and they need to have it on a specific date. which is why the delivery dates were on Wednesday. So it was very interesting to see. I had never considered that very unique need within that community. And so it’s very interesting. I’m sure that informs you of the needs that you guys may have had as a community in expanding outwards, being able to identify those very specific needs of the different communities, which is important. I think here in Las Vegas, one of the differences that I’ve seen greatly, and many people have kind of given me feedback on, is the way that we’re very transient. A lot of people end up here. Right? Not a lot of people are born and raised here. And I realized this working in hospice, the amount of patients I would have that are like, yeah, you know, once I pass, just call this number and they’ll come and cremate me and that’s it. And I remember thinking, man, how sad that it would just end like that. And people, when I’d share this would say, wow, how often would you see that? Thinking I would say like once or twice a year, it was on a monthly basis. I would run into seniors that were going through this. So how are your programs segmented? How do you guys divide up the workload or the targets?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, great question. Yeah, so what’s really, I think, unique and special about our organization is we provide services across the age continuum, really trying to fill those needs for people in all age groups. For example, we have an adoption program, which we work with both birth mothers that are looking to give up their child for adoption and making those connections to families that are looking to adopt. That program’s been around for about 20 years.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: How does it differ from what CPS does out of curiosity?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Are you working with those different fostering agencies? Yes, so the difference is we don’t work within the foster care system. So basically what we do is there are young women that have a baby and feel that they’re not in a position to really raise that child and want to give it up for adoption. So they would come to JFSA and we would, you know, we would meet with the birth mother and then we would, you know, get information, speak with them about what their desires are, trying to understand, you know, to make sure that this is exactly what they want to do and feel comfortable doing that. And then when they are in that place where they’re ready to give up their child for adoption. We then also work with families that, you know, for their own desires to help them prepare and, you know, we go in, we meet with the adoptive families, we do a whole background assessment to just determine to make sure it’s a safe a good environment for a baby to go into, and then pretty much, a lot of times, women even come to us before they give birth. So they’re already in the process of thinking about adoption once the baby’s born. So we, a lot of times, we’re working with the birth parent while they’re pregnant, as well as the adoptive family during that period of time.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: That’s a very unique situation. How many? So it’s not even working in tandem. You guys are an addition to what already exists, at least on behalf of the government. You’re working because I know they’re overloaded. I mean, they’re swamped as well, so I’m sure they can benefit off this use. But being able to step in at the time that you do to ease the transition to prepare both parties. I have personal friends that have gone through very similar situations. that have adopted this way. And actually, they’re like, yeah, you know, their son is 14. They’re like, yeah, they’re going to go spend a month or two with their birth mother, and they’ll still go back. They maintain touch. So it seemed for a lot more fruitful of a transition for both parties, I guess, in the way they were able to work it out, at least. Do you find this with the families that you work with, or is everybody different?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: You know, I mean, each situation is different, so it really depends upon what relationship is developed from the adoption, whether or not they’re going to continue to have, the birth mother’s going to continue to have contact in some respect with their child. that they’re giving up for adoption. You know, some choose to have that and they work with the adoptive family. Others choose not to have that kind of relationship, you know, and sort of that’s the end of it once they give the child up for adoption. So we work with on both ends. We work with the, as I said, the adoptive family as well as the birth parent, trying to see what’s the best fit for everybody.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: And what do you think is the greatest challenge for families that you see or a misconception? Maybe there’s a family that’s listening that’s kind of considering, hey, I’d like to do this or this is a goal that they had set in mind. What do you think are some of the misconceptions that people might have regarding this or challenges they might not expect?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, so one of the things, you know, that we look at when we’re meeting with adoptive families, you know, what is their reason for wanting to adopt? You know, it’s not like, well, we lost a child, so we want to sort of replace the child we lost or something like that. You know, we want to make sure that the reasons and their motivations for wanting to adopt is because, you know, for some they may not be able to uh… you know have a child of their own uh… you know one of the things for example as we were the first agency in uh… the state of nevada to do same sex adoptions so you know couples the same sex couples are looking to adopt as well uh… so what we think is that our goal is to really make sure it’s a good fit that the child is going into a healthy atmosphere that the reasons why they’re looking to adopt or or you know for a good Right, the proper reasons. Make sure they’re in a good place, a good foundation. Exactly, exactly. You know, they have the security, be able to provide safety and security for a baby and a child.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: That’s very, very interesting. What other services do you guys offer aside from that?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: You said the whole gamut, right? Yeah, we do. So then we have a very comprehensive behavioral service department, which has really grown over the last few years. And that consists of a number of programs. So we have a counseling program where we provide therapy to individuals, families, groups, from kids all the way to seniors that are struggling with dealing with some mental health issues or basic anxiety, stress, depression. In today’s modern world? Yeah, right. Can you believe it? It’s amazing, right? Yeah, so what we do is we offer services for people that are looking for that. We take a lot of different insurances. We also have a sliding scale because we understand that sometimes people may not have insurance or can’t afford to pay if you go to a private practitioner. So we try to work with people understanding their financial situation as well.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, it can be a little tough. I don’t know. I was just recently going over the numbers provided by UNR and the state on the mental health. Over 80% of people in Las Vegas live in a health care professional shortage area for mental health. And I don’t think people understand these numbers. So when you start seeing situations play out in schools, play out at jobs, There’s a lot of stress. There’s a lot of stressors. Um, and even among younger people, right? The worries of, you know, the future they saw is very different than someone growing up in the sixties might see. Um, just the changing in the world, the changing of the job market, of the, just how tense everything is around the world. It feels like within the last year, um, and just that uncertainty that people are dealing with on a constant basis. What percentage of, of the behavioral health or mental health, what percentage of your services are focused on that? Do you guys kind of calculate where your, your resources are directed?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, I mean, you know, as far as, like, our programming across the board, we have, you know, the majority of what we do is kind of broken out between, you know, like, young, the behavioral services, then we have emergency services and senior services. So there’s a good portion. I mean, we are in the process of growing our counseling program. But, you know, for example, one of the biggest things that we’ve been involved with, you know, with all this stuff happening out there in the world in our local community, these shootings, this nutty stuff happening, we have been really actively involved in stepping in and doing crisis intervention, kind of helping people that have experienced trauma and have gone through things like that. When we had that whole tragedy on the Strip a number of years ago, we went into one of the hotels and we did a lot of crisis intervention with the staff where it took place, providing support,
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Do you constantly, are you constantly finding a deepening need or do you feel like you can keep up? It would seem with most mental health providers that I speak with now, I mean just keeping up with the demand and staffing, it kind of feels like you’re fighting against the ocean sometimes.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, I mean the challenge is getting qualified professionals, you know, that are available to provide that service. So that’s why I said we’ve really grown the program where we’re now, we have, you know, a number of licensed practitioners and we’re starting to expand looking at how we can also bring that service out into the community is one of the things we’re looking at. So if people cannot access our location, you know, going to the home if need be, you know, see, these are things we’re looking at to try to make it more available for people. And it is, it is a challenge out there, you know, from the more severe situations people are experiencing to people that are just, you know, having some challenges living day to day.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah. And I know I would run in, again, working. I, when I first entered healthcare, was a chaplain in hospice. And, and the amount of calls that I would get to senior facilities where they couldn’t really get out to get therapy or counseling. And they would just be people, again, we’re not talking about someone that’s a little, a little sad and they’re, you know, cause they’re 18, they haven’t figured things out. They’re 90 years old saying, everybody that I know that was alive is now dead. Why am I here? And I would find myself challenged on, well, what good answer do you have? Right? Well, you know, You know, what’s the purpose at this point?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: And so being able to have someone that would come in I know that that’s great need in our community Yeah, I mean you bring up, you know, you bring up a loss and and bereavement You know when you mentioned earlier that more and more people are moving out here and what we’re finding is this You know, this is becoming a retirement area. A lot of people are retiring to the Vegas area and And, you know, as they get older, those losses start happening. So, you know, really trying to identify what we can do to help those people, you know, live out their lives and deal with the challenges that they face just from aging in itself and then loss and stuff like that. So that’s a big part of what we try to identify when we’re reaching out and letting people know we’re available to provide support.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, let me know when you’re ready to target the senior living facilities. That’d be a great… I know that’s a much-needed resource.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, we definitely, you know, it’s one of the things when we look at what going forward down the road, housing, especially even with senior housing, is a major challenge in our community. Affordability, just availability, and that is something that, you know, we continue to identify where there’s a need, and our goal is to get more involved in trying to identify housing, affordable housing, different level of care housing for seniors, as they age, you know, trying to get people to age in place.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: You know, that’s the ideal. And it’s scary when you’re on, I see the world now, right? And I, there’s sometimes concerns on my part. I’m thinking, Oh my God, I’m 39, but I’m still 39. If I needed to put in a little extra hustle or grind, I have it in me. I couldn’t imagine for some of these people that are going through this on a fixed income. If you and I can complain about inflation and complain about how expensive things are. I can’t imagine if, if we were just set on $1,400 a month and that’s all we have.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: and that’s what we see a big part of in addition to the emotional challenges you know with the seniors uh… senior services that we provide you know we really see that that the you know making that decision do i buy food or do i pay for medication uh… you know how am i going to pay for my electric bill and still put food on the table and uh… you know these are challenges many people face but we see it so much more so in our seniors uh… you know and again health issues you know uh… as they get older and The idea is you don’t want to have to go into a living care facility or a nursing home if you can avoid it. Living in place, staying in one’s home is the ideal. So what we try to do from various programs that we have is really try to help people sustain and maintain themselves in their homes for as long as possible.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, and I feel like community is a huge part of that, that’s sometimes lacking here. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, and yeah, that sense of community. Even when I went to go live in Central America when I was younger, it was funny. I’d tell people, I was like, wow, that’s so different. At the end of the day, everyone would pull their chairs, so they’d have either plastic chairs. They’d all bring them to the front of their house, and they would put water in the trees because it was so hot and humid. So they would just get the hoses and spray the trees down. It would cool the weather around, and all the neighbors would sit out and talk.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: which of course comes with its own challenges right uh… they they have a saying in spanish small town big hell but uh… but there’s also a lot of benefits to that absolutely you know that’s a great point you’re bringing out because community many uh… many individuals as they get older become isolated they they can’t get out as quickly as often so so they’re living in their homes also or or they’re cut off from social contact and we all understand how important it is to have that social interaction with other people. So, you know, a lot of our senior service programs are geared towards that. You know, for example, our senior companionship program, where what we do is we work with seniors that are volunteers, and we’re able to also pay them a stipend, because a lot of times they’re financially challenged, and what they’ll do is they go into homes of other seniors that may be a little more needy, Spend, you know, time talking, playing cards, you know, having, developing friendships like that because it’s serving a dual purpose. It’s keeping people that are our seniors that are active and also helping them through the stipends we’re able to pay while also having those shut-ins have some context.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: I mean, it sounds wonderful on every side. I mean, that’s very beneficial, even when people, and I always say this, right, when people are going through a loss or they were depressed, I would always tell them to kind of try and reach outside of yourself. I know you don’t want to, but if not, you’re going to sit there and meditate on your loss. If you focus on giving back to others, even when they’re, or especially when they’re in worse situations, it really brings a sense of gratefulness. I had a friend a long time ago tell me, you know, I asked him, what are a couple of lessons you learned through life? And he was a lot older than I, he goes, don’t ever wonder if it can get worse. It can always get worse. He goes, don’t ever. He goes, one time I challenged, I was like, all right, what else are you going to do to me? How bad can it get? And boy, did it get bad. And so I think that sense of companionship alone, I mean, giving people the meaning, that was one of my recommendations I would always give to people when I would have to go speak with seniors. I have a stack of Viktor Frankl’s book on a man’s search for meaning. I’ve almost forgot the title. And I would always tell people to read it, right? Because I believe it draws into a sense of purpose that each of us have, that we’re all created with, something that we need to respond to, even when situations feel very hopeless and there’s nothing left for us to do. And a big thing, a big part of that, right, is connecting to the community, is finding out what the needs of other people are. Because we could sit here, I mean, we could do a whole hour podcast on your problems and my problems, right? And we could all complain, but that does no one any good, right? But when we begin to step out of ourselves, begin to connect with other people that are in need, and the fact that you even provide a stipend for allowing people to do that, for me it was always fascinating as a younger person working with seniors to just hear the stories. I, as I mentioned, my degree is in theology, so I love history, and so to just hear people tell me stories was absolutely fascinating, because they were from all over the world, so I’d find out what it was like to grow up in the Midwest during the Great Depression, and and hearing stories about how this gentleman and his brothers used to go steal potatoes and how that’s how they had to survive to be able to make soup. And then hearing people from other parts of the world, right? Growing up in Brazil in 1950, what that was like. And I think it’s, you know, for chaplains, one of the things that CMS dictates that you have to document, right? And so as you would document, one of the things that we would do that was a recognized service we would provide was called life review. So just giving the opportunity of asking someone, so what was your life like? What was it growing up? And being able to extract gems, not you as a person coming in as a participant, but having them do that. That alone would be very therapeutic for people. And I realized early on, it helps to shift perspective, not on what you don’t have, but what you have had. Because again, it could always be much worse. And so that’s wonderful that you guys do that. How long has that program been going on? How big is that program?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: We’ve had that for a few years. We were really doing well building it up and then COVID hit, which I think we all realize.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: I took over a week before lockdown as CEO. That was my first gig.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: I can do this. So, so, so COVID, you know, was a period of time where, especially with seniors, you know, a lot of them were not going out. So, so the program kind of, you know, and we had, we had another, uh, uh, senior program, uh, same kind of thing with a volunteer, uh, what’s the grandparent program, getting seniors out into the schools, working with kids and supporting teachers. So during that period of COVID, it kind of took a step back, uh, just because people weren’t going out.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: People weren’t connecting with anyone.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Right, so we’re back now, we’re building up again, we’re getting more seniors, we’re looking for seniors that are financially struggling themselves and are looking to do something but also maybe get a little support in helping to do that. So there is that opportunity for seniors out there that feel that they want to give back, they themselves can help another senior or get involved in the schools. A lot of retired teachers, sometimes they would get involved in being part of our Forced to Grandparent program. They have a lot to give back. Absolutely. A lot to give back. Absolutely. So it’s a really great volunteer driven program.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, I’m 100% in favor of that. And just, I mean, when you think about humanity and oral tradition and what has been the entire history of human existence is listening to somebody older than you tell you stories, right? And the growth that comes from that as a younger person. And then again, the ability to be able to recite your life story and to be able to grow from that. What a really interesting program. I wasn’t even aware that you guys had that one. Yeah. And much needed. I don’t think there’s anything similar in the community that I know of.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: No, we are right now, we’re the only organization that provides those two programs, you know, the Foster Grandparent, you know, and the Companionship Program geared towards that.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, I’d love to be of service. However, I can connect you if you need volunteers, whatever that is.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: That is amazing. This is something we definitely would want to support. Yeah, we’re always looking for seniors that are interested in giving back and also that can receive some assistance on their own. So we’re always looking for volunteers.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: What other senior services do you offer?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: So we have a Holocaust survivor program where there are Holocaust survivors living in our community that are aging and getting older and need help with in-home services, you know, help bathing, cleaning, shopping, also home care. We were able to provide home care where we have people going into the homes providing support to them and case management. So we’re sitting down, we’re meeting with them. We provide socialization activities, luncheons for them. You know, just again, you know, the whole idea is to age in place with any of our seniors. So we do that. We work with Holocaust survivors.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Do you take part of the story? You just brought this to my mind. When I was in Israel, we were touring the museum at the Holocaust Museum. They were going over there’s a program where they had, where if you had survived, they wanted to record your story. Do you participate in that program, helping to record those stories and make sure that they get recorded?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, we, we, you know, for, for a long time, we’ve been working with, you know, that organization that comes in and, um, you know, a good, good majority of our seniors and our survivors have already, you know, given their testimonials. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, and if there is somebody that hasn’t, you know, we’re always trying to do our best to connect them up to, to be able to leave that legacy and explain, you know, their situation and what they went through.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: So you’re definitely not a sole mission focused organization. It’s very interesting to hear how robust you are and how you look to connect.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah. So what I was saying, you know, in terms of like, for example, going back to some of our behavioral services, we have a program which is called our Center for Assessment and Educational Services. And what that focuses on, you know, there’s a lot of kids that are struggling in the schools and, you know, need psychological testing, need to identify what the problems are, need plans in place so they can do well in school. So we offer a program where we work with the county schools, the juvenile justice system, the charter schools of the Clark County, where we provide psychological assessments to identify what may be the challenges that the child’s having. But what’s unique about us is we also do educational assessments. So what that means is not only do we look at the, from the developmental issues or challenges, ADHD or behavioral problems, we are also looking at what does that child need academically to be able to perform well and do okay in school. So between the two of that, We then meet with the families, we’ll meet with the schools, you know, we’re available to put a very nice comprehensive plan together and nobody else really does that. You go to a psychologist privately, plus not only will you pay more for a psychological assessment, but that’s all you’ll pretty much get. So, you know, we provide, you know, a much more competitive price. If somebody needs testing, it’s more affordable, plus we add that educational component.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: So you’re able to bridge that gap for people. I noticed, I think it was for me growing up here, my father was Colombian, and my parents were, the one thing they taught me as a son, the only thing that can’t be taken away from you is your education. So they would hammer on me nonstop. And my father would always set up, you reminded me right now, parent-teacher meetings. and I would always find out that they’re coming because the teachers would immediately start, all right, Trujillo, what did you tell your dad? And I was like, what are you talking about? Why does he want to meet with me? I don’t know. My dad just does this, right? And we’d walk in. It was very interesting. I just went through this experience with the teacher, which, I mean, for me, it’s sad because it’s reflective of the way of the world sometimes now. But I would sit and as I would talk to them, I sat with the teacher, and she did exactly what my teachers would do, which she came in with a binder and started saying, well, you know, Mr. Trujillo, I’ve been a teacher for 26 years, and I try to do this, and I try to do this. And I noticed her get very defensive, and I was like, listen, I’m not here to—you’re doing my job. My job as a parent is to educate, and you have partnered and taken over a very large role. The very least I can do is say, how can I help you, right? And she was very, very grateful. And it was the same thing when my dad would talk to them and, you know, they’d pull open this binder and start kind of going over everything. He’s like, what can I do as a father to help you? And immediately they’d close and be like, what? Because how many people weren’t doing that? Do you find, are you able to track the data on how students do afterwards? Because you’re doing a very important assessment. And then you’re also making that connection to, hey, here’s where they’re lacking. This is the, you know, the social detriments or the social problems that may be occurring. And this is how it could be course corrected. Am I correct?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, and we obviously we get feedback and from the parents, you know, in staying, you know, in touch as far as if there are continued ongoing challenges or things are not going the way they would have liked, you know, we’re certainly available to want to continue that relationship. in being there as an advocate for the child and for the family, if that’s the case, and really working with those teachers. And a big part of our program also is one of our staff in that program actually goes in and does training into the schools. You know, it’s available for the teachers if they want on looking for certain signs, how do you deal with certain challenges. So again, that program is pretty comprehensive. And not only is it available to, like I said, we have relationships with the school systems or whatever, but people privately They can contact you directly. They can contact us directly if they want their child tested, if they feel there’s some information they need. And again, what’s great about us is we approach it from a number of different ways, plus affordability, what we would charge for an assessment to get that taken care of is a lot more competitive than you may if you go privately.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: And how long would it take to, if I called today, about how far out are you on assessments?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Not very long, you know, probably within a few weeks, getting that initial intake information, finding out what the issues are, what the challenges are, setting up the appointment with the psychologist. So, you know, you’re not looking like months and months and months down the road.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, I mean, sometimes that’s what it looks like here in Las Vegas, or you hit the barrier. Sorry, I don’t take that insurance, or sorry, it’s too expensive. You guys are able to kind of remove those barriers.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, we are. Like I said, our goal is to try to quickly identify with all our programs and services what the need is, what the challenges are, and do what we can as best as possible to step in and fill that gap and meet that need. Now, whether it’s us doing it or trying to find, if not us, who else in our community is in a position to do that. We collaborate with a lot of organizations and agencies. Our goal is to avoid saying no. Right. You know, being available and trying to do what we can for a person to resolve their challenges.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: And let me ask you this, circling back to you a little bit and finding out more about Ken, is this what you saw yourself doing when you were younger? What were the dreams and the aspirations? Yeah. Nonprofit CEO was up there in third grade.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, exactly. No, you know, it’s interesting. I guess I was that kind of person when I was, you know, when we were kids that my friends would come to and speak to and talk to me about. You know, I would listen, and that’s something that I kind of fell into. Although I was excellent at math, you know, I was considering, do I want to go into mathematics, architecture maybe? I like drawing, stuff like that. And I just ended up gravitating towards the human service arena. I have my master’s in social work. I’m a licensed clinical social worker. both here in Nevada as well as in the state of Florida. I’ve done a lot of therapy and counseling, have always been in organizations or positions where I’ve given back and working with people on helping to improve their lives. And then I got my PhD in addictions counseling. So not only when I look at things, I look at it from two perspectives. I look at it from the perspective of helping that person, that one-on-one, what do we need to do to meet the needs that that first person’s challenged with? But I also have the experience and years of running an organization, looking from it, from that administrative perspective, doing it in a way that’s ethical, doing it in a way that’s fiscally responsible, and always making sure that we do it with respect and dignity in how we treat people. So I’ve had that, I believe that good balance of both the clinical or the direct service as well as the administrative.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: I agree. And working at different companies, I mean, you could definitely tell the difference. I’ve had companies where one of the places where I worked, right, would be led by a marketer. And it was very interesting working under someone that had moved up in marketing because the way that they viewed meeting the patient where they were, the way that they viewed going out and getting into the community was very different than somebody who had never been through that process. So I’m sure your background in social work and actually working with patients and resolving problems and helping them, their thought processes should very much inform the way that you dedicate your resources and how you allocate them.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, and I think again, we really take the perspective at JFSA that, you know, it’s not taking that person and fitting them into our model, our mold. You know, which a lot of organizations and a lot of businesses do. You know, this is the way it is. This is the way we developed it. You either fit into it or take it easy.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: I always say jamming the solution down their throat like you’re fitting that square peg into the round hole.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Where our perspective is, look, each person has their own individual, unique challenges and needs. And what we try to do is figure out what we can do to adapt what we do. to meet those individual components that a person comes to us with. You know, you can’t always do it, but we really try to put the person’s needs first rather than the agency’s needs first.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yes. I think it comes down to perspective, right? And that starts with leadership at the very top, is how are you going to shape your teams? Is it shaped towards how many numbers have we gotten through? How many people? What does the bottom line look like? Or is it going to be shaped more by your vision and what you’re trying to achieve? And I think what you end up with are two very different organizations if you only focus on one or the other. And so one of them will survive because they’re watching their bottom line, but may not be as impactful. But when you can walk that fine line in your leadership, to be able to keep the heart of the organization at all times. And even then, it helps people become fiscally responsible. When you have a leader that really cares about what they’re doing and demonstrates that, it really helps to add to the culture of fiscal responsibility, of doing what’s right at all times, right? And having people under you that aren’t scared to do the right thing because they may, oh, well, sorry, no, I told you you can’t work more than this, or these are the limits, right?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, and absolutely, you know, and again, you know what, you’re hitting on such an important point as far as what I consider to be a successful nonprofit social service agency, you know, is certainly identifying the challenges that the person comes to with, setting up an atmosphere within your organization where the staff feel comfortable, where they feel that they can, you know, utilize their experiences and their own backgrounds in helping to work with somebody and not fearing repercussions. Having that dialogue, it’s not just from the top down, it’s across. And having that ongoing conversation and really a team. We focus on, we’re a team, and it starts with our board of directors, which we have a phenomenal board of directors, with myself, my management team, all the way down to the person who’s driving the vehicle, providing the service directly to the client. We really try to set that family-like atmosphere because the more comfortable you feel in your job, the more you feel content with it, the more passion you’re going to develop and the better you’re going to be able to help meet the needs.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: You know, I’m reading a book, and now that you mention that, you’re exactly right. In the book, they go over the employee experience. And it just focuses on, you know, we’ve been so focused on our revenue, and our revenue comes from customers, which means that we need to do whatever we can to bend over backwards for customers, that we have forgotten about the employee experience. And as a result, our bottom lines have taken a hit. And that’s one of the authors, that’s the thing they were mentioning was, you realize your employer’s the one that are delivering on the promises that you’re making. Um, as a leader. And if we don’t if we don’t have happy employees, they’re going to do very poorly on delivering on those promises, which reflect back on us.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: And you’re also going to have turnover. You’re going to have an over the revolving door. People are going to be continually coming and going, coming and going. You know, look, if you don’t take care of the people that are doing what the mission of the agency is, you know, you can’t say, let’s take care of the client without also keeping in your perspective that you need to also be available to do the same for the people that work for you. Absolutely. And I think it’s that emphasis, it’s that focus that allows us to be, I believe, as good as an organization that we are and as successful as we are in meeting the needs.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: And let me ask you for future plans. If you could wave a magic wand and open a new program, what needs are you identifying right now that you would say, you know, this would be a wonderful program?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: yeah well uh… i mean what do you have a few well yeah i think there’s always a few on one thing i just want to mention so speaking of needs just to let you know so uh… this within the last seven or eight months we we started a brand new program our breast cancer support program uh… and i bring that up because this kind of ties into the question you just asked is that somebody came to us that you know in a community that was going through her own experiences through breast cancer treatment and you know she was she was in a in a good position so she wasn’t struggling as much but when she was going for for her treatments, whatever, she noticed that there were a lot of people that were struggling, you know, financially having problems, a lot of emotional challenges. So she came to us and said, hey, this is what I’ve been seeing. Do you think this is something that JFSA can kind of look at developing a program to step in to provide help to these people? So we sat down, we did our analysis, like I said, we looked at it from all perspectives. Can we do this? Can we do it? Can we do it financially? Can we do it not duplicating? And we felt that there was a place for what we can do. So we developed a program where we provide case management, financial support to people that are struggling with going through breast cancer treatment. As a matter of fact, our last major fundraiser in November highlighted that program. We honored a couple of the cancer organizations out there, and we’re continuing to build and grow that. I mean, within six, seven months, we have like 25 people that have come to us. You know, we provide group, we provide the counseling. If somebody is struggling financially, we’re able to help in a certain respect doing some of that. It’s like I said, people that are going through cancer are struggling and challenged with not only the emotional, but a lot of concrete things. And our feeling was, we looked at it as what gaps were there and how can we help these people. And so far, it’s been great. And again, that’s sort of what drives our organization, is where is there a need out there that maybe isn’t being effectively Met by other agencies or we can do it. We felt maybe, you know, even more, you know unified and comprehensively Impactfully and that’s what drives how we determine services. So one of the things as I mentioned earlier We’re in we’re in a gambling Mecca. We’re in an addictions, you know, addictions is big you celebrate our vices Absolutely. Now, there are a lot of programs out there that provide addictions treatment, you know, no doubt. But we also feel that, you know, with our experiences, our background, we feel that there may be a place to develop, get more involved in that, developing some more addictions focused treatments. You know, I look at things that, you know, how can we comprehensively meet those gaps? You know, people like, for example, you talk about psychiatric services, You talk about counseling. You talk about financial assistance. A lot of times people have to go from one place to another place to another place. Well, my goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to get help in one place without having to run through all the red tape all over. So when we look at it, so we’re looking at possibly developing some of our services and programs where we can provide all of this in-house and what’s great about us is with all our departments and programs a lot of times somebody will come in door A and we’ll identify that they have a lot of other issues and then a lot of our other programs can help meet those needs and they don’t have to run around from here to here to here. Should be like a comprehensive social services network absolutely and we do a lot of that now like I said our emergency service department you know we have a you were one of the bigger food pantries in the community were able to provide crisis financial assistance of somebody is struggling to pay a bill mortgage rent. utility bill. We have a huge program now that we’ve developed called Second Step, which is getting people that are homeless transitioned back into their reintegrated back into housing. We’re one of 11 in our community that the county has identified to try to address this homeless issue. So we’re one of the larger organizations doing that.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: You certainly came into the community and took on some responsibility.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Hey, that’s what it’s all about. You know, look, we have to really see, you know, what we, people, everybody has their own thing and their own struggles. Some of us more than others. And, you know, being able to provide that, that hand to lift somebody up is, you know, what I believe is what it’s all about. You know, helping our neighbors, you know, help neighbors, helping neighbors. being there to really help people’s lives that want a better life, doing what we can to provide assistance and guidance when necessary to help them get there.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Yeah, I’m 100% on board with you, right? Our obligation to the common man, our obligation to society, and it doesn’t matter, for me it’s very interesting, right? With my theology background, there’s an obligation on a religious side, but even when you look at secular philosophies, it’s just awakening to the idea that we all have an obligation one to another. And I think when people kind of take that attitude a little bit more, I always mess with people, because Human beings are very interesting in that. If you ever ask somebody, are you a good person? They’ll always say yes. I have not come across a person, no, I’m a terrible person and I’m committed to it, right? It doesn’t matter who you ask. Everyone feels self-righteous or justified in their decisions. And then I always hit them with the, well, are you a generous person? Oh yeah, absolutely. Why? And just waiting for that. And it doesn’t even have to be financial. You may not have money to give, but many of the services you described, companionship, that pays you to donate a little bit of your time. And sometimes very small acts on our behalf as human beings can make such a large difference in people. And sometimes even knowing we’re not alone, both my mom and my sister are actually breast cancer survivors. And watching, I try to think about it as a man, because I’m very practical about it. But then stepping out of myself, right, seeing as my sister was going through the double mastectomy, of how that change was affecting her as a woman. And I’m thinking very utilitarian and practical, like, well, you already had children, all right, well, they’re gone, and you know. But obviously, it was a lot deeper than that. I’m not that insensitive. But I think it’s something that, unless you have gone through it, it’s very hard to identify. It’s the same thing with the loss of a child. You could have the best therapist, counselors, anyone step in. They’re always going to have a wall thinking, yeah, but you haven’t been through what I’ve been through. You have no idea what you’re talking about.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: You’re absolutely right. I think we all have that tendency to think we are the only one who has experience. Nobody can understand that. To a certain extent, that’s true. But when we try to look at it that there are resources, there is support, and people start realizing, you know, maybe there are, maybe not identically what I went through, but we can share similar things. It helps people get through that challenge, get through that grief, whatever it is that they’re dealing with. And that’s a big focus of what we try to do through the various services. And we’re very volunteer driven. A lot of, like I said, we have food. One of the things with our food pantry, just to kind of circle back real quickly, is that not only can people come to us for that, we bring it out to the community. We deliver all over the community. If somebody can’t get out of their house, whether it’s a senior or a family that’s struggling, You know, all they need to do is reach out to us, and, you know, we will do that where we can reach out and bring food to them, and that’s a big part of what we do.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Let me ask you a question. This is probably the most important one for everyone listening. You’ve mentioned various times how easy it is to reach out to you guys to be able to find these services. How can people reach out, whether it be to volunteer or whether they’re going through need?
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, I mean, the easiest thing is if they go to our website, which is JFSALV.org, you go on there, you’ll see all the services and programs. You can send an email through our information on there, and we’ll get that if you’re interested in volunteering, if you’re interested in helping support the agency in whatever way that is. Also, if they call our number directly, 702-732-0304. and you just call up, say, I’m interested in doing this, that, or the other thing, and that information will get to the right person, and we’ll do what we can to connect you and hook you up.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: That’s amazing. Yeah, right? We’ll put you to work.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Right? There’s plenty of work to do, right? Exactly. Just roll up your sleeves and dial the number. 100%. You know, as I said, for us as an organization, yeah, we do provide services. We do charge fees for various services here and there. We do get donations. One of the biggest things we’re now looking at is trying to branch out into the corporate arena, corporate sponsorships. you know, giving back to the businesses, giving them their opportunity to show the community what they can do, what they’re willing to do for the community, while also helping an agency like JFSA to, you know, be able to take those funds that they may support us with through a sponsorship and give back to the clients that we serve. So we’re really looking to branch out within the corporate, the private, you know, donor Because, like I said, support for a non-profit is so important. Sometimes people don’t even realize that. Even the smallest amount, just giving back, it makes you feel good. Plus, it makes such a huge difference for those that really need the help.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Absolutely. And I think a lot of people sometimes are hesitant with so many non-profits popping up. So, I’m sure the history, you mentioned 1970. 1977. So, 47 years. You know what you’re doing at this point.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, yeah. I’m willing to go on record to say I’m pretty confident that You know, any support we get, you know, you look at nonprofits, you know, in terms of, you know, how their money goes out into the community, you know, based on the dollar, what percentage actually goes back out. Well, 88 cents on the dollar, 88 cents to 90 cents of a dollar goes back directly to the client. to really help provide that support. Many, many non-profit and organizations can’t say that, you know, because more goes into just, you know, running or the overhead, things like that. Yes, every non-profit needs that support to keep the doors open, the lights on, the people, you know, working to do the work, but yet most, the majority of the funds we get in go directly back out into our community, and that’s what I think people who want to donate and give, you want to make sure that you’re giving to an organization that they can comfortably say and show that, yes, the money you give is going to go work back into the community. Is making a large impact, right?
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Absolutely. And I agree with you 100%. I mean, it’s the same thing with investing. If I said, hey, you can invest in this place and you’ll make $0.10 on the dollar, or this one will make $0.90, it’s the same thing when it comes to how far of an impact is my money having, right? And so knowing that there’s an organization that’s been around since 1977 that has been making an impact and that is still continuing to expand its services, it doesn’t sound like you’re slowing down, Ken.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: No, no. As a matter of fact, we were able, fortunate enough to buy a building a couple of years ago, and now we’re looking to expand beyond that. You already outgrew. That is great. That is good news. It’s not great, but… It’s a great problem to have. As I said, we’re doing it in a responsible way. We’re doing it by making sure that the services are going to continue to be of high quality. making sure that we’re doing it fiscally responsibly, but we want to continue to do what’s needed to fill those gaps where there are challenges and problems out there.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: I’m not going to lie to you. I knew some of the services that you offered. It wasn’t until this conversation that you really began unpacking, I realized how in-depth you guys are. I mean, and you’ve had time to think about which way do we want to grow, but that is incredible to hear you guys, the impact that you’re making in the community. I just wanted to, before we close out, just remind everybody If they wanted to look up JFSA, it is JFSALV.org, and then you can click on services to find out what services, or you can get involved. Click on the button that says get involved, and get involved as a volunteer. It doesn’t always require money. A lot of times, it’s just people that are volunteering, and from what it sounds like, Ken, there’s a lot of people that do that.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Absolutely, and we’re always looking for volunteers. We’re always looking for people that want to give back, you know, in whatever way they feel they can. We’ll put them to work. Yeah, we’ll never turn down. We’ll find something for you to do. There is a need.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Right. That is great. And the phone number for that, ladies and gentlemen, is 702-732-0304. Well, I want to say thank you very much to our guest today, Kenneth Moskowitz, that has come and joined us from JFSA. Really did a wonderful job explaining all your services and kind of sharing the way that you guys are headed. I’m very, very excited to know that you’re in our community, continuing to make an impact. and building out these services that are making a difference in people’s lives.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Yeah, again, thank you for helping me. Thank you for helping me. Thank you for offering me the opportunity to come speak today. And as I said, you want to find more about us, please reach out. I’ll be more than happy to go have a cup of coffee with you and tell you about the great work we’re doing. And yeah, we just really appreciate the support we get and we hope we continue to do so.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: Excellent. And so you heard, ladies and gentlemen, if there is a company, if you own a company and you’re interested in supporting on a larger level or getting involved, there is opportunity for involvement, or even if you’re just an individual that would like to give back a little bit of time. It sounds like JFSA could put you to work and could put you to work effectively, from the sound of it.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Right. And also, if you are a company, you’ll get that opportunity to put your name out there to show how you support the community. So we understand partnerships, collaborations, working together.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: That is wonderful. Well, thank you very much, Kenneth. I appreciate you coming on the show today. It’s been a wonderful pleasure speaking to you today.
KENNETH MOSKOWITZ: Thank you for having me and I really appreciate it. Thanks.
DIEGO TRUJILLO: And with that, ladies and gentlemen, we sign off today. Thank you very much for joining us on another episode of The Heels Pod.
