Family Advocacy and Support Services

Family Advocacy

Pooled Disability Trust

Representative Payee Services

Family Advocacy

The Family Advocacy program is designed to assist those we serve and their families to navigate the mental health and intellectual disabilities systems.  This includes such things as understanding how the systems work, what help is available, assisting with obtaining government benefits, linkage and referrals to education, assistance with lifetime planning and pooled disability trust coordination, and helping families transition from child to adult services or adult to nursing home services.  All of these specialized services augment the treatment provided elsewhere in Ascentia and really help to improve the quality of life for those we serve.  The most recent client satisfaction survey indicated that 95% of program participants would recommend this service to others. 

The Family Advocacy program is also involved in community outreach efforts. This includes staff talks in the community as well as visits to homes, hospitals, nursing homes and synagogues. We also link families to mentoring programs and provide education and training for families.

JFSA Ascentia offers other service to help families with lifetime assistance:

• Lifetime planning consultation

• Special needs trust assessment

Pooled Disability Trust

JFSA Ascentia provides for your disabled loved one today and when you are no longer able to do so.  JFSA does the following:

• Act as a designated advocate

• Safeguards your loved one's eligibility for government benefits

• Enables a benefactor to fund the trust at any time

Funds can be used for expenses not provided for under government programs.

The Family Advocacy Program is funded in part by:

• Jewish Federation of Cleveland Family Foundation Grants

• Ascentia Endowment

• Norma and Ernie Siegler Family Foundation

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Representative Payee Services

JFSA Ascentia can help individuals who cannot manage or do not wish to manage his or her own funds. As a representative payee, JFSA receives Social Security and/or SSI payments for the individual. Bill paying services are also available for those individuals who do not receive social security payments but want help in the budgeting and paying of their monthly expenses.