COLUMNS
Facing the Pandemic: B’nai B’rith Housing, Not Just Bricks and Mortar
Notes like this made us proud to publish “CSS Hometown Heroes” on our website, which acknowledges our staff, facilities managers, housekeeping and volunteers serving on the front lines. For residents, staff posted “messages of hope.”
On Capitol Hill, our advocacy intensified. Congress debated a variety of legislative fixes to the stalled economy, many of which included additional funding for HUD-assisted housing. Not only have we been supportive of these efforts, but we also forcefully fought for certain provisions to be included, such as increasing Wi-Fi capability, which allows residents a better means of staying connected to the outside world.
We were particularly excited to see our advocacy efforts addressed with the “Emergency Housing Assistance for Older Adults Act of 2020” introduced in both the Senate and House respectively by Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., who also serves as Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. Furthermore, it was nice to see our support for the bill noted in Senator Menendez’s press release introducing his legislation. These bills sought financial resources for HUD-assisted senior housing in response to COVID-19 that allow for greater flexibility to hire more staff, acquire PPE, increase service coordination and expand Wi-Fi access.
So, still after all these years as director of the senior housing program here at B’nai B’rith, I passionately believe we continue to provide an invaluable service for our housing network.
In light of what I hope is only a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, I’m proud to say, once again, that B’nai B’rith senior housing is much more than just bricks and mortar.
Mark D. Olshan, who holds a doctorate in psychology, is associate executive vice president of B’nai B’rith International and director of the organization’s Center for Senior Services
visit www.bnaibrith.org/seniority-report-newsletter. Read more about Hometown Heroes here: https://bit.ly/2HUk4Uj