Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Legislature have allocated $14.5 million to sustain the state’s Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program, which provides essential services to more than 2,000 Holocaust survivors across California.
The funding, set for distribution this fiscal year, follows advocacy efforts led by Jewish Family Service of San Diego, six other Jewish Family Service agencies, the Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California, and the California Legislative Jewish Caucus.
Now in their late 80s and 90s, Holocaust survivors face increasing physical, emotional, and financial challenges. According to JFSSD’s Supporting Our Survivors program, the average age of participants is 89, with more than half living below the poverty line, more than twice the statewide rate for older adults. The new HSAP funding will primarily support in-home care, helping survivors remain in their homes and communities for as long as possible.
In San Diego and Orange counties, the number of Holocaust survivors receiving SOS services has grown by 160% over the last three years. As of June 2025, JFSSD was providing critical assistance to more than 450 survivors in those two counties.
California originally allocated $36 million in 2022 to fund HSAP over three years. The program is administered by the California Department of Social Services and operated by the state’s seven Jewish Family Service agencies, including JFSSD. Without this new allocation, funding was set to expire at the end of the month.
“We thank the State of California for their continued partnership in supporting our work serving hundreds of Holocaust survivors in San Diego and Orange County,” said JFSSD CEO Dana Toppel. “With this funding, communities across the state are able to honor the resiliency of survivors by providing them services to live their remaining years with the dignity they deserve.”
Through its SOS program, JFSSD provides trauma-informed, culturally competent care that includes case management, food and nutrition support, transportation, personal and home health care, dental services, housing assistance, and translation services. The organization’s Center for Jewish Care ensures that survivors who speak languages other than English can access the help they need. Together, these services help protect survivors from hunger, eviction, medical neglect, isolation, and other threats to their well-being.
“As the last generation of Holocaust survivors enters their final years, we have a moral responsibility to ensure they can age with dignity and have the support they deserve,” said JPAC Executive Director David Bocarsly. “We are deeply grateful to Jewish Family Service for delivering this care every day, and to the Governor, the Legislature, and the Jewish Caucus for stepping up to ensure this critical program continues. Even in a challenging budget year, California is showing that we will not turn our backs on the survivors who have already endured so much.”
As the needs of survivors continue to grow more complex, advocates say that sustained investment beyond HSAP will be essential to ensuring long-term stability and dignity for those who have lived through one of history’s greatest atrocities.
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