The House of Representatives has introduced a resolution to help Holocaust survivors in the United States in need of in-home care.
The resolution, introduced Sept. 29 by U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va.), seeks to raise awareness of the social service needs of survivors — specifically the need for them to be able to age in place.
The resolution, which was referred to the House Education and Labor Committee, expresses congressional support for efforts that help Holocaust survivors in America continue to live at home and applauds nonprofit organizations such as the Jewish Federations of North America for their work honoring and assisting survivors.
It also urges the Obama administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide survivors with needed social services through existing programs, and to develop and implement programs that ensure survivors are able to age in place in their communities and avoid institutionalization during their remaining years.
Of the approximately 127,000 Holocaust survivors living in the United States, more than three quarters are older than 75, with a majority in their 80s and 90s. Some two-thirds of the survivors in America are living alone, and many lack the financial resources for basic necessities such as proper housing and health care.
Most Holocaust survivors fall beneath the federal poverty threshold that would place them at risk of institutionalization. — jta