Helping Hand Reaches Out Farther to Fill Greater Needs

The number of mental health sessions provided to families in need has increased by 40 percent, while the number of families applying for financial assistance has increased by 25 percent, said the agency's chief operating officer, Tal Widdes.

Across the Washington region, nonprofit agencies are seeing rising demand for services as the economic downturn and climbing gas prices force many working families to seek help.

"We're seeing a surge in requests for emergency assistance," said Chuck Bean, executive director of the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington. "It is, of course, related to the pinch at the pump and rising food costs."

The Jewish Social Service Agency also attributes its expanding clientele to its new location in Rockville, which is more accessible to families living in such growing northern Montgomery County suburbs as Germantown and Gaithersburg.

JSSA relocated its headquarters from Montrose Road in the North Bethesda area to the Falls Grove neighborhood of Rockville, near the Interstate 270 corridor. Widdes said the agency was "busting at the seams" at the Montrose Road site.

Last month, officials dedicated the new 31,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building.

"We had seriously outgrown our facilities, and our staff was spread out in many different locations," Widdes said. "This building allowed us to consolidate, bring our staff together so they could work more closely. We also wanted to move upcounty, where we really see the growth of young children and families. It allows us to better target and serve that population."

JSSA will keep its old building, as well as locations in Silver Spring and Fairfax. The 115-year-old organization serves people of all faiths, specializing in a variety of counseling, vocational and educational services for children, working adults and elderly people. It serves about 15,000 people each year.

The $15 million building was paid for by private donations, as well as about $2 million in public funds from Montgomery County and the state.

Bruce Adams, director of community partnerships in the administration of County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), said nonprofit groups such as JSSA serve an essential role in providing services to residents.

"We couldn't be the county that we are without their support," Adams said. "The government simply can't do it all, particularly in a difficult time like now when people have more needs and we have, as a government, less resources."