Social center Hesed Latvia

The Hesed Social Welfare Centre of the Riga Jewish Community has been providing social support programmes to elderly people and high-risk families for many years. Today, the centre's clients comprise around 2000 people throughout Latvia. The centre’s main and most demanded programmes provide home care, winter assistance, nutritional support, payment for medicines, and medical services. The Hesed Social Centre is a non-profit organisation and its activities are entirely dependent on donations of organisations like American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Claims Conference, Baltic Jewish Forum, Hecksher Foundation, Guter-Molvidson-Stiftung funds, as well as local municipality.

• In 2020, the Uniting History Foundation is providing for 100 Social Centre clients who receive assistance from the JDC but require additional support. These are elderly, single people with an income below the subsistence level. Due to their age, health problems, and low income, they number amongst the most vulnerable in the community, which means support in covering their basic needs is especially important.
  All 100 clients receive monthly support for purchasing food and paying utility bills. This kind of support significantly improves their quality of life, particularly in the winter months, when they would otherwise be forced to go without in order not to fall into debt.
• Clients with low-functionality are able to additionally receive qualified homecare support.
• During COVID-19 outbreak, Hesed has received individual protective equipment and disinfectants for social and homecare workers, the elderly and volunteers.
• In the crisis situation Uniting History has provided its resources to launch fundraising campaign through Tolam crowdfunding platform and has helped to build volunteer community who acted promptly to help elderly who were forced to stay at home.
• 26 elderly people from various Latvian cities have received assistance for the purchase of medical insurance.