PROJECT EZRAH MISSION STATEMENT

Project EZRAH has been privileged to make a significant difference in the lives of many of the families in the Bergen County community by helping to alleviating the stress and hardship of unemployment. EZRAH assists each candidate with a personalized job search. Additionally, we provide critical support for basic living expenses: money to help pay for health insurance, mortgage payments, food, utility, clothing and tuition assistance.

Project EZRAH was founded in the fall of 2001 in response to the growing crisis of unemployment in the Bergen County community. The original concern was to help unemployed members of the community maintain and pay for their health insurance. As word spread, we were able to tap into the goodwill and sensitivity of members of our community who provided us with networking opportunities and job referrals.

Today, Project EZRAH provides critical support to many families in the Bergen County community by helping alleviate the stress of unemployment with personalized job search assistance, financial support, tuition assistance and counseling services.

Project EZRAH is much more than a financial aid service. What makes us unique is that we work with the individual as an individual. We help our candidates, many of whom are having difficulty staying focused due to the stress of financial insecurity, by addressing a range of needs:

· Serving as an “out-placement” center, EZRAH’s professionals draft new resumes, work with candidates on mock interviews, and teach each candidate how to best navigate the job market.

· EZRAH maintains an extensive job candidate database, matches candidates with appropriate positions and serves as a critical link between the two.

· We work with qualified professionals who provide personal counseling to alleviate the stress that comes with unemployment and hardships.

· EZRAH provides direction for household and business financial management.

· Our team includes mental health professionals, doctors and dentists from the community who provide their services on a pro bono or reduced fee basis.

· Lawyers and accountants offer their services to the families who must restructure their finances before attempting a clean bill of financial health.

· Project Ezrah provides financial assistance to those in need and distributes thousands of dollars in scrip each month to cover food and other necessary purchases.

· Tuition assistance is provided for the candidate’s children. Additionally, if a candidate needs re-training in a specific field, that tuition is also covered.

· Lastly, once a candidate is “back on his feet”, we work with the family in creating a viable budget suited to the family’s needs and income.

In finding employment, focusing on needed therapy or other health issues, addressing educational issues, helping the candidate family financially and mentally through the unemployment term and then creating a viable budget, we have improved the quality of life for the many families with whom we have interacted.