TORONTO — Nine years ago, JACS (Jewish Addiction Community Services) started up with a hotline and a weekly meeting.
Today, the organization that deals with the suffering caused by drugs, alcohol and gambling in the Toronto Jewish community offers three meetings an evening, and sees between 400 and 500 people a week in the building that it owns on Sheppard Avenue West.
Zalman Goldman, managing director of JACS, said that since the group opened its doors in 2000 – he has been with the organization since 2001 – more than 6,000 families have turned to JACS for help. “We see an increase of about five to 10 per cent every month, and the number of people always rises when we’ve given a public talk. We now have two full-time staff members and several part-timers,” he added.
He said that JACS holds meetings in Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa, too, and is looking at holding meetings in Vancouver. JACS is also in negotiations for centres in Richmond Hill/Thornhill and downtown Toronto.
The organization offer self-help groups and facilitated groups run by clinicians, and also does referrals and assessments, he said. “If someone is in trouble, we can support the entire family through the process. Our new logo is Saving Livings by Solving Addiction Problems, and we have a new website, -www.solvingaddictionproblems.com.
“Everybody knows someone who is struggling, and we’ve opened up groups to friends and co-workers who need clinical advice. The ‘concerned persons group’ attracts from 20 to 40 people every week. It’s bursting at the seams,” Goldman said.
JACS has expanded tremendously throughout the recession, he said. “Our budget has doubled in the past two years, and most of the money comes from private donations and our three major fundraisers, a golf tournament, a spin-a-thon and a theatre evening.”
Their first-ever retreat, held recently in a local hotel, was a big success, Goldman said.
“In times like these, people turn to drugs, alcohol and gambling. We see people of all ages – teens, young adults and adults.”
He said they are always looking for volunteers – most volunteers are highly sensitive or directly affected by addictions – and there are a number of committees in which they can become involved. “We try to create a good fit for each volunteer.”
