Declaration of independence

Jewish Blind & Disabled is the only charity in the community providing housing and support for Jewish people living with a physical disability or vision impairment.

There is always a risk that any charity, or indeed business, that is the sole provider of services for a community could rest on its laurels and provide an adequate service and not much more.

However, Jewish Blind & Disabled strives for excellence in everything it does and is always looking for ways to improve. It aims for its service users to appreciate the service they receive, which enables their independence and transforms their lives. It wants its staff to enjoy their work and go above and beyond to deliver a high-quality, person-centred service. It aspires for its unique JBD communities to be warm, welcoming environments filled with love.

“We can talk about all these things, but we must ensure this talk goes beyond aspiration,” says Jewish Blind & Disabled. “We need to know what we are doing well and equally know what we are not doing as well to learn from any mistakes and always strive to be better. That’s why we have been developing different ways to measure the impact of our work and how it makes a difference.

“Some clear measures include satisfaction surveys. In our last tenant satisfaction survey, 96 per cent of tenants agreed or strongly agreed that their flat meets their needs and enables them to live independently, were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of service from our house managers and agreed or strongly agreed that living with JBD made them feel safe and secure.

“When it comes to our community-based offering, the Independent Living Advisory Service, 100 per cent of clients when surveyed last year told us they were satisfied or very satisfied with the service, and that the support and advice provided to them is helping them maintain their independence in their own home.

“While we can measure many key indicators, love and impact can’t solely be measured in figures and statistics. That is why we always appreciate hearing the anecdotes and comments about how JBD is making a difference to people’s lives. Every person we support has their own story and reason to turn to Jewish Blind & Disabled.”

Ruth, a tenant, says: “My health problems stem from birth, leaving me with limited mobility in my left arm and the doctors now believe my neck and back issues are likely to be related to this. I have had nine major back operations over the years and live in constant pain. “In my late fifties I reached a pivotal moment. As my health deteriorated, I was struggling in our third-floor rental flat with no lift. We needed a solution that let me maintain my independence. I knew I wasn’t going to let my disability stop me from living life to the full, so we needed a place to live that supported my needs. Moving to JBD changed our lives. The move enabled me to get my first mobility scooter and a new world of opportunities opened. JBD offered us a place we could call home. Home is also a place where you can share your lives with friends and family. The community in our JBD development have become just that. We all look out for each other.

“I have lived at JBD for 20 years. It’s my home and I feel blessed every day that I have my apartment. I thank God I am here and I have a home. A home in a warm Jewish environment.”

While many of Jewish Blind & Disabled’s tenants and clients, just like Ruth, will love what the charity does, it adds: “We know that not everyone will always be happy with everything. Nothing and no one are perfect but if we continue to live by our strong values of kindness, fairness, respect, truth and integrity, we know we are going in the right direction.”

​jbd.org, 020 8371 6611

Registered charity 259480