Amigour Information

Founded in 1972 as a non-profit company, Amigour is a subsidiary of the Jewish Agency and is Israel’s leading sheltered housing company and second largest public housing group. There are 1,080,000 Israelis over the age of 65, 200,000 of whom live close to the poverty line and cannot afford to purchase or even rent sustainable lodgings. Amigour operates fifty-seven housing projects nationwide to provide basic living needs for over 7,500 disadvantaged elderly. A large majority of these are new immigrants from the Former Soviet Union and Holocaust survivors. Without support, these men and women would face devastation and ruin. In addition to putting a roof over their heads, Amigour housing projects provide residents with a broad range of social and cultural services in its on-site facilities. This rich and varied programming, which runs the gamut from art workshops to exercise classes and from concerts to volunteering, greatly enhances the residents’ quality of life. Many of these activities are carried out in partnership with community centers, schools, the Israel Defense Forces and local volunteers. Amigour receives funding for existing projects from the Israeli Government, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, the Claims Conference, Keren Hayesod, Federations, Foundations and personal donors. While Amigour currently provides 6000 residential units ( 1300 residential units were built thanks to the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundaiton) for the elderly, the need is constantly growing with some 27,000 seniors who still lacking proper housing and are on a waiting list. To counter the critical shortage of nursing facilities in Israel, Amigour has built nine new nursing homes in Kiryat Yam, providing a combined 320 nursing beds for Amigour residents. These facilities provide 24-hour care and intensive treatment programs.