Stronger Together: Building Hope and Understanding
From the loss of federal funding to the closure of our Refugee & Immigrant Services department, it’s been a season of challenge—but also one of resilience, community, and unwavering hope. Read on for the latest updates.
A Letter from the Executive Director
Dear friends and neighbors,
Right now, unity and resilience have never been more essential. The last few months have tested all of us—nonprofits, service providers, individuals and families, and the vulnerable populations we serve—yet through it all, one truth remains clear: We are stronger together. At CMC, we continue to believe that when we face adversity as a community, we emerge not only resilient but united in our commitment to each other.
This year brought massive shifts: changes in federal policy, steep funding cuts, and significant staff reductions. But through it all, our mission has not wavered, and our doors never closed.
While our programs may look different and we are operating with fewer resources, our dedication to the families and individuals who rely on us is as strong as ever. We’ve adapted, we’ve persevered, and we continue to provide essential services to those who need us most.
As harmful narratives and misinformation circulate about refugees, immigrants, homelessness, and poverty, it is more important than ever to speak the truth. At CMC, we remain committed to sharing real stories, amplifying lived experiences, and standing firm in our mission to serve with dignity, empathy, and hope.
We have been able to continue this work because of you. The support from our community—volunteers, donors, partners, and neighbors—has been a lifeline. Together, we’ve faced transitions, navigated difficult moments, and, most importantly, continued to serve our neighbors.
As you read through the updates below, you’ll see how we’ve adjusted our services while remaining rooted in our values. Your support has helped make all of this possible.
Through all of this change, we remain humbled by your support and your generosity. We remain resolved to continue the vital work our community and our neighbors in need, and we remain steadfast to our mission.
With Gratitude,
Anne Dugger
Executive Director
Refugee & Immigrant Services
A Thriving Program
Prior to January this year, Refugee & Immigrant Services (RIS) was thriving—serving more than 600 refugees and immigrants each year. The majority of RIS programs were federally funded and operated in three core areas:
- Refugee Resettlement: 90-day case management and support for newly arrived refugees.
- Employment Services: Job search assistance and employment case management.
- Refugee Social Services: Healthcare navigation, cultural orientation, and resource navigation.
U.S. Refugee Admissions Program
For more than 40 years, the U.S. has upheld a commitment to protect the world’s most vulnerable, welcoming refugees through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
In 2017, CMC became a proud partner in this effort, establishing its Refugee Resettlement program as an affiliate agency of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). For nearly a decade, CMC welcomed refugees to the community, and provided services to help them thrive independently in this country.
CMC resettled approximately 350 refugees annually.
In early 2025, a series of federal Executive Orders led to a nationwide suspension of refugee resettlement and the defunding of resettlement agencies—including CMC.
Timeline of Events:
- January 20, 2025
- Anti-refugee Executive Orders issued
- Announced indefinite suspension of refugee resettlement effective January 27
- January 22, 2025
- Refugee ban implemented five days early
- 10,000 refugees with travel approval had their resettlement canceled
- January 24, 2025
- U.S. Department of State issues stop work orders
- Agencies told funding will stop; will not reimburse for services already provided
❌ Immediate Impacts on CMC
- All refugee resettlement services suspended
- Federal funding & reimbursements halted
- Loss of 60% of our operating budget
- Layoffs affecting nearly 50% of staff
- Closure of most RIS programs
❌ Immediate Impacts on Clients
- Travel canceled for seven refugee families approved to come to Cedar Rapids
- Over 100 recent arrivals lost access to promised resettlement services
- 5 newly arrived families left without support for school, benefits, housing, and healthcare
- Refugees navigating life in a new country lost access to case management and job support
Keeping Our Promise
Even with a reduced staff and without federal funding to continue RIS programs:
➡️We ensured all newly arrived families received the resettlement support they were promised during their first 90 days in the U.S. (January–March) including financial and case management support.
➡️Volunteers and remaining staff assisted other refugee and immigrant clients who could no longer access the programs they once relied on.
To make this happen, we turned to the community for help—and they answered.
How Our Community Stepped Up
- Housing: Volunteers moved families from temporary housing into permanent homes
- Food & Supplies: Community members donated household essentials to help families settle in.
- Transportation: Volunteers gave rides to school enrollments and medical appointments
- Employment: Tutors and volunteers helped 90+ clients submit urgent job applications.
- Financial Support: Supporters launched fundraisers and donation drives to sustain our mission.
With the power of community, we showed our newest neighbors that they are not alone.
Following the Executive Orders in January—which suspended refugee resettlement, defunded federally guided programs, and halted federal reimbursements—we refused to abandon our clients. With the help of the community, CMC continued to serve refugees and immigrants who suddenly lost access to federal programs and we honored our commitment to support recently resettled families through March.
Closure of Refugee & Immigrant Services
Now, as we move forward, it is with heavy hearts that we announce the formal closure of the Refugee & Immigrant Services (RIS) department at the Catherine McAuley Center.
While RIS programs have been discontinued by the federal government and the department itself is no longer active, CMC remains committed to serving our refugee and immigrant neighbors:
Two essential services—Resource Navigation and Employment Support—will continue through our Education Services program for students who meet specific eligibility criteria.
❌ Programs No Longer Offered:
- Refugee Resettlement
- Employment Case Management (Match Grant Program)
- Refugee Social Services and Intensive Case Management (Preferred Communities Programs)
✅ Services Still Available (Now Under Education Services):
- Resource Navigation: Helping students understand and access healthcare, housing, education, legal assistance, and other local resources.
- Employment Services: Providing job-seeking support, resume writing, referrals to career training programs, and connections to employers.
*Eligibility depends on various factors such as immigration status and length of time in the U.S.
Programs may be fewer now, but our mission remains unchanged: CMC will always be a place of welcome, hope, and opportunity.
Setting the Record Straight
Understanding Immigration Processes:
Myth
Most immigrants enter the U.S. illegally. They should just do it the “right way.”
Fact
- “Immigrant” is a broad term that includes many legal statuses, such as:
✔ Lawful permanent residents
✔ Naturalized citizens
✔ Refugees and asylees
✔ Humanitarian parole recipients
✔ Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders
✔ Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders - The immigration system is complex, expensive, and slow:
✔ Limited eligibility – U.S. immigration is generally restricted to employment-based, family-based, or humanitarian pathways—each with strict requirements and annual caps.
✔ High costs – Application fees, legal representation, and other expenses can make the process unaffordable for many.
✔ Long waits – System backlogs can delay visas or status changes for years—even decades.
✔ Loss of status – Most immigrants do enter the country through legal channels, but may lose status over time due to overstayed visas or bureaucratic delays.
Myth
Refugees are just seeking better opportunities in another country.
Fact
- “Refugee” is a distinct legal status granted only to people forced to flee war, violence, persecution, or other dangers.
✔ Recognized under international law and protected by the United Nations.
✔ Refugee resettlement is a last resort and a means of survival—not a choice for economic gain.
Myth
Refugees get to come to the U.S. without proper screening.
Fact
- Refugees are carefully selected for resettlement based on humanitarian need and must undergo a rigorous vetting process:
✔ Multiple background checks
✔ Extensive security screenings
✔ Medical evaluations
✔ An average wait time of 17 years in refugee camps
➡️ Less than 1% of the world’s refugees are ever resettled.
Economic Contributions of Immigrants & Refugees:
Myth
Immigrants don’t contribute to the economy—they’re a burden.
Fact
- Immigrants and refugees are essential to Iowa’s economy—filling critical jobs in both high-skill and essential industries.
✔ 7.4% of Iowa’s total workforce
✔ 12% of STEM professionals
✔ 13.4% of manufacturing workers
Myth
Immigrants don’t pay taxes but still receive government benefits.
Fact
- Immigrants pay billions in taxes and fuel local economies.
✔ $1.72 billion paid in state, local, and federal taxes each year
✔ $5.2 billion in total spending power across Iowa
✔ $225 million in economic impact in Cedar Rapids alone
➡️ Over time, refugees contribute over $1 million more in taxes than they receive in public benefits.
Myth
Immigrants are “stealing” jobs from U.S.-born citizens.
Fact
- Immigrants help create jobs and employment opportunities:
✔ Start businesses at twice the rate of U.S.-born citizens
✔ 7.7% of Iowa’s entrepreneurs are immigrants
Education Services
At a time of enormous change, Education Services has stepped up to meet the moment. Each year, over 900 adult learners turn to CMC for free English classes, tutoring, and learning opportunities. Now, Education Services is helping to fill critical service gaps left by the loss of CMC’s Refugee & Immigrant Services department.
Filling the Gaps of Program Closures:
In the wake of the stop work orders, Education staff and tutors shifted gears and began offering immediate support to refugee and immigrant clients who no longer had access to the services they received through RIS:
✔ Assisting clients with job searches and submitting job applications
✔ Offering guidance on workplace expectations and employee rights
Looking ahead, we will be launching a new volunteer role focused specifically on employment support.
Existing Education Programs that Supplement RIS
✔ Citizenship Classes: Prepares adult learners for the U.S. civics exam and interview
✔ Community Orientation & Engagement Classes: Covers the same topics provided to refugees in their initial cultural orientation – housing, healthcare, education, employment, and rights.
✔ Conversation Classes
✔ Digital Literacy: Basic computer skills and navigating online systems
✔ English Literacy
✔ Tutoring
Language is more than communication—it’s a key to independence. Language proficiency opens doors to employment, healthcare, civic participation, connection, and so much more. Every day, CMC students overcome barriers and build confidence through learning. Their stories remind us that education changes lives.
Why Language Skills Matter
For CMC students, English skills are a tool for economic empowerment. The ability to communicate in English expands job options, fosters independence, and reduces reliance on others to navigate daily life. CMC’s Education programs build both the skills and self-assurance clients need to thrive in the workplace and beyond.
Navigating the U.S Workforce as an English Learner
Refugees and immigrants bring valuable experience, strong work ethics, and an eagerness to contribute. Yet, for non-native English speakers, entering the workforce often involves navigating unfamiliar systems and expectations:
- Job searching while still building English skills
- Limited digital literacy or experience with online applications
- Unfamiliarity with U.S. hiring practices and workplace culture
- Lack of local job references or reliable transportation
- Employer hesitancy toward hiring individuals still learning English
Urgent Employment Needs
- 30 newly arrived refugees currently need jobs to meet basic needs and resettlement requirements.
- 60+ additional refugee and immigrant clients are actively seeking employment.
- With potential layoffs at local companies, we anticipate even more individuals returning to CMC for job-search support.
Employers: You Can Help
Partner with CMC to fill entry-level positions and strengthen your team! Job-seekers are:
- Enrolled in English classes
- Equipped with resumes and transferable skills
- Eager and ready to work
- Supported with transportation options and communication tools
Behind every student’s progress is a strong network of support—from family and staff to volunteers, partners, and donors. At CMC, education is truly a community effort.
Volunteers and Donors: You Create Opportunity
With more than 300 active tutors, this support extends far beyond the classroom.
Meeting regularly for one-on-one sessions, tutors form strong bonds with students and often celebrate milestones together—like graduations, citizenship ceremonies, or new job opportunities. Tutors are a vital part of our education program, helping students build not only skills and confidence, but also a sense of belonging.
Meanwhile, generous donors and partnerships with local agencies ensure our classes remain free and accessible.
Ways You Can Support Adult Education
- Volunteer as a tutor
- Donate to sustain our classes and services
- Spread awareness about the importance of adult education
- Encourage your workplace to hire English learners
Together, we can ensure that education is accessible to all who seek it.
Setting the Record Straight
Understanding English Language Learners:
Myth
People who don’t speak English fluently aren’t as smart.
Fact
- Language ability has nothing to do with intelligence.
- Many English learners are highly skilled, knowledgeable, and educated in their native language.
- Many also speak more than one language.
- They may be doctors, engineers, teachers, or entrepreneurs.
- Learning a new language while adapting to a new culture is a sign of resilience and intelligence, not the opposite.
Myth
Adults who don’t speak English just aren’t trying hard enough.
Fact
- Access to affordable, high-quality language instruction is limited.
- Many adults juggle full-time jobs, family, and other responsibilities while trying to learn a new language.
- Their effort often goes unseen but is extraordinary.
Myth
All English learners share similar educational, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Fact
- English learners are incredibly diverse. Education Services supports over 900 students from 61 different countries.
✔ Education Levels: Some have advanced degrees; others have had limited or no access to formal education.
✔ English Proficiency: Learners enter the program at different stages of English fluency, requiring individualized lessons tailored to their skills and goals.. - Recognizing this diversity is essential in understanding the challenges and strengths of adult learners in our community.
Myth
English learners must be newcomers to the U.S. or only here temporarily–otherwise they would know English by now.
Fact
- Some English learners are new to the U.S., but many are permanent residents, citizens, or on the path to permanent residency.
- They may have lived here for years but lacked access to education or had to prioritize work and family over language learning.
- Simply living in the U.S. longer doesn’t always mean more opportunities to learn a new language.
Myth
Once someone lives in the U.S. for some time, they’ll naturally pick up English.
Fact
- Language acquisition takes time, consistent practice, and instruction—especially for adults balancing jobs, childcare, and other responsibilities.
- Without consistent exposure and structured learning, “picking up English” is not realistic for many.
Women's Services
For 35 years, CMC has been a safe place for women to heal and rebuild. As an organization, we faced tough decisions after January’s funding cuts. Of most importance, we had to ensure we could stay open for the 18 women who call CMC home. Staff layoffs and program changes were painful but necessary to keep our housing programs intact.
While other services have shifted, Women’s Services continues to provide:
- Transitional Housing – Safe, structured residential living to stabilize and plan for independence
- Supportive Housing – Affordable, communal housing with continued case management
- Aftercare & Alumni Services – Ongoing connection after clients move into independent housing
The only change? Greater need. For funding, for awareness, and for compassion in the face of harmful narratives and legislation targeting unhoused individuals.
Across the country—including in Iowa—legislation is being proposed that punishes homelessness and deepens the crisis.
The proposed legislation:
- Criminalizes sleeping in public spaces, leading to citations or arrests
- Requires cities to establish sanctioned encampments—without any funding
- Mandates “drug-free homeless service zones” that penalize service providers for nearby drug use
- Imposes duplicate reporting requirements on already overburdened agencies
The harm these policies would really do:
- Force people into unsafe, hidden living situations
- Destabilize women in recovery through fines, criminal records, or loss of safe housing
- Penalize and even defund service providers like CMC if substance use occurs near their facilities—even by individuals not in their programs
- Divert staff time from client services for increased data reports that are already submitted to federal systems
Punitive policies will not reduce homelessness. Compassion and community are what truly break the cycle.
Women experiencing homelessness are often hidden from view—and from official data.
That’s because when housing becomes unstable, women tend to rely on alternative living arrangements rather than sleeping outside. This strategy may offer temporary shelter, but it also keeps unhoused women out of sight, vulnerable to more harm, and out of reach of support.
What Leads Women into Homelessness?
Homelessness is rarely caused by a single event. For women, it’s often the result of overlapping, compounding factors that erode stability over time.
Key risk factors include:
- Gender-based violence including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and financial abuse
- Untreated trauma, family separation, and mental health challenges
- Women are overrepresented in low-wage jobs, with limited access to paid leave, affordable childcare, and healthcare
- Many are the primary caregivers for children or aging relatives, limiting their ability to work full-time, relocate, or recover from financial setbacks
Hidden Homelessness
- Women are more likely to couch surf, “double up” with acquaintances, or stay in unsafe situations to avoid the risks of sleeping outdoors.
- These informal living arrangements don’t meet the federal definitions of homelessness making women ineligible for most assistance and housing programs.
- As a result, women are uncounted in homeless statistics and their needs often go unmet.
Women face homelessness differently than men—and the solutions must reflect that.
Different Needs, Different Risks
Homeless women are more vulnerable to victimization, sexual assault, and physical violence.
- At least 63% of homeless women are survivors of domestic violence.
- Traditional shelter models are often co-ed, short-term, and not equipped to meet the needs of women with histories of trauma or fleeing abusive situations.
- For women, co-ed settings can be unsafe and retraumatizing.
A Model Built for Women
Women’s Services is grounded in a gender-informed, trauma-responsive approach built with women’s realities in mind.
- Long-term housing focused on healing without strict deadlines
- Private, safe, supportive spaces specifically for women
- Wraparound services that support stability in all areas of life, because housing isn’t the only goal
- Individualized care that accounts for each woman’s history, responsibilities, and resilience
Real Recovery Takes Time and Trust
To prevent a return to homelessness, we must move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions. Gender-specific, trauma-informed care isn’t optional—it’s essential. With the right support, women can heal and rebuild long-term mental health, financial, and housing stability.
Setting the Record Straight
Understanding English Language Learners:
Myth
Homelessness affects men and women in the same way.
Fact
- Women experience homelessness differently—often due to domestic violence, caregiving responsibilities, or financial abuse.
- Many are escaping unsafe environments or navigating the long-term effects of trauma.
Myth
If someone is homeless, they should just get a job.
Fact
- Many women are already employed—sometimes working multiple jobs and still struggle to obtain housing.
- Low wages, limited affordable housing, caregiving responsibilities, and childcare costs can make stability nearly impossible.
- Employment alone isn’t always enough without a support system.
Myth
Homelessness is caused by laziness or addiction.
Fact
- Housing instability can happen to anyone.
- Job loss, medical bills, or other crises can quickly unravel stability.
- Women face immense barriers to regaining housing—including mental health challenges, abuse histories, low credit scores or no rental history, and a severe lack of affordable options.
Myth
Homeless shelters are a safe option everyone.
Fact
- Traditional shelters are typically co-ed or short-term, which can be unsafe and retraumatizing for women.
Myth
The Catherine McAuley Center is an emergency shelter.
Fact
- CMC provides long-term Transitional and Supportive Housing for women and is not an emergency shelter.
- Women are referred to our Transitional Housing program by providers who identify the need for continued support in a long-term residential program.
- Supportive Housing is the next step for residents who graduate from the program.
A Note of Gratitude
Friends, I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for the way this community has come together to support us. These past few months haven’t been easy—and we couldn’t have done it without you.
The work is never done, and CMC looks forward to many more years to come. We overcame covid, weathered the derecho, and we’ve risen above myths, fear, and misinformation.
As we begin a new fiscal year on July 1, we embrace our theme: Phoenix. We will rise from the ashes—stronger, wiser, and ready for whatever comes next.
We hope that you will continue with us on this journey. Thank you for standing by CMC.
With hope and gratitude,
Rachel Cohen, Director of Development & Communications