Catherine Mcauley Center

Refugee & immigrant services (ris) provides a wide range of support services to assist refugees and immigrants in adjusting to life in the united states. During fiscal year 2023, over 1,010 individuals accessed one or more of the eligible services through ris for a total of 7,756 client meetings. As an affiliate agency of the u.s. committee for refugees and immigrants (uscri), cmc provides refugee resettlement services to newly arrived refugees through case management, securing housing, employment, medical care, education, community resource navigation, and cultural orientation. In fy23, ris welcomed 355 refugees and asylees including 178 adults and 177 children, primarily arriving from the democratic republic of the congo, afghanistan, and sudan. Ris also provides social services to assist newcomers in navigating community resources such as healthcare, public transportation, legal services, the school system, and connection to other service providers. In fy23, refugee social services provided case management to 313 individuals and enrolled 90 clients in wic and snap benefits. In addition, 61 students in grades 6-11 participated in the afterschool and summer life program (learning is for everyone). Through the ris employment & career pathways program, 316 individuals received employment-readiness classes, individual job-seeking assistance, and support from partnerships with local employers to connect refugee and immigrant job seekers with prospective employers. In fy23, 16 refugee women participated in the in-home child care business development and training program to open and operate licensed in-home child care businesses.

Education services provides free one-on-one tutoring and small group classes in-person and online to adult learners studying english as a second language, preparing for the u.s. Citizenship exam, training for a career pathway, or studying basic math, reading, and computer literacy skills. The majority of instruction is provided by trained volunteer tutors and guided by a team of professional staff. In fiscal year 2023, over 361 tutors provided 10,513 hours of instruction. Approximately 50% of instruction was one-on-one and onsite, 20% was onsite group classes, 23% of instruction was online, and 7% of instruction was provided at satellite locations. As a result of increasing class offerings and introducing additional group classes and drop-in english classes to eliminate the need for a wait list, education services reached the highest number of active students served in cmc's history. In fy23, a total of 530 students representing 52 countries of origin studied for a total of 12,928 hours. In addition, 75% of students who completed the biannual staff-administered evaluations demonstrated learning progress and 11 students attained their u.s. Citizenship.

Women's services provides female-responsive and trauma-informed services uniquely tailored to the needs of women experiencing homelessness, recovering from substance abuse, or healing from other trauma. The goal of the program is to help women access safe housing, therapeutic and skill-building services, basic needs, and build the skills to maintain long-term mental health, housing, and financial stability. For women facing high levels of instability, the transitional housing program provides a safe and supportive, sober living environment in a residential setting with intensive case management. In fy23, transitional housing served 34 women for a total of 3,944 days of housing. As women come out of crisis mode, the supportive housing program is an available next step to maintain progress. Supportive housing is lease-based offering a communal living environment with more independence, continued case management and groups, and low monthly rental payments to help women build their credit and a establish a positive leasing history. In fy23, 7 women resided in supportive housing for a total of 1,634 days of housing. Upon graduating from the housing programs, aftercare & alumni services are available for up to 6 months as women transition from communal living to permanent housing within the community. In fy23, 7 women received aftercare case management and the opportunity to participate in and facilitate groups and serve as peer supports for other residents.in addition to housing, outreach and community services connect emergency-sheltered and unsheltered women in the community to women's services programming. In fy23, the women's day Center, offered at cmc's main facility, provided a safe place for women to go during the day to build practical skills, meet basic needs, and find assistance connecting to community resources and safe housing. During fy23, 27 women accessed drop-in services and 15 women were connected to housing. Women's services also provides a wide range of therapeutic and skill-building groups. In fy23, 340 group sessions were provided with 152 therapeutic sessions and 188 skill-building sessions. Across all women's services programs, 63 women were supported and 5,578 days of safe housing were provided.