On behalf of Gateway of Grace and refugee and immigrant families it serves, thank you for your interest in these communities during unprecedented times. As Gateway of Grace prepares to mark 15 years of meeting the practical, emotional and spiritual needs of “the least of these” neighbors, your support is needed now more than any time in the ministry’s history. Gateway of Grace is currently working with more than 200 families from 15 countries with some having only arrived weeks ago. 

Our goal is simple: help refugee families move from striving to thriving in as little time as possible. Although this journey for most takes 5 -7 years, today’s actions against refugees and immigrants no longer provides that same window of time to succeed. So, the ministry’s mission is adapting to a new, more urgent approach while staying committed to a Christ-centered, compassionate philosophy in which each person, created in the image of God, is deserving of human dignity.

Here are just a few brief facts about those we serve. Anyone arriving as a refugee has been fully vetted through various U.S. government agencies and that is done over the course of years before they arrive. The verification process continues to the point of arrival at the airport. In short, the U.S. government knows more about a refugee than it knows about the average citizen. Meanwhile, those seeking asylum are pre-screened, documented then put through basically the same rigorous process.

On January 20th, not only was the Refugee Admission Program suspended, but so was funding to government agencies and contract organizations that provided basic living expenses for thousands of refugee and immigrant families trying to rebuild their lives in a new country. Resettlement agencies such as Catholic Charities, World Relief, and Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) were among the first impacted.  Meanwhile, Catholic Charities and World Relief have reportedly reduced their staff by 80 percent.    

These new executive orders are so wide-ranging, agencies and individuals working with refugees and immigrants are still scrambling to understand the depth of impact. However, here are just a few implications from the executive orders.

Refugee families who arrived in recent months lost their short term rental and cash assistance. All refugees may also lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA), Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). They have also lost their case workers. Two of our refugees who worked for World Relief as case workers were given termination notices due to the federal funding suspension. Essentially, refugee families are on their own, even those still waiting on work authorization in which there is no case worker. The system that until recently guided refugees has now been decimated. Refugees now must figure out how and where to get various appointments such as for legal, governmental and medical assistance. They are on their own to find transportation, apply for a social security card, open a bank account and a host of other basics to building a new life in a new country. For context, Gateway of Grace received within a few hours, four families requesting rental assistance because their resettlement agency had been defunded. Two of these families are still waiting for work authorization. The fear and hopelessness these and so many other families are experiencing is taking a toll on their emotional and mental health. Some tell me it feels like a continuation of trauma that forced them to flee their homes.        

How is Gateway of Grace impacted? As government-funded agencies have closed or seen their funding severely cut, Gateway of Grace is being called upon to meet an unprecedented number of immediate needs of families. Gateway of Grace is the largest of its kind of organization, providing long-term, holistic care to refugee and immigrant families through a variety of programs, partnerships, training, and events. Yet, the ministry does not receive any government funding. We rely upon the generosity of those who embrace God’s love and compassion for “the least of these.”

When Refugee Services of Texas closed its doors in 2023, its clients were at our doors the next day. Today, it’s not clients from just one agency closure, but families from nearly all other agencies. Nevertheless, we as a compassionate ministry decided on January 20th to meet this critical moment in our nation’s history by knowing God will provide. And we believe God will provide through your support.  

 

In addition to continuing to provide existing services, Gateway of Grace must add additional services while increasing others to fill voids left by shuttered agencies.  

• GOG will provide rental and utility assistance for qualified families. 
• GOG plans to increase the amount of Family Needs Assessments by at least 50 percent leading to additional family support.  
• GOG will provide workshops in emotional support and trauma healing for volunteers who serve our refugee families. 
• GOG will increase partnerships with businesses and organizations for more immediate employment opportunities.
• In partnership with church and community organizations, GOG aims to increase registrations for food pantries from about 95 to 200 families. 

Here is how you can help. 

In order to meet this monumental moment, Gateway of Grace needs to hire a dedicated case worker who can help the ministry absorb new families while also supporting many of our existing families that were receiving some assistance from other organizations or agencies. 

To provide some rental assistance and basic needs to qualified families will require an additional $100,000 for GOG’s 2025 budget. Unprecedented circumstances demand that we make this appeal as we trust God for his provisions. And as a former refugee whose family needed everything we are striving to provide; I am immensely grateful that friends like you were there for my family, and I know that together we will be there for these families so they too can know that God has not forsaken them.  

Watch HERE the CBS Texas News report on two of our families.   

Visit www.gatewayofgrace.org to make a donation. 

Prayerfully and sincerely,

Samira Izadi Page

CEO-Gateway of Grace Ministries