HNB Impact Report 2021

2021 IMPACT REPORT

2021 IMPACT REPORT

Hello Amazing Supporters,

2021. Wow. Homes Not Borders began the year with two part-time staff, no official office or warehouse, 300 (or so) donors, and 15 (or so) regular volunteers helping with roughly one home set up each week. And we ended the year with four full-time employees (and three part-time employees), two warehouse/office spaces, a truck, along with nearly 1,700 donors, 40 regular volunteers helping 8 to 10 families a week with home set ups Can I just say “wow” again?!

While we did see a notable increase of Afghan SIV resettlement in the early summer of 2021, I – like most of the rest of the world – never foresaw what happened in mid-August of 2021 when Kabul fell so swiftly. But the outpouring

of donations and support to help us meet this exponential growth in resettlement was – though overwhelming – truly touching. There were a few months we just stopped taking small donations and new volunteers because we had to figure out what to do with all the people and stuff we did have. But that is indeed a good problem to have! And with a dedicated board, volunteers and supporters – both new and old – we were able to “build the plane as we flew it” hiring quickly and setting up systems and schedules to meet the everincreasing demand.

And by the end of 2021, what started out overwhelming became a steady rhythm we happily embrace.

Thank you all for joining us along this truly crazy ride in refugee resettlement that was 2021. And we have so far kept up the pace – and then some - in 2022. So tighten those seat belts!

Laura Osuri Executive Director

2021

VALUES

MISSION Our mission is to provide the refugee, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) and asylum-seeking population of the DC area with what they need to thrive and feel at home in the United States.

CLIENT-FIRST MINDSET Homes Not Borders do our best to follow up with clients we set up for and ask for their feedback and suggestions.

DIGNITY To show respect to our new neighbors, we have promoted Donating with Dignity and now have stricter guidelines on what we will accept and pass on to families.

EQUALITY

COMMUNITY BUILDING

One of our new employees came to the U.S. as a refugee and two came over as SIVs. We also now have partner groups from various age groups and religions.

Homes Not Borders now distributes in every home a Refugee Resources list highlighting all our partners services.

CROSS-CULTURAL SENSITIVITY Prayer rugs, shoe racks, tea kettles and pressure cookers are now standard for all Afghan homes we set up.

2021 HIGH

LIGHTS

FEBRUARY

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

Launched artisan empowerment with home goods and two seamstresses

Matched our 10th career mentor and mentee

Transitioned career mentoring to Upwardly global

Moved into new • storage Raised more than $25000 for • “Freedom by the Foot” push

First month in four years we had more than two set ups per week Provided furnishing to 6 families that lost everything in Maple Ridge apartments fire

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

Started doing 4 • to 6 set ups per week, spurred on • by the surge of Afghan refugees

Purchased new truck Doubled Warehouse Space

OCTOBER •

•

NOVEMBER

Hired full-time • Community Outreach Manager Partnered with law firms to help file • Humanitarian Parole cases for Afghans still in Afghanistan

Hired Fulltime Family Services Manager Increased to 6 to 8 home set ups a week

DECEMBER Raised $120,000 for the Moving Up Fund cash assistance program

2021 PROGRAM

IMPACT

DONATION COLLECTIONS & DISTRIBUTIONS •

•

•

•

•

Picked up donations from more than 600 donors and hundreds more dropped items off Established a donation form and regular donation collection schedule Received and distributed more than $100,000 in donations via our Amazon Wishlist Received and distributed $6,000 in grocery gift cards Held eight furniture and home good distribution events

“I am confident that your kindness will make our American journey more enjoyable and make our integration into the American society easier and rewarding” —Farid, Afghan refugee

HOME SET UPS •

• • •

•

Set up homes for 137 families, 80 percent of which were after August 2021 and 85 percent of whom were Afghan Partnered with No One Left Behind to help with home set ups in Virginia Trained 11 volunteers to Home Set Up Leads Formed partnerships with eight community groups to volunteer for regular monthly set ups Established a streamlined set up system, including prepacked boxes and all furniture coming from the main warehouse

“Thank you so much for your kind support and gifts, you made our new life much easier than we thought.”

—Hamayoun, Afghan refugee

EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE •

•

•

Assisted 15 people with our career mentoring program, three of whom got jobs within three months Enlisted five refugee seamstresses in making home goods that HNB buys from them Raised $120,000 for the Moving Up Fund cash assistance program

HUMANITARIAN PAROLE

“I sincerely thank you for helping me in this critical situation, where

•

• •

Matched Humanitarian Parole Sponsors for 19 Afghan families (totaling 120 individuals) Directly sponsored two families Provided letters of support for five families

living here has become very difficult. Your work very much is appreciated.”

—Hossain, Afghan still in Afghanistan that HNB helped apply for Humanitarian Parole

2021 NUMBERS INCOME

EXPENSES

PROGRAM —OTHER

TOTAL

$ 1,402,262.09

$153,942.00

TOTAL

$ 673,376.00

ADMIN

$ 82,366.00 FUNDRAISING

CORPORATE DONATIONS

$ 63,300.00

DONATED MATERIALS & SERVICES

$ 9,848.00

$ 445,104.00 PROGRAM— DONATED SET UP SUPPLIES

$ 427,220.00 INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS

FUNDRAISERS

$ 658,466.04 GRANTS

$ 21,942.05

$ 213,450.00

SET UPS

2021 STAFF

Linda Goldman Part-time Warehouse Manager (new in 2021)

Laura Osuri Executive Director

Atheer Abdulla Part-time Driver (new in 2021)

Nicholas Grossmann Program Manager

Waleed Yasin Part-time Driver (new in 2021)

Noah Klose Community Outreach Manager (new 2021)

Manizha Azizi Family Services Manager (new in 2021)

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Melanie Coburn, (Board Chair) Chief Relationship Officer for CADRE, a networking community Borzou Azabdaftari, owner and CEO of Nickelbronx, a marketing agency.

Joe Fuld, President of The Campaign Workshop, Inc Hannah Koilpillai, a retired finance manager for the World Bank Marissa Maurer (Vice Chair), retired Public Affairs Officer for U.S. Foreign Service, Mira Mendick, Program Officer with the Community Sponsorship Hub Abbas Mousa (Treasurer), economist for the Department of Commerce Robin M. Stutman (Secretary), retired Chief Administrative Hearing Officer for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review.

Jordan Teague, international policy specialist for Bread for the World Institute

2021 SUPPORTERS

THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS GRANTMAKERS The Edward W. and Betty Knight Scripps Foundation Community Foundation of Northern Virginia Country First Doris M Carter Family Foundation Grace Charitable Foundation Grizzle Family Foundation Hello Neighbor Network Mitchell Cutler Charitable Trust Prince George’s County Council Revada Foundation Schultz Family Foundation Welcome.US

PARTNER DONORS

SUSTAINING DONORS

(Contributing $5,000 or more)

(donating $2,000 tp $4,900)

Kala Carruthers Azar Jorge Marquez Chueca James & Brenda Gianiny Weaver Hickerson Erik Huberman Anna Jenefsky Diane Karlik Roy Kaufmann Laurel Kent Stephanie Kooi MMIT Inga Norton NOVA Catholic Communities Sol Orwell Michael & Swinitha Osuri Francisco Arcas Pacheo Jere Simpson Clara Struthers Judy Villedrouin Jessica Wagner Charles Weiss

Nirmala Abraham Solomon Anchen Avtex Solutions Christopher Barrett BIB, LLC Caleb Coogle Eastern’s Automotive Group Peter Gatto Constance Heller Russell Jackson Jewish Federation of Cleveland Jacobson/Maskovitz Fund Stephen Kamb

Thanks to all the more than 1,600 donors who gave money and the nearly 300 volunteers who gave their time

3610 East Street Landover MD 20785 HOMESNOTBORDERS.ORG

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