At the Congregational Church in South Glastonbury, Judy Doering is discussing her volunteer work on behalf of new arrivals to the country.
鈥淚t kind of is a calling for me,鈥� Doering says.
She鈥檚 just spent her afternoon helping an Afghan family apply for . Doering鈥檚 group of church volunteers helps new arrivals with everything 鈥� finding housing, grocery shopping, English lessons, trips to the mosque. Some are tasks that at one point may have been done by staffers at , or IRIS.
But the refugee resettlement agency has been besieged by federal funding cuts. It was recently forced to close its main New Haven office space, and its staff of 100 is down to less than 50. Its Welcome Corps program, a national model for resettlement, was forced to shutter.
Volunteers like Doering have always been part of IRIS鈥檚 model, but in the face of downsizing, they鈥檙e more critical than ever.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 call it a burden,鈥� Doering says. 鈥淚 think if you volunteer you want to help. It makes it a little more challenging, let鈥檚 just say that.鈥�
鈥淭he fact that these volunteers have stepped up and said 鈥業 will help鈥� 鈥� it鈥檚 working,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e solving these things. We鈥檙e getting it done.鈥�
Today, Doering is getting things done for the Zazi family 鈥� Javid Zazi, his wife, and two young children. At their home in a Hartford suburb, Zazi, who worked with the U.S. military in his native Afghanistan, recounts hiding from and fleeing the Taliban.
鈥淭he situation was very difficult,鈥� Zazi says. 鈥淚t was very dangerous.鈥�
But since arriving in 黑料新闻 earlier this year, Zazi says Doering鈥檚 volunteers have helped the family get settled.
鈥淭hey do everything for us, like personal growth, skills, shopping, development, goals, education,鈥� Zazi says. 鈥淓verything they are doing for us, like a family. They are very kind people.鈥�
鈥業t鈥檚 more than a job鈥�
IRIS is known for those wrap-around services 鈥� everything from language classes to legal aid.
They even run a food pantry in New Haven. Executive Director Maggie Mitchell Salem spoke there recently.
鈥淎s the executive director of IRIS, I鈥檓 proud to say that because federal funding is cut, it does not stop our care for the people that we serve,鈥� Mitchell Salem said.
The pantry could have been yet another casualty of hard times. But thanks to a collaboration with another local organization, the doors will stay open. Mitchell Salem says it鈥檚 just another way IRIS is getting creative. She says some former staff members are continuing their work completely pro bono.
鈥淢any of them are,鈥� Mitchell Salem says in an interview. 鈥淚RIS is more than just your employer. I think all of us that work there 鈥� it鈥檚 more than a job. You know, you see the need in the world. You see what we all see on screens now: people who are suffering.鈥�
The Trump White House the U.S. lacks the ability to take in large numbers of migrants and refugees. Mitchell Salem sees the administration鈥檚 funding cuts and restrictions on refugee admissions as devastating and wrong.
鈥淚 feel like every day keeping us going is a way to say 鈥榶ou don鈥檛 tell us how to live our values,鈥� that 鈥榶ou鈥� being the U.S. government,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e will serve our mission because our mission is integral to who we are as Americans, to our nation, to our very DNA as a nation of immigrants. And we鈥檙e not stopping that.鈥�
Mitchell Salem says IRIS will forge ahead in large part due to community support. That鈥檚 good news for new arrivals like Zazi.
鈥淚鈥檓 very happy,鈥� Zazi says. 鈥淚鈥檓 so glad to be with the volunteer teams. I鈥檓 so optimistic for the future 鈥� for the bright, bright new future.鈥�
It鈥檚 a bright new future IRIS hopes to be able to provide for all those it serves, even as it continues to navigate through precarious times.
