Havenly - Refugee and Immigrant Women Thrive Fund

Refugee and Immigrant Women in Connecticut Are Facing a Crisis, but Together, We Can Build Safety and Power

Across New Haven and Connecticut, refugee and immigrant women are facing impossible choices. As federal benefits like SNAP and health insurance are cut for those without green cards, families already living on the edge are being pushed into crisis. Many of the women we work with are losing the safety nets that once allowed them to feed their children, pay rent, and rebuild their lives after displacement.

At the same time, immigration raids have returned to our neighborhoods. Parents are afraid to send their children to school or visit the doctor. Fear is spreading faster than information and it’s eroding the sense of safety that families have worked so hard to create.

As we write this, refugee and asylum policy in the United States is under direct attack. The Trump administration has moved to suspend and slow asylum cases and reopen decisions that families have relied on for years, creating deep fear and uncertainty for the very communities we serve. For the women at Havenly, this isn’t an abstract headline, it’s the difference between feeling safe enough to build a future and feeling like everything could be taken away. Your gift helps create one place where that fear doesn’t get the last word: a community where refugee and immigrant women can access job training, childcare, and the tools to support their families, no matter what’s happening in Washington.

In moments like these, Havenly becomes more than a training program. It becomes a lifeline. Our six-month Fellowship provides paid job training, English and financial literacy classes, and leadership development, helping refugee and immigrant women move from survival to self-sufficiency. Through this program, women gain the skills, confidence, and community they need to navigate uncertainty and stand on their own feet.

Right now, 30 women are waiting to begin the program in January. Without additional funding, they’ll have to wait another year. A year they can’t afford to lose.

Your gift today will ensure that every woman ready to take this step has the chance to do so. It will allow us to continue our Fellowship, expand leadership development, and keep our doors open as a place of belonging, hope, and empowerment in a time of fear. This is the moment to stand with New Haven’s refugee and immigrant women.