Dear Hello Neighbor Community,

To everyone who has stepped up to support Hello Neighbor and our mission to welcome refugees and immigrants from arrival through belonging - THANK YOU. Your generosity and commitment mean everything to us, especially in this moment of uncertainty.

On January 21st, a stop-work order halted refugee admissions. By January 24th, another order prevented assistance for anyone within their first 90 days in the U.S. This decision directly impacted the 160 individuals we serve in that timeframe—families who need rent, food, and basic necessities. To meet just their most immediate needs, we estimated we would need $480,000. Thanks to the support of Allegheny County, foundations, and donors, we are working to close that gap.

But the challenges go deeper. The current administration is not telling the American people the full story.

Right now, we have 43 unpaid invoices totaling over $950,000 for work completed in December and January. We support 500+ clients every month across 21 government contracts and hundreds more through our other programs. The services we provide are critical.

Hello Neighbor started in 2017 as a grassroots organization with a $130,000 budget. Today, we are a $5M organization. 70% of our funding comes from federal sources. And that funding isn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet—it represents real families, real lives, and real impact.

• In one of our programs, we provide 8 months of rent assistance so families can stay off cash assistance and work toward independence.
• In another program, we support medically fragile refugees who are unable to work while navigating serious health crises.
• In other programs we provide English classes, legal support, tutoring for refugee youth, healthcare navigation for pregnant refugees and immigrants and help all employable refugees find jobs so they can be financially independent and so much more.

Our team helps refugees and immigrants as they rebuild their lives from scratch. We do this work because it’s the right thing to do—because America is strongest when we live up to our values of welcoming those in need. But we can’t do this work without funding.

Last Friday, we made the hardest decision in our organization’s history: we reduced or furloughed 50% of our team. It wasn’t a choice—it was a necessity. 20% of our budget represents work already completed that the federal government has not paid us for.

Despite this, we are not closing our programs, we are not walking away from our clients.

Our team is multi-cultural and multi-generational. We gathered together one last time on Friday to share stories, to hug, and to cry. It was heartbreaking. But we are still here.

And now, we need your help.

A new family foundation has stepped forward with a $25,000 match challenge. If we can raise this amount by the end of the week, we can continue providing critical services and prepare for the immediate and most pressing challenges ahead.

We need you. If you believe in a welcoming America, if you believe in standing up for refugees and immigrants, now is the time to act.

Donate Today – Your Gift Will Be Matched

With gratitude,

Sloane Davidson
‍Founder & CEO, Hello Neighbor