Outreach

The Dubuque region is generally rich in resources, with effective programs and valuable services readily available to help improve the lives of residents. However, reaching those residents, and especially immigrant families, can pose significant challenges. Many organizations struggle with establishing communication channels with local immigrant communities. During this research, service providers commonly commented on the frustration they feel when it comes the challenge of effectively encouraging immigrants to access local systems.

The task of determining how best to connect with immigrant populations can seem daunting, and many organizations never make initial inroads, instead prioritizing projects that seem more achievable. Developing a set of best practices for outreach can help address these issues by focusing the organization’s efforts and identifying processes for carrying them out. While this may require additional allocation of resources (hiring new staff, initiating special projects, etc.), very often just taking the initial step of adopting more effective practices removes connection barriers. In fact, this research shows that simply committing to increased outreach can lead to meaningful outcomes.

To see recommendations for how organizations can improve outreach, click here.

To read about the value of immigrant navigators, click here.

To read about how cultural events can build connections with immigrant communities, click here.

To read more about capacity and power building and find recommendations, click here.

To return to the section on building connections with immigrant communities, click here.

To return to the Immigration Community Assessment welcome page, click here.