Empowering Women, Changing LiveS
Opening Doors uplifts and empowers women and children experiencing homelessness and poverty. Through housing, support, and comprehensive services, we collaborate with dynamic partners to provide hospitality, hope, and opportunity to over 5,000 women and their children. Our work builds a compassionate community and invests in a brighter future, helping women and their families overcome hardship, achieve self-sufficiency, and embark on paths to independence and success.
In Need of Shelter?
Call Teresa Shelter at 563.690.0086
Emergency and extended stay program are based upon availability. For additional resources please call the Homeless Hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week dial 2-1-1.
Three Doorways to Hope
Since organizational inception, our work has grown to encompass four locations including our operations center and three separate facilities including emergency, transitional, and permanent supportive housing. Our approach prioritizes key pillars: maintaining sobriety, securing full-time employment, regularly meeting with a case manager, and saving 30% of income. Due to these values, we are limited in our access to state and federal funding, as we choose to uphold our long-term vision over short-term compliance.
Teresa Shelter
Maria House
Francis Apartments
Emergency and Extended Stay Programs
Transitional Houseing for up to two years
Income-based affordable housing
Three Doorways to Hope
Since organizational inception, our work has grown to encompass four locations including our operations center and three separate facilities including emergency, transitional, and permanent supportive housing. Our approach prioritizes key pillars: maintaining sobriety, securing full-time employment, regularly meeting with a case manager, and saving 30% of income. Due to these values, we are limited in our access to state and federal funding, as we choose to uphold our long-term vision over short-term compliance.
News
Help Us With a Critical Need
Every day, women and children call Opening Doors home. Right now, over 30 individuals are living in our emergency shelter and transitional housing. Together, we create a safe, stable, and
Back to School: Ensuring Every Child Has a Fair Start
As backpacks are packed and classrooms fill with the energy of a new school year, we’re reminded of the excitement and hope this season brings. But for children and youth
Honoring Our Past, Celebrating Our Future
Last year’s Attitude of Gratitude Gala was a night to remember—filled with inspiration, community spirit, and an outpouring of generosity in support of women and children experiencing homelessness. Together, we
By the Numbers: 2024 Impact at Opening Doors
Our shelter receives an average of 65 calls each month from women seeking safety and stability. Despite our efforts, we had 317 turn-away calls due to lack of space, highlighting
Upcoming Events
Latest Past Events
Attitude of Gratitude
Grand River Center 500 Bell St., DubuqueMark your calendar for Saturday, November 15, 2025, as we gather at the Grand River Center in Dubuque for our annual Attitude of Gratitude Gala—an evening dedicated to celebrating Opening […]
Frame Show
Vision Health Center 505 Cedar Cross Road, DubuqueJoin us for Vision Health Center’s Fall Frame Show on Thursday, October 16th, 2025, from 9:00am – 6:00pm at our Cedar Cross Road location. This year’s Frame Show is about […]
LatinX Fiesta
Dubuque Museum of Art (Millwork District) 1000 Jackson St., DubuqueEvent Poster (PDF) Opening Doors is proud to be part of this year’s @Latin X Fiesta as a nonprofit vendor booth! Dubuque’s Millwork District will come alive with sizzling food, […]
Support the Mission of Opening Doors
The women in our programs come from diverse backgrounds, with lived experiences including domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health challenges, and generational poverty. At Opening Doors, we treat each woman and child with dignity, offering personalized, comprehensive case management. Through this process, women are empowered to realize their full potential by setting achievable goals, gaining employment support, receiving life skills training, and participating in financial literacy programs, parenting classes, substance abuse treatment, and health care services. We also provide access to essential resources like food and clothing, helping them move toward stable, independent living.
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Opening Doors Dubuque
Empowering women and children experiencing homelessness through compassionate care & comprehensive programs. We provide shelter, support, and a path toward stability and independence. Services: Teresa Shelter, Maria House, and Francis Apt
We have a few residents getting ready to move into their new spaces — an exciting step toward independence! 🏡
As they transition, we’re in need of gently used furniture to help them get started. If you have any of the following items in a smoke-free and pet-free home, we would love to take them off your hands:
🛋️ Couches
🪑 Chairs or loveseats
🛏️ Dressers
🖼️ End tables
📺 TV stands
Your donation can make a house feel like home for a woman or family beginning a new chapter.
If you’re able to donate, please reach out to Ashley or Audrey at 563-690-0086 or email her at aehrlich@openingdoorsdbq.org — thank you for helping us support our residents on their journey to stability and self-sufficiency!
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Yesterday, we had the privilege of hosting another tour at our shelter, and it was so much more than a walk-through.
At Opening Doors, education is advocacy. When community members step inside our walls, they see beyond the surface. They witness the compassion of our staff, the dignity we strive to uphold, and the courageous journeys women and their children take every single day.
Tours give us the opportunity to share the why behind our mission:
• Why safe shelter matters.
• Why personalized support changes lives.
• Why stability, healing, and sustainable living require community partnership.
These moments remind us that understanding creates empathy and empathy drives action.
Thank you to everyone who steps inside - Your curiosity, your questions, and your willingness to learn help us continue breaking down barriers and building a stronger Dubuque.
If your business, church group, or organization would like to schedule a tour and learn more about how we empower women and their children, we’d love to welcome you in. Let’s keep opening doors—together. 💛Giese Manufacturing team & family (Stephanie Meyers) thanks for coming down!
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✨ Attitude of Gratitude 2025: Recap + Impact ✨
With so many exciting things happening at Opening Doors, we’re thrilled to finally share a full recap of this year’s Attitude of Gratitude- and what an unforgettable evening it was.
Thanks to the compassion and generosity of our community, over $300,000 was raised to support women and children experiencing homelessness in Dubuque. Your presence, your energy, and your belief in our mission created a night filled with hope, connection, and life-changing impact. 💛🏠
Here’s what YOU made possible:
495 guests joined us in celebration and solidarity.
$141,900 in Sponsorships = 959 nights of hope
$24,384 in Silent Auction (with 100+ community partners!) = 164 nights of safety
$41,600 in Live Auction = 281 nights of shelter
$51,500 through Empower-A-Life = 348 nights of healing
Where Your Support Goes
Your gifts directly fuel the mission of Opening Doors by:
🏠 Providing safe, warm shelter at Teresa Shelter and Maria House
🤝 Offering case management, advocacy, and personalized stability plans
🚍 Ensuring access to transportation, childcare, employment resources, and brain health support
🌱 Creating a community where women and their children can rebuild their lives with dignity and hope
Thank You for Making a Difference
Every raised paddle.
Every sponsorship.
Every silent auction bid.
Every volunteer hour.
Every act of kindness.
Because of you, families in our community have hope, stability, and the opportunity to build a brighter future.
From all of us at Opening Doors… thank you for being part of this powerful night and this mission.
With gratitude,
The Opening Doors Team
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🎄 Help Us Make This Year’s Resident Holiday Party Extra Special!
We’re gearing up for our resident holiday party and we could use your help to make it unforgettable for the women and children spending the holidays with us this year.
This celebration means more than just decorations and dinner—it’s a night filled with warmth, joy, and memories for families who have been working hard to rebuild stability and create new beginnings.
👉 Click here to sign up for a donation or volunteer slot: www.signupgenius.com/go/10C044FADA62DA2F9C43-60904695-resident#/
Big or small, your kindness makes the season brighter for every mom and child who walks through our doors.
Drop off items December 18th and 19th (8:30am-4pm) at the Maria House - 1561 Jackson Street. Contact shauna@openingdoorsdbq.org with any additional questions. Thank you!
www.signupgenius.com
Thank you for helping us put together a festive Christmas Party for all of our wonderful residents. This year we are requesting that all items be brought in disposable containers and that items be dro...1 CommentsComment on Facebook
A Season of Transition at Opening Doors
After many incredible years of leadership, dedication, and heart, Carol Gebhart has retired as Executive Director. Carol has guided Opening Doors through tremendous growth, strengthened our programs, and championed the women and their children who walk through our doors every day. Her legacy is woven into every corner of our mission.
As we honor Carol’s impact, we are equally excited to welcome Jessica Schlader as our new Executive Director. Jessica brings deep experience in nonprofit leadership, a passion for community partnerships, and a strong commitment to empowering women and families. She steps into this role ready to build upon the solid foundation Carol created.
Transitions can be emotional, but they are also full of possibility. With Carol’s steady groundwork and Jessica’s fresh leadership, Opening Doors is positioned to continue:
- Providing safe, compassionate shelter
- Expanding access to transformative programs
- Supporting sustainable living for women and their children
Thank you for standing with us through every chapter. Your support makes growth, stability, and continuity of care possible.
Here’s to honoring Carol, welcoming Jessica, and continuing the mission—together. ❤️
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Our Holiday Appeal is officially hitting mailboxes — and inside, you’ll meet Shakch. ✨
Her story is one of strength, resilience, and the power of having a safe place to land. At Opening Doors, Shakch found stability, support, and the space to rebuild. Today, she’s writing a new chapter filled with hope, and you are part of that story.
When you give to Opening Doors, you’re not just making a donation…
You’re stepping into someone’s journey.
You’re helping women and their children create a path toward sustainability.
📬 If our appeal landed in your mailbox today, thank you for opening your heart along with it. And if you haven’t received one, you can still join Shakch and so many others — on their journey forward by giving online anytime with the link in bio or on our website.
Together, we create healing, hope, and home. ❤️
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With the help of both the Teresa Shelter and Maria House I know I can do anything if I just stay positive and put my mind to it. With you having “Open Doors” there is hope for everyone who enters the programs.