Mom with kids - Opening Doors

Empowering Lives

Opening Doors is celebrating 25 years of serving Dubuque – uplifting and empowering women who experience homelessness and poverty. Over the last three decades, our team has worked with dynamic partners to open doors of hospitality, hope, and opportunity to 5000+ women and their children.

Our work builds community through compassion, and invests in a brighter future by raising thousands of women and their children out of hardship and onto paths of independence and success.

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. Here, our team provides mentoring and connects women to services that help them succeed. We’ve reached 5000+ women and counting.  Now, as we look ahead to the next 25 years – Opening Doors is embarking upon a new phase of growth. Because we are a trusted community resource with high impact results, we have outgrown our current space. Last year alone, we were forced to turn away nearly 600 women and their children due to capacity limitations.

Opening Doors Teresa Shelter

Teresa Shelter

Teresa Shelter offers emergency and extended stay programs.

Opening Doors Maria House

Maria House

Maria House offers transitional housing for up to two years.

Opening Doors Francis House

Francis Apartments

Francis Apartments offers income-based affordable housing with support services.

Upcoming Events

Attitude of Gratitude
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Grand River Center
Doors Open: 4:30 PM
Program: 6:30 PM

Trivia Night
Date: Coming Soon

SUPPORT THE MISSION OF OPENING DOORS

Opening Doors offers much more than a place to sleep. We provide the opportunity for women to claim their own power and become self-sufficient. We have served over 6,000 homeless women and children in Dubuque since 2000.

The issues we tackle at Opening Doors are some of the toughest to address in breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty. But our programming is making a big difference in the community and in the lives of hundreds of women every year. More than half of the women who come through our doors advance through programming and onto paths of purpose with higher quality of life.

Being here has shown me how to fall in love with my life and who I am as a person.  I have many goals still to reach, and a lot of work to do toward them, but now I know I can do it.

—Teresa Shelter Resident

IN NEED OF SHELTER? Call Teresa Shelter at 563-690-0086

If you, a friend, or loved one are facing a domestic violence situation, please contact the Dubuque YMCA Victim Services Shelter. While Maria House and Teresa Shelter are private property, our shelters cannot guarantee the safety of women fleeing domestic violence and in immediate danger.
Proud to be a United Way Agency!

SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Receive our monthly e-newsletter and occasional updates about what is going on with Opening Doors.