Like other agencies that serve refugees, the Hanan Relief Group, a small nonprofit organization that serves immigrants throughout Wisconsin, is facing uncertainty.
According to Sheila Badwan, executive director of Hanan, the organization must raise funds to avoid scaling back programs that thousands of refugee families rely on.
“We’re coming to a critical point,” said Badwan, who began with Hanan as a volunteer before shifting her career to lead the nonprofit full time. “We’ve lost significant federal funding, and we don’t know what the future holds for 2026. But families need us now more than ever.”
Serving communities
According to Badwan, Hanan has grown substantially over the last three years.
The group provides wraparound services for refugees like culturally specific food support, diapers through a partnership with nonprofit Baby2Baby, case management, classes to help non-native speakers learn English, job assistance, maternal health programming and immigration services.
The organization serves from 500 to 600 people each month.
Matt King, CEO of Hunger Task Force, a local food bank and anti-hunger organization, said Hanan Relief Group is an integral resource for refugees and individuals granted asylum as they navigate resettlement.
“They are a longstanding, trusted partner of the Hunger Task Force and are critical to ensuring our new neighbors have access to food and other essential resources as they regain their footing and build their new lives here in America,” King said.
A new supportive needs allowance benefit reduction is expected to hit working refugee families particularly hard, Badwan said, and could increase pressure on Hanan’s services at a time when the organization is already stretched thin.
The Refugee Cash Assistance program, or RCA, is a state benefit refugees can apply for that helps with things like food, shelter and transportation for around 12 months.
“This is an unprecedented moment,” she said. “People are working, they’re trying to make ends meet, but the cuts will hit them directly. And we want to be there to support them, but we need the funding to continue.”
Fundraising campaign
At the start of 2025, Hanan Relief Group raised roughly $450,000 in emergency funds that helped keep programs running.
However, the nonprofit still needs an additional funds in order to operate at current capacity through 2026.
Hanan has already taken cost-saving steps, including layoffs of 10 staff members and reduced hours.
“I think we all just want to be able to continue to serve people,” said Umalkhayr Abdi, Hanan’s director of refugee resettlement.
How you can help
While financial donations are the organization’s most urgent need, Badwan says community members can support in multiple ways, including by volunteering at events, assisting with food distribution or by helping connect clients with employment.
One way to support Hanan financially is to host small fundraising dinners.
“We have people who open their homes for small gatherings, share a meal, and ask their friends to contribute,” Badwan said. “Those efforts make a tangible difference.”
She also suggested amplifying the organization’s social media posts.
“We’re one of many nonprofits, but what we offer is unique,” Badwan said. “Our families depend on these services. We just want to continue doing this work in 2026 and beyond.”
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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