Amaanah Refugee Services

“A copy reviews, approves and signs the form 990 on behalf of amaanah refugee services.”

“All board members must sign a coflicts of interest policy annually. The ceo and board periodically review all personnel associations for compliance.”

“Amaanah refugee services uses salary comparability data from similar organization.the annual officers salaries are set by, and approved by the board of the directors.”

“Amaanah refugee services uses salary comparability data from similar organization.the annual officers salaries are set by, and approved by the board of the directors.”

“Amaanah refugee services makes its governing documents, confiictof interest policy and financial statement available to the public upon request.”

“Amaanah refugee services empowers vulnerable populations by providing opportunities to have access to social and economic equity. Amaanah's mission is more inclusive of the larger immigrant population, which consists of refugees, asylees, and other displaced people. Right now, refugees are not coming in, and therefore the organization is focusing on the larger immigrant newcomer population in houston. In prior years the nonprofit community advocated for short term solutions for newcomers, but recent studies have reported that those programs are not sufficient. Newcomers need at least seven years to integrate correctly. Therefore in 2019 was a year of restructuring and implementation of new and improved programs to address the community needs. Since 2017 revenue has been declining due to various factors such as the resignation of the former ceo in 2018, the administration changed (where many people spent time and money on elections, and especially the midterm elections which routed dollars elsewhere). And lastly, significant one-time grants were not renewed due to the change of the grantors giving policies. In early 2019 there was a significant funding gap that unfortunately prematurely shut down programs in q1 of 2019. The focus of 2019 was a total organizational restructure that allowed for a lean and efficient organization. One major accomplishment was the elimination of debt accumulated before 2019. Although debt is a normal part of business operation, this now allows the organization to minimize its obligations to maximize program spending. Amaanah has also shifted its focus to provide holistic program experiences for beneficiaries. For those in ongoing programs such as teach 360, the amaanah lions or others would also be eligible for further assistance, such as addressing food insecurity to add another layer of support for families in need.”

“Youth empowerment services (yes) our youth empowerment services consists of educational and athletic programs to serve the immigrant youth. These programs prevent youth from falling through the gaps in the system by building communities and unity. Teach 360 amaanah's teach 360 program offers in-school tutoring support to immigrant students in the public school system. Tutors are an extension of the teacher to focus on those students who need more academic help. In 2019 more than 600 disadvantaged students were tutored, while several of the families received additional grocery stipends from amaanah to secure food. For the 2019-2020 islamic relief sponsored our teach 360 program, which served about 200 students in elementary and middle school. Amaanah lions the amaanah lions is a soccer program for refugee youth between the ages of 16-25 in houston. The mission for the amaanah lions is that we're here to help houston refugees adapt to their new environment through soccer, supporting them as they build friendships, integrate into a new city, and find their place in america. Everyone is welcome. The amaanah lions won the championship for the 2nd year in a row defeating other local soccer teams. The houston dynamo, the official soccer team of houston, nominated the amaanah lions for a 2nd time to be a finalist in their national competition of philanthropic programs on that are building communities through soccer. The amaanah lions were also spotlighted twice by local network television for their achievements in the city and on the soccer field.”

“Women's empowerment program (we) our partner islamic relief generously funded the women's program provided supplemental rental assistance while the women were in the program to attend english classes, group meetings, and aid with work. More than 2,655 people were served through various programs under the we program. The we program addresses empowering women, families, and food insecurity. During 2019 amaanah identified vulnerable women who were pregnant at the time and couldn't secure infant formula. Amaanah was able to address the needs through a baby shower where more than 1,600 worth of newborn supplies (formula, diapers, clothes, and more) were given to women in need. Demand for food assistance was more evident in 2019 as beneficiaries called to request aid to secure food for their families which is addressed through the rock the block program. Rock the block rock the block is the largest volunteer event and is a signature event created by amaanah to address food insecurity. This one-day event reached more than 300 families (more than 1,500 people reached) with the assistance of 200 volunteers. In the second half of 2019, many families were struggling with food insecurity and were given a monthly stipend in the form of a grocery gift card to purchase food for their families. Demand for food assistance was more evident in 2019 especially with the disadvantaged students in our teach 360 program.”