Our Impact

A Message from Courtney Madsen

This has been another year where the word “unprecedented” was applied to nearly every area of CWS Jersey City’s services: we have experienced an unprecedented number of new humanitarian entrants into northern New Jersey in 2022, supported the resettlement of Afghan humanitarian parolees after an unprecedented evacuation effort, and witnessed the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Ukraine…the list goes on and on. What has remained the same is the overwhelmingly generous response we have seen from our community to welcome and embrace newcomers. We have seen community groups and volunteers step forward to help new arrivals do everything from donating household supplies to providing housing – we simply could not do the work of welcoming humanitarian newcomers without the support of our community.

The impact that we are making together is unprecedented, as the contents of this report demonstrates.

The CWS Jersey City team has grown in 2022, with more growth expected in 2023 as we work together to meet the needs of our community. We anticipate becoming a team of nearly 100 in the coming months! In 2022, CWS Jersey City expanded services to include support for unaccompanied children, legal services for Ukrainians and Afghans, and case management services for Ukrainian newcomers. In 2023, we will continue to find more ways to engage with the community to welcome new arrivals who seek safety, dignity, and the freedom to build a new life in northern New Jersey.

Looking ahead to 2023, I invite you all to reach out to our expanded team to find new ways to support refugees and humanitarian immigrants in our community. We have some exciting projects to share with you that truly made a difference in the lives of so many, and we would love to have more to share with you next year. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Courtney Madsen
Office Director Jersey City, Regional Director CWS Northeast

To learn more about our work in 2022, please see our annual report by clicking here.