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.
We’re more than partners with the National Women’s Shelter Network—we’re family helping families.
The NWSN has officially launched a national toll-free help line designed to connect women, children, and families experiencing—or at risk of—homelessness with shelter and supportive resources through its trusted member network.
This new resource expands access to safe, dignified, and trauma-informed pathways forward, especially for individuals navigating crisis, displacement, or housing instability.
NWSN National Help Line:
1-833-THE-NWSN (1-833-843-6976)
Opening Doors is proud to stand alongside the National Women’s Shelter Network (NWSN) as they take a major step forward in strengthening access to safe shelter across the country.
Why This Matters to Opening Doors?
As a proud NWSN member, we believes deeply in shared solutions, collective advocacy, and systems-level change. This national help line strengthens the continuum of care by:
- Improving access to shelter information
- Reducing barriers for women and families seeking help
- Amplifying the reach and impact of local programs through national collaboration
Together, we are building a stronger, more connected safety net—because safe shelter saves lives.
Please follow important disclaimers – The NWSN toll-free number does not replace emergency services.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911 or your local emergency services.
Community Partners
John Deere
Portzen Consturciton
Municipal Well & Pump
Hirschbauch Motor Lines
Verena Street
Lime Rocks Spring Co.
Flynn Family Foundation
All sister communities
AY McDonlad
McCoy Group
Tricon Construction
Cottingham & Butler
Dubuque StamPing & Manufacturing
Universal Tank & Fabrication
Dupaco COMMUNITY Credit Union
UMB Bank
DRA
News
Counting What Matters: How the PIT Count Supports Our Neighbors
Each year, the Point-in-Time Count provides a critical snapshot of homelessness in our community, helping identify service gaps and guide funding decisions at the local,
Attitude of Gratitude 2025 – Event Recap & Your 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
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
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.
Events
Visit 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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📢 Furniture Request for a Family Moving Into Their New Home! We’re celebrating a big step for one of our residents- a mom and her four kiddos were just approved for a 3-bedroom apartment and will be moving out as soon as this weekend! 🏡 We’re excited for this new beginning and are hoping our community might be able to help furnish their new space. We already have beds, but they are looking for other household furniture such as: • Couch or loveseat • Kitchen table and chairs • Dressers • Nightstands • Lamps • Coffee table or end tables • Any other gently used household furniture If you have something you’d be willing to donate, please contact Ashley at 563-690-0086 to help coordinate. Thank you for always showing up for our families and helping turn an apartment into a home. 💛
Thank you Telegraph Herald for sharing our mission. "Among them is Dubuque nonprofit Opening Doors, which offers transitional and supportive housing for women and children experiencing homelessness through its facilities Teresa Shelter, Maria House and Francis Apartments. The nonprofit served 184 women and children last year, according to Executive Director Jessica Schlader. She said the nonprofit uses its annual payout from the endowed fund to help keep a strong financial balance between immediate needs and long-term financial planning “A lot of nonprofits rely on annual fundraising and grants to meet the needs of today and, in our case, to provide safe shelter and personalized case management and over-the-counter medications and food and access to basic needs for folks,” she said. “When we get the payout from our endowed fund, that really provides long-term stability and allows us to stabilize during uncertain funding cycles, and we can really plan for the future knowing that that income is still available.” Read full article here - https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_2dbdb56a-92da-40e2-a88f-f4ead5205e13.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawQbrh5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeq_F9C61sPoChfory43j_7h99fsbR51yPG6ZQ9nr5X2a6rAj9doNx_UE0iFA_aem_foBMp76Ycxsdb2nXIr9IdA
Today, on International Women’s Day, we are reminded that when women are given the opportunity, support, and resources they need, they can transform not only their own lives—but the lives of their children and entire communities. At Opening Doors, we see this transformation every day. Women arrive at our doors facing unimaginable challenges like housing instability, financial hardship, trauma, and barriers that can feel impossible to overcome. Through safe housing, compassionate support, and a program-first approach focused on stability and independence, women are able to rebuild their lives with confidence and hope. International Women’s Day is not only a celebration, it is a call to continue investing in women. When we support women in their journey toward stability, we create stronger families, healthier communities, and a more equitable future for all. Today, and every day, we honor the courage of the women we serve and the community that stands beside them. ❤️ #InternationalWomensDay #OpeningDoorsDubuque #EmpowerWomen #CommunitySupport
As part of Women’s History Month, we’re continuing to highlight the voices behind the scenes - the women who help guide Opening Doors through leadership, advocacy, and stewardship. Today we’re honored to recognize Sr. Quincy Howard, Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, whose connection to our mission is deeply rooted in service and legacy. “It is a gift of the legacy of my Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters to serve on the Opening Doors board. It is such a rewarding ministry to support the staff and the women who stay with us.” For Sr. Quincy, the mission resonates because it centers on helping women and their children regain stability and confidence. “Opening Doors offers women and their children the support they need to gain agency, become empowered, and feel confident as they navigate a difficult world.” She shares that being part of the board is both meaningful and inspiring. “It is an honor to be associated with an organization that has such a strong track record of serving Dubuque’s unhoused women and children. It is encouraging to watch Opening Doors continue to meet the needs of women and families in our community.” We are grateful for the continued partnership and leadership of the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, whose legacy has helped shape the mission of Opening Doors from the very beginning. #WomensHistoryMonth #OpeningDoorsDBQ #WomenWhoLead #behindthemission Video - Kodiak Creative Graphics - Adele Herman
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.