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.
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
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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Opening Doors Dubuque
Empowering women and their children experiencing homelessness through compassionate care & comprehensive programs. We provide shelter, support, and a path toward stability and independence. Services: Teresa Shelter, Maria House, and Francis Apt
Today is the day- Join us for the 𝟑𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 Dubuque Home Builders and Associates Home Show!
𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏𝟑–𝟏𝟓 • 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐃𝐮𝐛𝐮𝐪𝐮𝐞
Get inspired, get connected, and get ready to bring your next project to life! 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐮𝐛𝐮𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 & 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 is back for its 37th year—your trusted, local source for home ideas, expert advice, and the region’s top builders.
Opening Doors Dubuque will be there selling tickets!
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✨ 2025 Impact at Opening Doors ✨
Numbers tell a powerful story—and behind every number is a woman, a child, and a team walking alongside them.
In 2025 alone, because of our community’s support, Opening Doors provided:
12,843 bed nights
135% increase in bed nights since 2021
45,924 nights of safety since 2022
184 residents served
699 calls for shelter answered
But these outcomes don’t happen by chance.
At the heart of our impact is case management—the backbone of our program-first housing model. Our case managers don’t just help women survive a crisis; they build trust, create individualized plans, and walk alongside residents as they work toward stability, sobriety, employment, and long-term housing.
Without this program-first approach, sustainability wouldn’t be possible. With it, we see progress every single day.
Thank you to our staff, partners, and supporters who believe that safe housing paired with intentional support changes lives, for good.
#OpeningDoorsDBQ #ProgramFirst #CaseManagementMatters #ImpactThatLasts 2025Impact
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Today we had the opportunity to bring Gather & Grow to Kunkel & Associates, Inc. — sharing the heart of Opening Doors beyond our walls.
Through our virtual tour and impact presentation, we were able to give their team a behind-the-scenes look at what truly happens inside our shelter and housing programs. When businesses open their doors to learn about our mission, advocacy grows. Understanding deepens. Partnerships strengthen.
A special thank you to Kim Budde and Kevin Meyers for your continued board leadership and support. Your commitment to Opening Doors makes a lasting difference.
Thank you for welcoming us in and investing in the future of women and families in our community. 🤝✨
Curious about hosting a Gather and Grow event? Email natalie@openindoorsgdbq.org
#OpeningDoorsDBQ #GatherAndGrow #CommunityPartnership #StrongerTogether #Dubuquewtig ag ae
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🎓 Education is a cornerstone of our mission- not only for the women and families we serve, but for our current and future team members, too.
Today, we’re excited to spotlight Emma Follendorf, one of our incredible students in the field 👏
“I’m Emma Follendorf, a current graduate student at @clarkeuniversity - I’m completing my field placement at the Teresa Shelter to strengthen my case management skills while earning my Master’s in Social Work. Through this placement, I’m learning how to support and walk alongside a diverse group of individuals experiencing homelessness.
After graduation, I hope to find a supportive work environment as I pursue licensure. I’m still exploring which population I want to work with—but I’m excited for the journey ahead!
Outside of classes and placement, I enjoy reading, caring for my plants, crocheting, birdwatching, and playing D&D. Basically, I’m a regular 85-year-old who’s also hip with the kids.” 😉
We’re grateful for students like Emma who bring curiosity, compassion, and a willingness to learn into our spaces. Investing in education means investing in the future of our community and we’re proud to be part of that path.
#OpeningDoorsDubuque #EducationMatters #FutureSocialWorkers #LearningInCommunity #MissionInAction
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✨ THIS Friday kicks off another year with Dubuque Home Builders and Associates Home Show— thank you for including us in your partnership! ✨
It's the 37th Annual Greater Dubuque Home & Builders Show and we’re honored to be part of this year’s show and invite you to stop by to learn more about Opening Doors and the meaningful work happening right here in our community.
📅 Show Hours:
Friday, February 13 | 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, February 14 | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday, February 15 | 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
🎟️ Admission (ages 12+): $5
Come explore, connect, and discover how we’re creating special spaces that help individuals and families thrive. We can’t wait to see you there!
🔗 Show details: www.facebook.com/share/1NvmgZHYAK/
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Home is more than a roof.
It’s safety. Belonging. A place where you’re known by name and supported through every season.
At Opening Doors, home looks like a family. Women and children walking alongside one another, supported by staff who show up with consistency, care, and compassion. It’s a space where routines are rebuilt, confidence is restored, and hope becomes tangible.
We’re not just providing shelter.
We’re creating a home where people are welcomed with dignity, surrounded by support, and encouraged to grow- together.
Because everyone deserves a place where they feel safe, supported, and part of something bigger.
That’s what home means to us.
🎥 @kodiak_creative
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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.