Church World Service Durham is a nonprofit dedicated to helping people in vulnerable situations sustain themselves.

From October 2024 through about Jan. 20 2025, the team welcomed 209 new refugee clients from countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Syria and many more.

In January, President Trump signed two executive orders that suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and paused several foreign‑aid grants. The Trump administration put a freeze on certain federal funding on Jan. 27 if agencies were found to be out of step with the executive orders the president signed when he first entered office.

The directives triggered stop‑work notices and immediately cut off Reception and Placement payments—the federal dollars that usually cover a refugee’s first 90 days of rent, basic furnishings and case‑management help.

CWS Durham interim office director Bethany Showalter has witnessed the fallout firsthand.

“We had to furlough about two‑thirds of our staff in February, and the people who remain are doing the best they can under really stressful circumstances,” she said.

For refugees, CWS Durham offers resources along with programs designed to resettle and sustain families and individuals. The eight‑month Matching Grant program helps refugees become career‑ready and provides English classes for people learning English as a second language. The yearlong Preferred Communities program gives newcomers personalized care—figuring out child care for parents or helping someone with health problems navigate U.S. health care—issues that can feel overwhelming in a new and very different society.

CWS Durham has not received any new arrivals since Jan. 20, when those seeking asylum had their appointments canceled after the CBP One application suspension under President Trump. The application served as access to the first step of the pathway to residency as a refugee.

“Yet, we’ve continued to serve clients because we feel it’s our responsibility,” Showalter said.

While the nonprofit has received federal reimbursements for other integration programs, it has yet to receive reimbursement for the Reception and Placement program, which is at the core of its services. A separate grant that supported legal representation for unaccompanied children was also terminated, and keeping on legal staff has been a struggle for CWS Durham. 

Despite that, volunteers have stepped in to pick up the slack, and donations from the Durham community have surged. The response has been “phenomenal,” Showalter said. Those private dollar donations cover basics for clients, such as rent and utilities, while newcomers look for work. 

There is still a refugee community to help in Durham—people already enrolled in CWS’s time‑based programs—and staff and volunteers have committed to seeing those clients through and making sure they get the services they need to prosper.

“Policies might change and programs might get cut, but we remain committed to being people who welcome, and we invite others in the community to do the same,” Showalter said.