IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – A new duplex in Iowa City is offering immigrant families more than a place to stay — it’s offering them a foundation to start a new life.
The Immigrant Welcome Network of Johnson County is officially opening what it’s calling the “Welcome House” — a fully furnished duplex designed to give newly arrived families stability while they look for jobs and long-term housing.
Each side of the duplex includes four bedrooms with enough space for several families at a time. It’s also the first property the organization owns instead of rents. It’s a $460,000 investment made possible through community partnerships and loans.
Mazahir Salih, the group’s executive director and an immigrant herself, said she understands how critical that early support can be.
“I needed that little help. I was homeless for a whole day and that really was a feeling that I never want anyone else to experience,” she said.
Salih said families are able to stay until at least one person in the household secures a job, ensuring they leave ready to live independently.
Board member Sally Hartman called the project a “godsend,” adding that it fills a need she’s witnessed for years.
“I have seen too many struggles in the past about people needing something that didn’t exist,” Hartman said.
The duplex was fully furnished by local nonprofit Houses into Homes. Community members say the space represents what’s possible when people come together to lift up new neighbors, one family at a time.
“When children are enriched when they are small, that benefits not only them, but the community they live in in the future,” Hartman said.
The Immigrant Welcome Network says this home is just the start of a long-term effort to expand housing and support for newcomers in Johnson County.
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