Restoring Dignity

What Restoring Dignity does

Restoring Dignity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in July 2012 and incorporated with IRS tax-exempt status in 2018, headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Its mission is to serve refugee families resettled in the Omaha area through a portfolio of direct-service programs including the Welcome Home Program (in-home classes covering 97 topics across Healthy Home, Home/Fire Safety, and Home Owners Maintenance Education), home makeovers (43 completed since 2012), the Feed A Family monthly grocery gift card program, housing advocacy, and emergency response services including the Emergency Language Alert Network (ELAN) co-developed with the Douglas County Health Department.

Services are delivered at no cost to beneficiaries by a staff of 15-20, of whom 83% are former refugees collectively speaking 14 languages, supported by 100+ volunteers mobilized per home makeover event. The underlying technology stack is minimal: there is no proprietary software, mobile app, or AI system, with operations relying on human-led in-home education, an Amazon wishlist for supply acquisition, and a translated website (rdomaha.org) in 15+ languages. Distribution is exclusively domestic within the Omaha metro.

The business model is a multi-stream nonprofit funding architecture: individual donations (including monthly recurring supporters at a $10 minimum via Feed A Family), an annual Welcome Home Gala and other events, a HUD federal grant funding the Restore & Repair Program Manager, corporate volunteer days, and in-kind gift card donations from major retailers. Customer segments are two-tiered: refugee families as the free-of-charge service beneficiary (vertical segment), and individual donors, corporate volunteers, and government agencies as the funding counterparties (horizontal segment). Leadership consists of founder and Executive Director Hannah Vlach, Welcome Home Program Director Paw Bway Htoo, Director of Systems & Organizational Development Bridget Perry, Restore & Repair Program Manager Cydnee Mosley, and Office & Administrative Specialist Emily Klug, with a working board of directors.

Name

Restoring Dignity

Legal name

Restoring Dignity

Website

https://rdomaha.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Restoring Dignity is an Omaha-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free in-home housing education, food assistance, and home makeovers to refugee families in the Omaha metro, delivered by a multilingual staff of former refugees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee Resettlement & Human Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI)

Keywords

• Refugee housing education
• Refugee resettlement services
• Emergency food assistance
• Home makeover programs
• Nonprofit social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Monetary donations from individual supporters, including one-time and monthly recurring donors. Tax-deductible contributions as a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
2. Event Fundraising: Annual gala events and fundraising activities generate revenue for operational costs and programming.
3. Federal/Government Grants: Funding from HUD for Restore & Repair Program Manager position supporting housing initiatives.
4. Gift Cards and In-Kind Donations: Accepts gift cards to major retailers (Target, Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot) and in-kind donations of household items for refugee families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Restoring Dignity delivers free in-home housing education, home safety training, and home maintenance instruction to refugee families in the Omaha, Nebraska area through its Welcome Home Program. It also runs home makeover projects, an emergency food and grocery gift-card assistance program (Feed A Family), housing advocacy, seasonal Window A/C Drives, and other emergency response services. All services are provided at no cost to refugee beneficiaries and are funded by donations, grants, and community volunteers.

Product overview

Restoring Dignity is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of services to support Omaha's refugee community. The core offerings include the Welcome Home Program (a comprehensive housing education program featuring Healthy Home Classes, Home/Fire Safety Classes, and Home Owners Maintenance Education Classes), Home Makeovers providing household items and furniture, Emergency Food Assistance including the Feed A Family monthly sponsorship program, Housing Advocacy services, and Emergency Response capabilities. Additional programs include Know Your Rights Training, Pathways to Financial Stability Classes, and Window A/C Drives. The organization partners with The Furniture Project for furniture bank services. All educational programming is delivered by former refugees speaking 14 languages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Welcome Home Program: One-of-a-kind refugee family education program providing in-home classes on healthy home, home/fire safety, and home owners maintenance education in the family's native language
• Feed A Family
• Restore & Repair Program
• Emergency Food Assistance
• Emergency Language Alert Network (ELAN)

Products and services

• Welcome Home Program
• Healthy Home Classes
• Home/Fire Safety Classes
• Home Owners Maintenance Education (HOME) Classes
• Home Makeovers
• Feed A Family Program
• Emergency Food Assistance
• Housing Advocacy
• Window A/C Drive
• Emergency Response Services
• Know Your Rights Training
• Pathways to Financial Stability Class
• SNAP EBT Fraud Help
• Furniture Bank Partnership Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 33,000 refugees served since 2018
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Douglas County Health DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership to create the Emergency Language Alert Network (ELAN), providing multilingual emergency communications for refugee communities.
• The Furniture ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership to build Omaha's first furniture bank in 2021. Restoring Dignity led the infrastructure development over nine months, creating an 18,000 square foot warehouse. Operations of the furniture bank at 10808 J Street were handed to The Furniture Project in September 2023.
• Nebraska DHHScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partnership for refugee services coordination, SNAP administration, and regulatory compliance.
• Nebraska AppleseedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit legal advocacy partner collaborating on SNAP cuts presentations and immigration policy advocacy.
• Omaha Food Pantry NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 19+ food pantries across the Omaha metro area, with Restoring Dignity providing translated flyers and referral coordination.
• Nebraska Afghan Community CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal organization specifically helping Afghan families, particularly those with Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) status.
• Orel AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization working directly with Ukrainian families, coordinating donations and support for families placed through Uniting for Ukraine program.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HIAS: Jewish-founded global refugee agency providing resettlement, legal aid, and integration services in the US. Comparable refugee-support service portfolio to Restoring Dignity.
• World Relief: Evangelical Christian humanitarian organization operating refugee resettlement and integration programs across multiple US cities. Directly comparable service model for newly arrived refugees.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Large multinational refugee resettlement and humanitarian aid organization offering resettlement, employment, health, and education services to refugees in the US. Directly comparable to Restoring Dignity's resettlement-support and integration mission at much greater scale.
• Catholic Charities USA: National network of Catholic Charities agencies providing refugee resettlement, immigration legal services, and basic-needs support across the US. Comparable to Restoring Dignity's holistic social-services approach for refugees.
• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS): Faith-based national refugee resettlement and immigration services organization. Closely comparable to Restoring Dignity on refugee resettlement support, integration education, and advocacy.

Direct peers

• Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC): National nonprofit operating the African Women's Alliance for Refugees and the Refugee Wellness Hub. Comparable refugee-support services with strong community-based intake and resettlement model.
• RefugeeOne: Chicago-based refugee resettlement and social services agency providing housing, education, and integration support. Comparable to Restoring Dignity as a mid-size, city-focused refugee services nonprofit.
• Samaritas: Michigan-based refugee resettlement, foster care, and human services organization. Comparable multi-service model serving newly arrived refugees and immigrants.
• Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska: Omaha/Nebraska-based affiliate providing refugee resettlement, behavioral health, and family services in the same geography. Closest local peer competing for the same refugee families in Omaha.

Others

• Nebraska Appleseed: Omaha-based nonprofit advocacy organization partnering with Restoring Dignity on SNAP and immigration policy work. Comparable on policy advocacy focus though not a direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RestoringDignityOmaha
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/restoring-dignity

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Restoring Dignity