Getting immigrant and refugee families in Marathon County to the hearings they cannot miss, and helping them through emergencies along the way.
Families in our community who are working their way through the immigration process are required to appear at hearings in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, or Chicago. Many have no car, no driver's license, and no one who can take a full day away from work to make the trip. There is no bus that gets them there on time.
The stakes are life changing. When a family cannot appear, a judge can issue a removal order in their absence. Parents can be detained. Children can be separated from them. Families can be sent back to the countries they fled. And a single missed paycheck for a trip they did manage to make can mean losing housing, heat, or food.
Safe Passage is NAOMI's answer. It grew out of the Family Support Network of the 715 Alliance and became a NAOMI program in 2026, with NAOMI serving as the program's home and fiscal sponsor.
Trained, background checked volunteer drivers take families to and from mandatory immigration hearings and appointments in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Chicago, at no cost to the family.
When a crisis threatens a family's stability, Safe Passage can help with a rent payment, a utility bill, or groceries so that one hard month does not become a lost home.
Safe Passage does not take applications directly from the public. Families are referred by case managers at our partner organizations, who know the families and their situations. If you or someone you know needs help, please start with one of these partners:
Case managers: contact the Safe Passage coordinator on duty to request transportation or emergency assistance. Identifying details about a family are shared by phone only.
Safe Passage runs on volunteers. Eleven volunteers have completed training and background checks and are approved drivers. We need more.
Give a day, a few times a year, to drive a family to a hearing and home again. Mileage is reimbursed. You do not need to speak another language; our partners help with interpretation.
Answer referral calls, match drivers to trips, keep records, or help spread the word in your congregation.
Every volunteer completes an application, a background check, and a short training. To get started, email naomiwausau@gmail.com with "Safe Passage volunteer" in the subject line.
Safe Passage is a collaboration. NAOMI provides the program home, volunteers, and funding. Our partner organizations identify families, provide case management, and help with interpretation: HOLA, Inc., New Beginnings, the Ethiopian Community Development Council, and the Hmong American Center.
An anonymous donor will match every gift to Safe Passage, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000. Together that funds a full year of the program.
Write "Safe Passage" on the memo line or in the Venmo note. Gas cards are welcome too, and they count toward the match.
Roughly half of the budget goes to direct family assistance and a little over 40 percent to transportation.
