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CIVIC ENGAGEMENT Moving from Exclusion to Belonging 245 resources are not doing an aggressive operation. They are not reaching out to the right people.”1194 Another group said, “A committee needs to know when people move in, so the existing resources can reach out to them.”1195 An outreach worker highlighted the importance of putting information about resources in the places where people go, and where they are “captive.” This agency posts information at the laundromat, the health clinic, and the doctor’s office among others because people are sitting in those places for periods of time. Another service provider suggested that centralizing all service providers would make things easier.1196 She said this would help alleviate transportation problems and facilitate communication between providers.1197 One metro-area city reaches out by providing a welcome packet for newcomers, which includes information about community resources, business, and coupons.1198 Service providers identified insufficient funding, too few staff, and a lack of bilingual staff as barriers to deeper outreach.1199 One community had a well-regarded welcoming organization that helped connect immigrants with resources and educate community residents.1200 It unfortunately closed, partially due to a lack of stable funding and also because the larger community was not fully invested in its success.1201 BARRIERS TO FULL INCLUSION Immigrants offer several reasons why they may not participate in organizations that serve the broader community even when they are aware of the opportunities. One of the most commonly mentioned reasons was a sense that the organizations are not interested in adapting themselves to the desires of immigrants, either in terms of priorities or practices. One activist described his church: “Like many well-established white Anglo organizations, people are nice and friendly and all true, but it is all on their terms.”1202 Another pointed out that many organizations “want immigrants to do it their way,”1203 continuing their programming as they have always done it. An immigrant 1194 Interview 129. 1195 Conversation 21. 1196 Interview 81, Conversation 22. 1197 Interview 81. 1198 Conversation 9. 1199 Conversation 24. 1200 Taryn Arbeiter, Maria Ward and Professor Katherine Tegtmeyer Pak, After the Welcome Center: Renewing Conversations about Immigration & Diversity, St. Olaf College, Department of Political Science, August 23, 2011, http://wp.stolaf.edu/ace/files/2013/11/CURI_Immigration_Welcome_Center.pdf. 1201 Taryn Arbeiter, Maria Ward and Professor Katherine Tegtmeyer Pak, After the Welcome Center: Renewing Conversations about Immigration & Diversity, St. Olaf College, Department of Political Science, August 23, 2011, http://wp.stolaf.edu/ace/files/2013/11/CURI_Immigration_Welcome_Center.pdf. 1202 Interview 122 1203 Interview 111.