In the early 1980s, Cambridge political leaders responded to turmoil in Central America by designating Cambridge a "sanctuary city," says Elena Letona, director of Latin American advocacy group Centro Presente.

The "sanctuary city" policy meant that a refugee could come to Cambridge without fear of being deported, Letona says.

While Cambridge is no longer officially designated a sanctuary city, the reputation remains, Jeune says.

"People still feel that by coming to Cambridge, they will be protected," she says. "Cambridge is very welcoming. There is a sense that your culture is welcome here and people will be able to help you."

For many of the new arrivals, coming to Cambridge is the hardest part, as they flee homelands rife with war or inflicted by natural disasters.

But making it in Cambridge often means learning a new language and struggling to find jobs that will cover increased rents. In this potentially isolating world, immigrants who need a sense of community most urgently often find themselves with barely enough time to sustain their families.

Fleeing No-Man's Land

Seble W. Argaw, director of the Adbar Ethiopian Women's Alliance, began her fledgling organization only seven years ago--and it is still run out of a basement room in the Old Cambridge Baptist Church.