On Friday, The Refugee Partnership of Western New York announced it would launch a Crisis Response Fund to cover the costs that were previously covered through the U.S. Department of State for 731 local refugees.
The State department previously covered costs for the first 90 days of resettlement, including housing, food, case management, school enrollment, job placement and other support provided through resettlement agencies. A stop work order issued by the Trump administration has stopped that funding.
"This effectively created a crisis for the most vulnerable population, people who are here without family or social safety safety net in the US," said Dr. Molly Carr, CEO of Jewish Family Services of WNY. "With the new administration, we knew policy changes were coming for refugee resettlement programs, and we were prepared. However, we were blindsided by funding cuts to support refugees who the US government brought here in the last 90 days and promised to provide critical services."
The Refugee Partnership is seeking $1.5 million in funding to help support those 731 refugees who arrived in the last three months. Already, a total of $350,000 has been donated by the Western New York Foundation, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, M&T Bank, and the Health Foundation of Western and Central New York.
"[Refugees are] individuals who have faced unimaginable challenges and yet have shown remarkable strength in their journey to seek safety," said Anna Mongo, Chief Program Officer at Jericho Road. "If you really think about what that means and how difficult that can be, it's inspirational. In welcoming newcomers, we're all enriched."
Leaders also pointed out that refugees have a distinct status and process in the US immigration process.
"Refugees are not immigrants, they're not asylum seekers, and they're not illegal," said Carr from JFS. "Refugees have a right to protection, and they have been legally vetted through the US Department of Homeland Security. To come to the United States, refugees sign an agreement with the US State Department that says that they will become contributing members of our community, that they will become self sufficient, abide by our laws, [and] learn English."
The Refugee Partnership includes five agencies: Catholic Charities of Buffalo, the International Institute of Buffalo, Jericho Road Community Health Services, Journey's End Refugee Services and Jewish Family Services of Western New York, which support those hundreds of refugees.
