BUFFALO, N.Y. — World Refugee Day Brings Nonprofits Together
On World Refugee Day, five agencies in Buffalo announced they would be banding together to form a partnership meant to aid new Americans in Western New York.
The five nonprofits include:
The organizations have been working together for years but made it official on Tuesday when they unveiled the creation of the partnership.
"As individual agencies we know we could be doing more, bringing added value as a partnership to areas like advocacy, shared resources, and funding," said Journey's End Refugee Services CEO Karen Andolina Scott.
The five non-profits will remain separate entities. The partnership, however, will create one point of entry for refugees who can then be directed within the five organizations. Jericho Road for example specializes in providing healthcare for refugees while Journey's End provides ESL courses for adults and kids.
The new partnership is officially dubbed The Refugee Partnership.
Population and Refugee Trends in the City of Buffalo
The 2020 U.S. census revealed a population increase that Buffalo had not seen since the 1950s. It followed a trend seen over the last 10 to 15 years that was made possible by refugee and immigrant resettlement.
According to Molly Carr from Jewish Family Services, since the refugee resettlement program was created in 1980, Buffalo has welcomed 15,000 individuals.
Carr noted that there are currently an "unprecedented" number of refugees across the globe because of various civil wars, unrest, and the Ukrainian conflict.
Between 2000 and 2014, the immigration research group New American Economy found that the foreign-born population in metro Buffalo increased by 32.3 percent and saw over 7,700 refugees resettled in the area in a five-year period between 2009 and 2014.
Without that bump in Buffalo's foreign-born population, the city would have lost nearly 5 percent of its population. Instead, it only declined 3.3 percent.
From an economic perspective, foreign-born residents in Buffalo contributed $3.1 billion to the metro's GDP in 2014 according to the same report from New American Economy.
"Our community thrives when we collaborate with each other," said Journey's Ends' Andolina Scott.
What Role Do the Organizations Play?
Molly Carr from Jewish Family Services noted that their work has become more challenging due to the higher number of refugees settling in the United States.
"So the work is more challenging because it's just the number has increased and the reality of the refugee experience has not gotten better, it's gotten worse over the years," Carr said.
The work, however, has been more bearable due to the unofficial partnership, Carr noted.
"Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes all of us working together to ensure a diverse welcoming, and flourishing community," said Denise Phillips Beehag, the Director of New American Integration for the International Institute of Buffalo.
State Senator Sean Ryan spoke after the press conference and explained how various governments, the United Nations, and these agencies work together.
Ryan compared the resettlement process to that of a business being relocated and a third-party being paid to facilitate the move, which is where organizations like the International Institute come in.
World Refugee Day
On World Refugee Day - a holiday founded in 2000 by the United Nations - Anna Ireland Mongo, Chief Program Officer of Jericho Road Community Health Center, reminded those in attendance of the dual nature of the day.
"We remember those thousands worldwide who have not found safety," Ireland Mongo said.
Phillips Beehag from the International Institute added: "We are making Western New York a better place for, and because of, refugees."