Give to The Refugee Partnership Crisis Response Fund
The International Institute of Buffalo (IIB), along with the other non-profits of The Refugee Partnership of Western New York, announced the creation of a Crisis Response Fund to cover suspended federal refugee resettlement funding due to the U.S. Department of State stop work order. The goal is to raise $1.5 million in the next 30 days to fill this funding shortfall and support the 731 refugees in Western New York who have arrived in the last 90 days.
Refugees are here in the United States legally. They have been fully vetted by the federal government and approved for resettlement here. They fled their country because they are at risk of serious human rights violations and persecution there and their own government cannot or will not protect them from those dangers.
“The State Department promised refugee families (and the nonprofits that resettle them) it would pay for clients’ basic needs and case management support for three months so that these newly arrived refugees could get their bearings and integrate into our community,” said Jennifer Rizzo Choi, executive director of IIB. “Now, it has defaulted on the funding it owes to us for work already performed and to be performed for the families already here.”
This critical funding through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), provides support to recently resettled families and individuals during their first 90 days in the United States and includes basic needs assistance for housing and food, and funds for resettlement agencies to ensure refugee case management and supports such as school enrollment, job placement, and other social support programs to help them assimilate to their new communities.
The Refugee Partnership is a collaboration made up of the five Buffalo agencies that serve refugees and immigrants – Catholic Charities of Buffalo, International Institute of Buffalo, Jericho Road Community Health Center, Jewish Family Services of WNY, and Journey’s End Refugee Services.
Read Executive Director Jennifer Rizzo-Choi’s Comments
Give to The Refugee Partnership Crisis Response Fund
