© 2024 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace
Buffalo, NY 14202

Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
WBFO Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Your NPR Station
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Buffalo organization helping displaced Ukrainians

Signs adorn the hallway at Dnipro Ukrainian Center
Thomas O'Neil-White
/
WBFO News
Signs showing support for Ukraine adorn the hallway at Dnipro Ukrainian Center.

Local and national organizations are coming together to help ease the transition for incoming Ukrainian refugees.

Buffalo is one of six initial locations currently taking in Ukrainians fleeing their country as the war against invading Russian forces continues.

In April, the Biden Administration announced 100,000 Ukrainians would be entering the United States through the Uniting for Ukraine program, which allows those with a fiscal sponsor to enter the country under “humanitarian parole” status.

Jewish Family Services C.E.O. Dr. Molly Carr addresses the collaborative effort underway to help Ukrainian refugees
Thomas O'Neil-White
/
WBFO News
Jewish Family Services C.E.O. Dr. Molly Carr addresses the collaborative effort underway to help Ukrainian refugees.

Jewish Federation Services C.E.O. Dr. Molly Carr said she is tasked with developing sponsorship-based programs to support those arriving Ukrainians.

“The program allows J.F.S. to do technical support, case management and direct assistance with sponsorship teams of five to 10 people to support Ukrainians, to help financially, socially and volunteer based mentoring,” she said. “The program also allows Jewish Family Services to expand our refugee and immigrant center for healing to provide psycho support specialist or counseling support specifically for Ukrainians who have experienced trauma from the war.”

Carr said it says a lot about the City of Buffalo that it was chosen as one of the six initial locations for refugees to relocate and there is an opportunity to help make someone’s life better as they get acclimated to life in Western New York.

“The sponsorship process for immigration does require people to have a minimum income threshold,” she said. “It's 100% of the poverty guidelines for their family size and the people they're sponsoring. So the reality is for some people, it might not be possible for them to sponsor an individual. However, they can join sponsorship circles or teams that are working to support refugees as they arrive here.”

Signs inside the Dnipro Ukrainian Center
Thomas O'Neil-White
/
WBFO News
Signs inside the Dnipro Ukrainian Center show support for Ukraine.

Ukrainian American Civic Center President Yuri Hreshchyshyn said welcoming newcomers to Western New York won’t be a problem in the City of Good Neighbors. However he added the city should not develop issue fatigue as it pertains to the war against Russia.

“The bigger problem is that this conflict has not ended and we need to keep an eye on the ongoing war,” he said. “Ukrainians are fighting against what was the second largest power in the world, militarily, and they've taken it on by choice. Maybe they didn't have a choice but by choice they are fighting the battle on the ground and they're doing that for all of us.”

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Thomas moved to Western New York at the age of 14. A graduate of Buffalo State College, he majored in Communications Studies and was part of the sports staff for WBNY. When not following his beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats and Boston Red Sox, Thomas enjoys coaching youth basketball, reading Tolkien novels and seeing live music.
Related Content
  • Everything you need to know about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. WBFO brings you comprehensive coverage from NPR journalists and the BBC. Stay up-to-date with what's happening in Ukraine, learn what each new development means for the rest of the world, and how Western New York is responding.
  • NPR's Michele Kelemen reports on Russia-Ukraine relations after the death of an opposition journalist. Ukraine is trying to lure investors from the West, but the country's reputation for corruption is not helping.
  • We have the latest on the war in Ukraine, where officials there are accusing the Russians of trying to provoke the Belarusians into the war.