Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - It's been more than 19 months since migrants from New York City were transported to Western New York, and then housed in hotel complexes for months in the towns of Cheektowaga and Amherst.
The eventual goal for the more than 500 migrants that were transported to the region was move them out of their hotel rooms, and eventually into better housing situations, thanks to the assistance of Jewish Family Services of WNY (JFS).
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"We were very happy to finally be given permission in mid-November to start housing people, and helping them start their transition into the community. From the period of mid-November until the end of January, we were able to successfully place all families locally in housing here, and in our neighboring community in Monroe County, where another partner agency worked with us," said Dr. Molly Carr, CEO of JFS in an interview with WBEN. "All of those individuals are now in safe, clean, affordable housing, giving back to the community through employment. Their children are going to school. It's just a really nice way to be able to recognize the humanity of people who, oftentimes, are pushed into the shadows because of their inability to connect to services."
Carr adds JFS has officially wrapped up the housing portion of the project, and is now doing case management services.
Upon news of the contract with DocGo, which was keeping migrants in Western New York, being set to expire on Dec. 31, 2024, it had been speculated that any migrants who were still being housed in the hotels locally would be transported back to New York City.
Dr. Carr is happy to say that nobody was forced to return to New York City after the contract expired, and nobody would have been forced to return.
"This is a program, people opted in to participate. They had the option to return to New York, but they chose not to, because they've already started putting roots down here," Carr said. "Their children are already in school and making friends, they're already starting jobs. So people wanted to stay here and be part of this community."
With the ongoing changeover in Washington, D.C. and a new administration in the White House, Carr admits JFS is still waiting to see what will happen with any potential changes when it comes to plans for migrants that came from New York City.
In the meantime, she is hopeful that programs like the refugee resettlement program, that assist refugees locally who have arrived over the last 90 days, will be reinstated. However, she has no way of knowing how the administration will decide to move forward in refugee resettlement.
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"I will say refugee resettlement, itself, has been around since World War II, and JFS has been providing refugee resettlement services since World War II. But formally in 1980, with the passing of the Refugee Act, which I will say, at the time, passed unanimously, have been providing critical services to these individuals that come through the State Department program," Carr noted. "Individuals who are vetted, it's an average of three years to go through the vetting process before coming here, and all we ask is that they stand up and give back to the community. We don't ask for much, and we don't have to invest much for them to have an immediate impact here in Western New York."
Dr. Carr acknowledges the challenge of not being sure of what tomorrow will bring when it comes to assisting migrants and refugees in the local community.
"We would love to have a clear understanding of what's going to happen, but we're ready to shift and to pivot so that we can continue to provide support," she said.