Hope Refugee Drop-In Center
The Hope Refugee Drop-In Center is open by appointment only. To schedule an appointment or ask a question, please call us at 716-881-0539. (If you are unable to reach us, we encourage you to call again or leave a voicemail. Our front desk staff is responsible for regularly checking and responding to voicemail messages.)
*Please note: Hope does not accept any in-kind donations. Please review our Priscilla Project wishlist and Vive Shelter wishlist for opportunities to donate clothing, home goods, and other supplies.*
Our focus at Hope is strongly rooted in providing tools for self-empowerment for refugees and immigrants who now call Buffalo home. The Drop-In Center provides non-traditional case management. Utilizing a participatory development model, clients identify their own needs and Hope helps provide a path to meet those needs. Sometimes this means filling out forms or showing clients how to do it on their own. We handle everything from interpreting WIC checks, paying bills, and filling out job applications to medical appointments and requesting translation services. Hope’s staff comprises culturally diverse caseworkers who speak multiple languages and assist clients in connecting with available community resources.
Hope has become an active voice in the community by strengthening relationships among those that are equally dedicated to assisting a similar population. Some of our partnerships include community health worker training, participation in domestic violence awareness, good tenant trainings, and providing access to resources for parents of school-aged children.
Frequently Asked Questions
A refugee is a person who fled their homeland, crossed an international border, and cannot return home due to fear of persecution or death. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
Refugee status is a specific legal status granted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and is recognized by the United States. Refugees entering the country through the resettlement program are legal immigrants.
Refugees are the most screened immigrants entering the United States. Refugee security screenings are done at both the international and national levels. There have been no incidents of domestic terrorism by refugees.
Refugee processing is an international bureaucratic process that takes several years to complete. First, one is granted status and resettlement by the United Nations. Each government that accepts refugees decides annually the number of refugees that they will take. In the United States, our president announces the number of refugees that we will take every September. Cases are then distributed from the United Nations to the U.S. State Department. The State Department works with a number of national agencies called Voluntary Agencies (Volags). These Volags take responsibility for the cases and redistribute them to local partners across the country. In Buffalo, we have four resettlement agencies (Catholic Charities, International Institute of Buffalo, Jewish Family Service, and Journey’s End Refugee Services) that represent five national Volags.
Buffalo has two major attractions for refugee resettlement. First, we have a lot of entry level jobs. Second, we have cheap housing for both renting and home ownership. Resettlement across the country has moved toward sending refugees to mid-sized cities, rather than large cities.
An immigrant is any person that moves from one country to another. Refugees are a specific category of immigrant that meets the above qualifications. All refugees are immigrants, but not all immigrants are refugees.
Please call us (or have your referrals call us) at 716-881-0539.
At Hope, we focus on refugees who are past their resettlement period. The resettlement period lasts between three and six months. During this time, refugees are still actively working with their resettlement agency. If you are unsure if a person qualifies, you can call us or have your referral call us and we will screen for eligibility.
Hope Refugee Drop In Center
248 West Ferry Street
Buffalo, NY 14213
716-881-0539
Hours of Operation (by appointment only)
| Day | Time |
|---|---|
| Monday-Friday | 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m |
| Saturday & Sunday | Closed |
