On the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Catholic Charities Family and Community Services reaffirms its commitment to Rochester's Ukrainian refugees

(February 24, 2025) Rochester, NY - On the three-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Catholic Charities Family and Community Services (CCFCS) remains committed to helping Ukrainian men, women and children seeking haven in the Greater Rochester area. Since February 24, 2022, CCFCS has helped resettle more than 1717 Ukrainian individuals who fled the war in Ukraine.

“Many of our Ukrainian families have lost people they love and places they cherish because of the war,” says Lori VanAuken, President and CEO of CCFCS. “Despite the uncertainty surrounding federal refugee and immigration assistance and the fate of Ukraine itself, CCFCS is dedicated to helping refugees who turn to us for care.”

With the help of a robust network of volunteers and community groups who support our mission, CCFCS provides refugees with basic supports such as food, transportation and housing, as well as employment assistance and legal immigration assistance and referral.

Most of the Ukrainian refugees coming to Rochester did so through the federal government’s humanitarian parole program called Uniting for Ukraine (U4U). This program was suspended by the current federal administration in January, in line with the President’s other executive orders suspending refugee admissions to the U.S. and freezing funding for resettlement programs. This has effectively closed a door on Ukrainian families seeking safe haven with their relatives in the U.S.

The future of the U4U program is not clear and there is a good deal of uncertainty for Ukrainians who have already come through the U4U program and are presently living in the U.S. Many of these people have applied for and received Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Asylum while some are still under Humanitarian Parole. At present the federal administration has suspended processing of TPS or asylum applications for Ukrainians which may seriously jeopardize their ability to remain in the U.S.