West Side Stories

International refugees are an vital part of Buffalo’s West Side. Jericho Road Ministries is making a difference.

By Lisa Littlewood

When you walk through the front door of 233 West Ferry Street on Buffalo’s West Side for the first time you might experience a moment of culture shock. Women and men of varying ethnicities-- Burmese, Somali, Burundi, Congolese, Sudanese, Cuban, Ethiopian and Iraqi, to name a few-- crowd into the front room as they wait their turn for assistance from one of several case workers.

     The clients, speaking even more languages than the ethnicities represented, are hoping for help with any number of tasks and issues. One client needs help reading her mail, another needs to set up a doctor’s appointment, another needs help filling out food stamp paperwork and another needs transport and translation for, READ MORE...