Department Objectives
The City of Buffalo Office of New Americans (ONA), launched by Mayor Byron W. Brown in 2015, aims to ensure that Buffalo remains a welcoming city and a preferred resettlement site in the United States. ONA works to create economic and academic opportunities within the City’s incumbent population and in its growing refugee and immigrant communities. Its mission is to promote access to City services, area resources and to implement policies that facilitate the successful integration of newcomers into the civic, economic, and cultural life of Buffalo.
Description of Services
- ONA works to ensure that all City services are accessible to Buffalo’s growing newcomer and New American population
- ONA facilitates connections between Buffalo’s refugee and immigrant communities and City departments, government agencies and other organizations outside of city government to help address concerns or answer questions
- ONA regularly updates community leaders on employment announcements, cultural events, and other opportunities
- ONA provides cultural competency presentations in partnership with community ethnic organizations for city employees, including the Buffalo Police Department
- ONA regularly meets with refugee and immigrant community members to assess and better understand the goals and needs of the population, and how we can best serve them