Coordination Council for Refugees (CCFR) is a non-profit organization founded by concerned US citizens, many of whom are native Ukrainian and Russian speakers, who came together in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to help those in need.
Our mission is to provide support and assistance to refugees fleeing the war or persecution in their homeland, help them find resources to live normal lives in a new, safe place.
April 21, 2022
Тhe United States announced a key step toward fulfilling President Biden’s commitment to welcome Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion.
What we do
We are in direct contact with refugees from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus in various stages of their journey.
Our bilingual and trilingual volunteers meet the refugees at the Mexico-US border and provide help with translation, registration for border crossing, urgent needs, medical services, housing, and orientation at the refugee camp.
Off-site we cooperate with numerous organizations, licensed professionals, and private individuals to find housing for refugees in the United States, and to provide professional legal assistance.
How you can help
It's obvious that the sheer number of refugees is overwhelming our capacity even in matters of the most critical coordination, information sharing, and support to fill in the gaps. You can help by volunteering and supporting our organization.
Monetary donations provide vouchers and spending money to those in urgent need. Our organization is 100% volunteer-run with no overhead; all collected money will be used only to assist refugees with acute needs.
We are looking for volunteers to help us, including hosting refugees. To read more about our current needs, and to sign up, please click below
Important information about Refugee status
“Refugee” is a very specific legal term. And while Ukrainians escaping war are certainly seeking refuge, in the US we are usually advising them to request humanitarian parole because “refugee” status in the US is currently rarely granted to victims of war.
Since late March 2022, over 7,000 (and counting) people from Ukraine came into the US via Mexico having been given Temporary Protective Status (гуманітарний пароль) which does not grant immediate employment authorization nor give them any social benefits. They have lost their pre-war support system, homes, and jobs; many have lost relatives and friends, and are deeply traumatized.
For this reason, organizations like CCFR help people based on the reality of their circumstances by, among other things, coordinating humanitarian help to those who need it now and might suffer while waiting for organized, governmentally-sponsored resources.