Six million dollars of the New York State budget is coming to Western New York’s refugee resettlement agencies to prepare for the future and address current needs.

Senator Sean Ryan and Assemblyman Jon Rivera announced Saturday the budget doubled its investment through the New York State Enhanced Services to Refugees Program from $3 million last year to $6 million this year, making it the largest appropriation in the program's history.

Western New York’s refugee agencies, like Catholic Charities and Jewish Family Services in Buffalo, have been serving refugees for a long time.

Ryan says their support to people fleeing danger in their countries is critical for the region.

“Thanks to the great work of refugee resettlement agencies, Buffalo and other cities through Upstate New York have welcomed thousands of families seeking refuge over the last two decades,” Ryan said in a statement. “Helping acclimate these new Americans into their new lives is an important task that not only helps them thrive, but also benefits our communities. New York has always been a leader in refugee resettlement, and this unprecedented funding for our state’s resettlement agencies will help us remain one.”

“Western New York’s economic resiliency is due in no small part to its vibrant immigrant population and their demonstrated entrepreneurial resolve,” Rivera said in a statement. “This record funding for refugee resettlement agencies through the New York State Enhanced Services to Refugees Program is not only a testament to the work of these agencies and the invaluable services they provide, but it will also place them in a position of strength as they prepare to cater to our state’s next generation of immigrant business owners and homeowners.”

Last year alone, these agencies helped resettle more than 500 Afghan refugees.

More than 90% of refugees coming to New York settle in upstate.

In the past 20 years, more than 16,000 refugees have come to Buffalo.