Portland, OR

A community-based nonprofit organization that works to empower refugee and immigrant communities by helping them integrate into American society.

The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) is a community-based, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization with a 25-year history of assisting over 45,000 refugees and immigrants through the various stages of integration into U.S. society. IRCO’s birth was the product of the merger of the Indochinese Cultural and Service Center and the Southeast Asian Refugee Federation. Both organizations believed that services should strive to empower the refugee and immigrant communities. This belief and tradition still serves as the foundation for all IRCO services and programs. IRCO’s mission is to assist refugees, immigrants and multi-ethnic communities to develop self-sufficiency and cultural awareness while affirming and preserving each culture within an ever-changing global environment.

Nuts and Bolts:

• The IRCO implements School-Aged Policy Framework Projects (SAPF)in four areas: Anti-Poverty Services, Parent-Child Development Services (PCDS), School Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN), and Social Support Services for Educational Success (SSSES).
• The SAPFs were developed by Multnomah County, with cultural community and citizen input, in 2002 – 2003. The program was finalized in September 2003 and put out for bid. It is overseen by the County’s Department of School and Community Partnerships.
  
• SAPF represents a re-alignment of resources and service models with a goal of merging fragmented systems, eliminating duplication, and improving data collection. SAPF creates an integrated service delivery system comprised of school based and school-linked services.
  
• Services are provided through 6 regional centers, 6 culturally specific providers (African immigrant, African-American, Asian Pacific Islander, Latino, Native American, Slavic), and through services that are gender specific to girls, services to sexual minority youth, and through alcohol, tobacco, and other drug service providers.
• Culturally-specific programs and agencies provide services in target languages, provide a level of comfort to populations unfamiliar with the social service bureaucracy, and assist them in navigating new systems.
• The four programs of SAPF have a combined staff of 20. IRCO conducts culturally competent recruitment strategies, including advertising in ethnic media. Most staff are from the communities they serve, and as such are usually bilingual and bicultural. Clients may be bilingual, but are often monolingual in their native language, with basic English skills.

Successes:

• Anti-poverty services provide low-income API and African Immigrant clients with information and referral, advocacy, short-term intervention, energy and utility assistance, housing assistance and workshops to assist clients with job opportunities and weatherization.

• Parent-Child Development Services (PCDS) provide a home-visiting model of parent education using the nationally recognized Parents as Teachers curriculum. Components include case management, developmental testing, parent group meetings, and pre-and post natal support.

• School Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) is a nationally recognized service model, and SUN schools are the primary vehicle for SAPF school-based services. All SUN services are focused on retaining and supporting students by opening a school as a community center and service delivery site before and after school, evenings, and weekends. IRCO manages 3 SUN schools: 1 Slavic SUN and 2 API SUN. Outcomes include: extended day activities, academic support, project-based learning, youth development and leadership, enrichment and recreation classes (primarily summer), adult education, family education nights, family engagement, individual, group and family support , site management, community and business involvement.

• Social Support Services for Educational Success (SSSES) have the same broad goals as SUN schools, but in a school-linked model rather than school- based. This means activities take place both at the school and in other locations familiar to the community. The SSSES aims to increase access to services and supports for high-risk children and their families, minimize barriers to learning, increase attendance and improve academic achievement. Program staff provides individual case management, parent engagement and support.
• All the programs have very strong outcome measures, including numbers served, follow-up up to 12 months, advancing grade levels, graduation rates, remaining in the home (for youth), growth and development measures (for infants/toddlers), client satisfaction surveys, and new skill measures.

• IRCO has forged effective partnerships that maximize resources with: Multnomah County Libraries, Parks and Recreation, City of Portland, tenant organizations, community groups, drug and alcohol providers, culturally-specific counselors/mental health services, and Early Intervention.

How can I do it?

• Focus on the schools. School-based services reinvent the school as a community center, engaging parents in their children’s educational success. School-linked services provide additional access points for children and parents to receive services on-site.
• Foster relationships between social service agencies and the school system. This strengthens everyone’s ability to promoting academic success.