Oakland, CA

Our programs are designed to ensure that you, as a refugee, thrive in America--whether ensuring your children are enrolled in school, you as an adult is become self-reliant through employment or starting businesses, or families are receiving acute medical care you need to recover from trauma or illness. If you are in need, the IRC will help you to rebuild your life and regain control of your future in your new home community.

As a refugee, you are greeted and welcomed at the airport by IRC case workers and volunteers to ensure that your transition is as comfortable as possible. The IRC also makes sure that as a newly arrived refugee you receive:

• A furnished home
• Help with rent
• Health and Wellness
• Nutritious, affordable food
• English language classes
• Help building job, computer, and financial literacy skills
• Education for their children
• Social services and community support
• Legal services towards residency and citizenship

Our programs in Oakland:

• Resettlement begins when you touchdown at the airport. Within the initial three month span, the team helps you with housing, employment, benefits, health insurance, enrollment in English classes, cultural orientation, and referrals to internal and external support. Intensive case management is available for clients with special needs, for example a health condition, who may require additional support.
• Economic Empowerment is critical to building stability in your new home. The Refugee EE Department assists clients who are seeking employment. They offer basic training and mentoring, assistance with resumes and interviews, and weekly employment and ESL classes. The empowerment specialist builds working relationships with employers and businesses for the benefit of our clients.
• New Roots works to increase your access, as a refugee, to and participation in the local food system through nutrition education, food security programming, community gardening, and micro-enterprise training. 
• Immigration not only serves you as a refugee or asylee client, but we also serve any low-income immigrant population. The department provides assistance in applying for Green Cards, Citizenship/Naturalization, travel documents, employment authorization, visa applications, petitioning for family reunification, CAM/AOR, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). 
• Anti-Trafficking strives to provide timely, high-quality, comprehensive services to survivors of human trafficking as well as raise awareness and educate the public through collaboration and coordination with law enforcement and other community organizations.

• The Health & Wellness program promotes wellness and ensures access to healthcare services that address physical and psychological needs. Program areas include mental health and wellness, maternal and prenatal health, healthcare literacy and access, and health and nutritional promotion in communities   

  • PEI: The Prevention and Early Intervention program provides psychosocial support for clients who feel isolated, depressed, anxious, are survivors of gender-based violence, and/or are struggling to manage stress.

  • ICM: The Intensive Case Management program provides up to 12 months of case management services. The ICM program serves refugees with complex medical cases. The case management staff and volunteers work to provide direct case management services and referrals for community resources to address the needs of these clients and their patients. The objective of this program is to achieve the goal of ensuring that all refugee clients receive continued, high quality health care and live healthy lives after resettling in the United States.

The United States has a long tradition of sheltering those fleeing conflict and persecution. Once refugees have been identified by the United Nations refugee agency and cleared for resettlement, the U.S. government works with the IRC and eight other national resettlement agencies to help them restart their lives in America. Out of the nearly 20 million refugees in the world, fewer than 1 percent are considered for resettlement worldwide.

Refugees may be placed in a city where they have relatives or friends, or where there’s an established community that shares their language or culture. Other considerations include the cost of living and a community’s ability to provide medical services. However, as legal U.S. residents, refugees may live in any city and state they choose.

Learn more about how refugee resettlement works.

The United States has a long tradition of sheltering those fleeing conflict and persecution. Once refugees have been identified by the United Nations refugee agency and cleared for resettlement, the U.S. government works with the IRC and eight other national resettlement agencies to help them restart their lives in America. Out of the nearly 20 million refugees in the world, fewer than 1 percent are considered for resettlement worldwide.

Refugees may be placed in a city where they have relatives or friends, or where there’s an established community that shares their language or culture. Other considerations include the cost of living and a community’s ability to provide medical services. However, as legal U.S. residents, refugees may live in any city and state they choose.

Learn more about how refugee resettlement works.

The IRC in Oakland’s immigration department not only serves our refugee and asylee clients, but also any low-income immigrant population. In addition, the IRC in Oakland partners with local service providers and community groups to conduct programming. 

There are many ways that you can get involved with the IRC’s work in Oakland. You can:

Donate: Give a tax-deductible financial contribution either via the website or sent to our office.

Get your Company Involved: Bring your colleagues together for team building activity that gives back.

New or Gently Used Items Needed for Refugees: We’re collecting a variety of items in support of newly arrived refugees. See how you can help.

Spread the Word: Consider hosting a fundraiser. Stay connected via our newsletter, follow us on Facebook, and ask others to do the same!

GenR: GenR, short for Generation Rescue, is a group of young and influential humanitarians between the ages of 25 and 40 who have joined forces with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to help people survive and rebuild their lives.

Other Ways to Get Involved: Employ refugees or connect us to affordable housing options.

For additional information on how you can help, contact our Director of Development Michael Magnaye at [email protected]

Once they acclimate to their new environment, refugees often thrive and contribute to their communities, building careers, purchasing homes, gaining citizenship.

Please visit our volunteer page for further information regarding opportunities.