News from San Diego, CA

Are you interested in making an impact in your community? Would you like to support your new American neighbors? Email us to find out how to organize and implement a community donation drive to assist vulnerable families in San Diego.

In-kind donations help provide a warm and welcoming home to refugees upon their arrival in the U.S. Keep reading to learn about about the different items we accept to meet the material needs of newly arrived refugees.

The IRC operates a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to provide FREE tax preparation services to individuals and families with incomes below the national average who would like to get the most out of their tax return.  Last tax season, the IRC in San Diego’s VITA Volunteers completed more than 2,200 returns and helped our community receive more than $3.5 million in refunds. As a tax preparation volunteer, you will provide important support to individuals and families with incomes below the national average by guiding them through the tax preparation process and connecting them with other IRC resources when appropriate. You will work one-on-one with clients supporting them in navigating the ins and outs of tax preparation.

Volunteers will work to provide administrative support to the Immigration Department. (In-person requirement.)

Responsibilities: Sorting department mail; update case files and department database; create case files and filing; schedule clients for immigration legal service appointments; other related duties as assigned.

Each year, A Taste of the IRC is an opportunity for our community to come together to learn more about the life-saving importance of the refugee resettlement program. For the first time, our California offices—in Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, and Turlock—are hosting a joint fundraiser to highlight our work across the state of California!

Update! Watch the October 7th webinar recording on IRC's Afghan Emergency Response in the US

The Refugee Client Services intern will be instrumental in helping newly arrived refugees, and other refugees who are facing significant barriers to connect to appropriate services in San Diego. The intern will support both Caseworkers and refugee clients directly.

After a multi-year journey from his home country, with support and guidance from the IRC and IOM, Adbul, his wife, and two sons have finally settled in San Diego.

In partnership with the El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association, the IRC Small Business Development Center is proud to present our first International Marketplace, a hub of refugee and immigrant-owned businesses to give you the perfect place to #shopsmall, #shoplocal, and #celebrateimmigrants.

High rates of unemployment and Covid-19 infection among New American community members has contributed heavily to lack of stable access to adequate amounts of nutritious food . Refugees and immigrants have been some of the hardest hit populations in the country, disproportionately experiencing food and nutritional insecurity due to their high rates of employment in “gig economy” and other job sectors like food, hotel, and health which have been heavily impacted by the pandemic. Help new American communities combat hunger with a gift to IRC's food security programs in the U.S.