Volunteer opportunities

The Financial Inclusion and Opportunity Program at the IRC works to ensure that all of our clients are equipped with the financial knowledge and tools they’ll need to thrive in the competitive Bay Area. Based on the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s innovative Center for Working Families model, it complements IRC’s wraparound employment and income support services with dedicated in-house financial coaching and access to safe, affordable credit-building products.

Oakland IRC’s Economic Empowerment program supports clients in rebuilding their lives in the U.S. The IRC supports new arrivals find their first job in the U.S. through Early Employment Programs, which blend classroom job-readiness instruction and individualized employment case management in helping over 75 percent of enrolled cases successfully find employment within 6 months of arrival to the U.S. While clients are looking for a job, they simultaneously learn about the complex U.S. financial services system, receive help in establishing bank accounts, and can access consumer advocacy and financial coaching support from IRC Financial Counselors.

The IRC’s ICM Program serves refugees with high barriers to self-sufficiency. ICM focuses on the following populations: children and adults with serious medical conditions and mental health needs, clients affected by gender-based violence, LGBTQ clients, the elderly, single parents, and women-at-risk. A client-centered and strengths-focused approach is used to assist clients in meeting their goals.

The resettlement services program (also referred to as the reception and placement, or R&P, program) is the first point of contact for newly arrived refugees and special immigrant visa holders. This case management program offers support, guidance, and counseling through the initial 3 months of resettlement. The R&P case management team provides services to orient refugees to life in the U.S., including (but not limited to) securing housing, applying for state benefits such as food stamps, cash benefits, and medical insurance, connecting clients with medical providers, registering children in school, applying for Social Security, conducting “cultural orientation” classes for all adults, and linking refugees to additional internal and community services. This year, the IRC in Oakland will be resettling refugees and special immigrant visa holders primarily from Afghanistan, El Salvador, Eritrea, and Burma. These clients will live all across the Bay Area, however, the majority of clients will likely reside in Contra Costa and Alameda County. The Anti-Trafficking Program provides intensive case management services to adult, foreign-born survivors of human trafficking. The majority of the clients in this program are currently from Central and South America.

The Client Coordinator volunteer manages the front desk and waiting lobby. This volunteer will always be the first person people see when they come into the IRC office. A Client Coordinator is responsible for setting and maintaining the overall environment, while clients wait in the lobby. Client Coordinators greet clients and help them access services. The volunteer is responsible for directing client needs to the appropriate staff member as well as answer phones, take messages, and respond to general questions.