Communities Served

Diverse Communities

Since the founding of IRCO (lCSC) in 1976, the refugee community the agency serves has continued to grow in proportion and diversity. Initially, the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community that the Southeast Asians (Vietnamese, Laotians, Cambodians) joined were largely comprised of Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and Filipinos. Today the API community is comprised of communities from every region of Asia and the Pacific Islands including but not limited to Mien, Hmong, Indians, Pakistanis, Samoans, Tibetans, Burmese, Iranians and Afghans.

Other Immigrant And Refugee Communities Served:

Trends and Expectations

Prior to the September 11, 2001 event, the level of refugee arrivals in Oregon since 1990 had steadily averaged 1,700 each year.  Since then, it has been around 1,000.   The Oregon Refugee Program expects that the number and ethnic diversity of African refugees will continue to increase over the next few years and add even more complexity to the 20,000 local members of the African immigrant community.  Currently, many refugees are arriving from Myanmar (formerly called Burma), Cuba, the former Soviet republics, Iran and Afghanistan.  Finally, according to the 2000 census statistics, Multnomah County's Asian and Pacific Islander population increased from 36,343 in 1996 to over 86,000 respectively, and is expected to grow even more in the next 10 years. Similarly, the Hispanic population has doubled over the last 10 years in the Tri-County area.

IRCO Prepared For Future Needs

As these trends indicate, the need for services targeting refugees and immigrants will steadily increase in the coming years. As this growth continues, there is an ever increasing need to create opportunities and empower these communities to organize themselves for self-sufficiency, supporting their youth and families and community development. IRCO is uniquely qualified and eager to assist the area's refugee and immigrant community with these needs.