Rental Assistance covid relief program
Partnered with Irco
My name is Anna Solano and I am a student at Portland State University. I became involved at IRCO as an assistant, but was later asked to help with the temporary rent relief program in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. What interested me about IRCO was the mission to improve and make easier the lives of immigrants. As a first generation American with Immigrant parents, I wanted to better the community I came from. Immigrating is an isolating and difficult process. This is why I am proud to be part of an organization created by immigrants for immigrants.
Irco mission statement: |
Rental assistance program Info:
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The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) serves the holistic needs of Oregon's immigrants, refugees and mainstream community members. As a community-based organization, we empower children, youth, families and elders from around the world to build new lives and become self-sufficient by providing more than 200 culturally and linguistically specific social services.
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IRCO is partnered with Community Action, an organization which determines the amount of rent relief an applicant receives. My communication with Community Action involved sending them completed applications with the necessary documents and meetings with their staff on updates about the program. The temporary rent relief will end December 1st. Together, community action and IRCO helped countless families with language barriers apply for rental assistance. IRCO specifically focused on the immigrant and refugee community needing assistance.
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What it looked like
The pandemic is the reason the program was initiated, hence the entirety of this work was virtual. Community outreach was an essential aspect to my responsibilities. I partnered with the Beaverton Resource Center, St. Vincent D Paul Food pantry and many churches for referrals.