Coalition For Immigrant Refugee Rights & Services

Programs: The Coalition s comprehensive blend of strategies includes organizing, community education, leadership development, information and referral, policy advocacy, service coordination, training, and coalition building. The Coalition operates four core programs:

Community Education and Action, conducts multi-language community education and organizing and provides technical assistance to grassroots immigrant organizations throughout Northern California and the Central Valley.

Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA), a project of the Coalition, is a grassroots community organizing and empowerment program formed in 1990 by and for Latina immigrant and refugee women based in San Francisco s Mission District. The mission of MUA is to empower immigrant and refugee Latinas and the broader Latino immigrant community by providing the necessary tools and information with which they can bring about economic, political and social equality, regardless of immigration status.

The Immigrant Assistance Program was established in 1987 when it became clear that immigrants needed a resource for accurate information about their rights under constantly evolving laws. The Immigrant Assistance Program helps to minimize immigrants vulnerability by operating the Immigrant Assistance Line which, annually helps over 10,000 immigrants obtain answers to their urgent questions, access services and legal assistance, and become aware of projects and campaigns working to defend the rights of immigrants and refugees.

Policy Advocacy, with its technical know-how and linkage to a grassroots immigrants base, has become a leading force for immigrant advocacy with local counties, the state of California, and at the federal level.