Out of 58 counties in California, Santa Clara County is unique when it comes to addressing the needs of residents born in other countries. With one-third of the county population born outside the US, Santa Clara County parallels in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles in constituting one of the most diverse populations on earth.

Over a 2 year period, Santa Clara County conducted the most extensive assessment of the human needs of immigrants of any county in the US. This research led to hundreds of recommendations to improve the lives of immigrants in 16 different areas of need, was published in the 400 page Bridging Borders in Silicon Valley and presented at the summit on December 6, 2000.

In order to implement key recommendations from the Summit on Immigrant Needs and Contributions, Santa Clara County established the Immigrant Action Network that transformed into IRIS - Immigrant Relations and Integration Services in 2005. IRIS works on projects that promote positive immigrant relations and integration

Mission

IRIS strives to improve the lives of immigrants and all residents of Santa Clara County by recognizing and appreciating the contributions of immigrants, educating all Santa Clara County residents about the backgrounds, values, and life conditions of immigrants in Santa Clara County, and fostering multicultural community. By assessing and addressing the specific human needs of immigrants and by maximizing collaboration, IRIS seeks to enhance the potential and enrich the lives of all county residents.

Current Projects

Through needs assessments, new policies, program development, and funding innovation, IRIS seeks to empower immigrants and improve services to immigrants.

Current programs and projects include the following:

• Free Citizenship Days
  Annual free citizenship days in 14 languages allow thousands of county residents to become US citizens. For more information, call (408)792-2300.

• Forums
  IRIS organizes bimonthly forums highlighting the culture and contributions of immigrants, and also providing information on CBO programs, County initiatives , and legislative proposals.
  Email: Milina.Jovanovic@OHR.SCCGOV.org

• Immigrant Leadership Course
  This course is offered in collaboration with San Jose City College and strives to improve the leadership skills of immigrant leaders and to address ongoing issues affecting the County's 600,000 immigrants.
  Email: Teresa.Castellanos@OHR.SCCGOV.org

• Immigrant Community Education
  Diverse communities benefit from community education presentations based on the Immigrant Rights, Responsibilities, and Resources, a guidebook of curriculum and resources encompassing over 20 topics, completed and published by the Language Access and Community Education Services (LACES) Collaborative. This guidebook is available on www.immigrantinfo.org. For more information, call (408)792-2300.

• Interactive Web Site
  www.immigrantinfo.org is the first ESL website in the country with an interactive database listing county-wide ESL classes that are frequently updated. The site also contains the complete texts of Bridging Borders in Silicon Valley, Knowledge of Immigration Nations, and Immigrant Rights, Responsibilities and Resources Guide.
  Email: administrator@immigrantinfo.org

• KIN Speakers Bureau
  Trained speakers provide a 2 hour Cultural Proficiency Workshop for governmental, educational and non-profit organizations to deepen their understanding of 16 immigrant communities in the County using source material contained in KIN (Knowledge of Immigrant Nationalities) in Santa Clara County.
  Email: Milina.Jovanovic@OHR.SCCGOV.org

• Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence Committee
  IRIS formed this committee to address the unmet needs of battered immigrants, predominantly women and children.
  Email: Milina.Jovanovic@OHR.SCCGOV.org

• Immigrant Cultural Proficiency Initiative
  In collaboration with the Human Relations Commission, IRIS is designing a County policy for immigrant cultural proficiency to improve excellence of service.
  Email: Milina.Jovanovic@OHR.SCCGOV.org

• Funding Citizenship Services
  IRIS - Social Services, Santa Clara County funds and monitors citizenship and immigration legal service programs, providing policy analysis and advocacy as needed.

  IRIS is led by Program Coordinator, Teresa Castellanos. They are located at the Office of Human Relations:

  2310 North First Street, Suite 104
  San Jose, CA 95131

  Tel: 408-792-2300
  Fax: 408-297-2463