San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition

What San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition does

The San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition (SDRCC) is a private nonprofit coalition of 11 ethnic community-based organizations (ECBOs) operating in San Diego County, formally established in September 2019 after a yearlong planning process funded by The California Endowment. Its mission is to lead coordinated action that addresses structural inequities faced by refugee communities, and it collectively serves thousands of low-income refugee families through member organizations.

SDRCC delivers a portfolio of social service programs rather than technology products. Core programs include the Behavioral Health Initiative (covering CalHOPE crisis counseling and ongoing peer-based mental health support), Community Health Work (bilingual outreach and surveys delivered by Community Health Workers drawn from the communities served), the SEED economic development program providing entrepreneurship training and micro-grants to refugee and immigrant entrepreneurs, the Housing Program and Know Your Rights tenant education workshops, COVID-19 community outreach, and Expanded Services addressing social determinants of health such as food, healthcare navigation, employment, and translations. Services are delivered in 18+ languages, with business training specifically offered in 10 languages including Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, English, Haitian, Karen, Nuer, Somali, Swahili, and Tigrinya. The UC San Diego Center for Community Health Refugee Health Unit serves as the backbone organization, and LISC San Diego acts as fiscal steward for state funding.

The business model is grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. Funding has come from the State of California (a $1 million SEED grant in 2021), federal sources (FEMA, SAMHSA, HRSA), the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, and foundations including The California Endowment and The Sierra Foundation. Headcount is approximately 10 employees, with frontline community health workers employed through participating coalition members rather than directly by SDRCC.

Name

San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition

Legal name

San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition

Website

https://sandiegorefugeecommunities.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition is a nonprofit coalition of 11 ethnic community-based organizations delivering free behavioral health, housing, economic development, and community health services to thousands of low-income refugee families across San Diego County in 18+ languages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and immigrant social services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI), Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Refugee community services
• Community health work
• Behavioral health support
• Refugee entrepreneurship training
• Culturally appropriate outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. State Grant Funding: California state funding through SEED program ($1 million grant for economic development), with LISC San Diego managing fiscal aspects and grant disbursement
2. County Government Funding: Funding from County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency for COVID-19 community outreach
3. Federal Emergency Funding: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funding for CalHOPE program
4. Foundation Funding: Funding from Health Resources and Services Administration and The Sierra Foundation for COVID-19 outreach continuation

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SDRCC is a coalition of 11 ethnic community-based organizations providing free social service programs to low-income refugee families in San Diego County, including behavioral health (CalHOPE, Behavioral Health Initiative), Community Health Work delivered by bilingual CHWs, COVID-19 outreach, the SEED entrepreneurship and micro-grant program, Housing education including Know Your Rights workshops, Expanded Services covering social determinants of health, and the Diaspora Kitchens special project. Services are delivered through peer-based community health workers in 18+ languages to provide culturally appropriate outreach, resource navigation, workshops, case management, and translation support.

Product overview

The San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition (SDRCC) is a collective of 11 ethnic-community based organizations (ECBOs) providing social service programs rather than technology products. The portfolio includes: Behavioral Health programs (CalHOPE crisis counseling, Behavioral Health Initiative) offering peer support and mental health resources; Economic Development through the SEED micro-grant program for refugee entrepreneurs; Community Health Work delivered by bilingual CHWs; Housing programs including Know Your Rights tenant education workshops; COVID-19 outreach; and Expanded Services addressing broader social determinants of health. All programs emphasize culturally appropriate service delivery in multiple languages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SEED (Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development): Economic development and entrepreneurship initiative funded by the state of California, providing entrepreneurship training, technical assistance, and micro-grants for refugee and immigrant entrepreneurs.
• CalHOPE
• Know Your Rights

Products and services

• CalHOPE A statewide emotional support program providing mental health and resource navigation services to refugee, asylum seeker, and new immigrant communities through Community Support Navigators. The program ran from March 2021 to July 2022 with 27 navigators at its peak.
• Behavioral Health Initiative A program providing assistance in all steps of behavioral health care including consultation, planning, referrals, resources, check-ins, and emergency support. Includes monthly workshops on behavioral health literacy and peer-based one-on-one support.
• Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED) An economic development initiative funded by California providing entrepreneurship training, technical assistance, and micro-grants for refugee and immigrant entrepreneurs. Implemented with a $1 million grant through LISC San Diego.
• Community Health Work Services delivered through Community Health Workers (CHWs) who are bilingual staff from member ECBOs, providing culturally appropriate outreach, surveys, and community assessments across over 18 languages.
• Know Your Rights A tenant rights education program offering workshops on housing rights, rental agreements, harassment, and available resources. Includes case management with paralegal support for individual consultations and legal referrals.
• Housing Program Housing assistance focused on education and empowerment through workshops, advocacy, translation services, and outreach. Addresses rent increases, harassment, discrimination, and eviction prevention.
• COVID-19 Community Outreach COVID-19 outreach and response including vaccination events, information distribution, resource navigation, and culturally relevant education materials. Funded by County of San Diego, HRSA, and Sierra Foundation.
• Expanded Services Holistic support services addressing social determinants of health including food distribution, PPE, school supplies, emergency grants, healthcare navigation, employment services, housing support, tutoring, counseling, and translations.
• Diaspora Kitchens Project A special project supporting refugee entrepreneurs in food-related businesses, with an available booklet resource.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UC San Diego - Center for Community Health (Refugee Health Unit)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Refugee Health Unit (RHU) within UCSD serves as the backbone/facilitating organization supporting training efforts for coalition members and serving as a bridge between local partner organizations and key stakeholders. Provides administrative and organizational support to SDRCC.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Major international humanitarian organization providing refugee resettlement, health, and economic empowerment services in the U.S. Operates in San Diego and California, directly competing for the same federal/state refugee funding pools as SDRCC.
• Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC): National nonprofit serving African refugees and immigrants with refugee resettlement, employment, and social services. Operates multiple affiliate offices and competes for similar refugee funding streams; SDRCC serves several of the same ethnic communities in San Diego.
• Jewish Family Service of San Diego: Provides refugee resettlement, behavioral health, housing, and case management services to refugees and immigrants in San Diego. Operates as a comparable multiservice nonprofit serving similar populations with county-level funding.
• Catholic Charities San Diego: Local affiliate of Catholic Charities USA providing refugee resettlement, immigration legal services, and social services to refugees and immigrants in San Diego County — direct geographic and service-line overlap with SDRCC.

Broad incumbents

• HIAS: Jewish-American refugee resettlement agency operating across the U.S., providing legal aid, resettlement, and integration services. Comparable in mission and funding profile to SDRCC but at a national scale.
• U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI): National refugee resettlement and advocacy organization with affiliate offices including in California. Competes for federal refugee funding and offers overlapping services (resettlement, employment, health) at greater scale.

Emerging players

• Welcome.US: National initiative mobilizing private-sector and nonprofit support for refugee resettlement and integration. Operates as a complementary coordination layer that SDRCC could partner with or compete against for visibility and resources.
• Refugee Council USA: Coalition of refugee-focused NGOs that advocates for refugee rights and coordinates policy. Functionally similar coalition structure to SDRCC but oriented toward federal advocacy rather than direct service delivery in a single geography.

Others

• Center for Community Health, UC San Diego: UCSD's community health program that serves as SDRCC's backbone organization. Comparable in refugee health focus and operates in the same San Diego ecosystem with overlapping CHW training and research initiatives.
• LISC San Diego: Local Initiatives Support Corporation — a community development financial institution that currently serves as the fiscal steward of SDRCC's $1M SEED grant. Comparable in mission alignment around equitable economic development in under-resourced communities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sandiegorefugeecc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-diego-refugee-communities-coalition
• Instagraminstagram.com/sandiegorcc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition