Founded in 1976 by refugees for refugees, IRCO has over 40 years of history and experience working with Portland's refugee and immigrant communities. Following the 1970s political upheavals in Southeast Asia, Oregon and Washington were two of the first states to offer new opportunities and homes to refugees. Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian refugees in Portland created the Indochinese Cultural and Service Center (ICSC) to help newly arrived families adjust to American society and find employment.

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In the early 1980s, ICSC joined forces with Southeast Asian Refugee Federation (SEARF), another community-based organization. Since its formation, the International Refugee Center of Oregon (IRCO) has provided employment services and job training to all newly arrived refugees, an important role it has continued to fulfill. Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization was founded in 2001. In 1994, Asian Family Center was the first of our culturally and linguistically specific one-stop service centers, followed by Africa House in 2006.