a. Outreach to the Hispanic community to inform the community of the center’s resources;

b. Basic English language skills and bilingual and bicultural resources;

c. Training in assertiveness, survival and coping skills;

d. Educational evaluation services by a qualified bilingual counselor employed by the center, which services include screening, assessment and referral to basic educational, vocational training and other educational programs;

e. Job counseling services which are specifically designed to prepare women to enter or reenter the work force by assisting them in acquiring knowledge of their talents and skills in relation to existing traditional and nontraditional job opportunities and to those which are emerging as a result of new employment trends;

f. Self-help programs and mentoring projects, including workshops, group discussions, and dissemination of information about existing federal, State and local employment, education, health, and other community services which provide assistance in overcoming barriers to employment. These programs shall include outreach and information about other programs which are determined to be of interest and benefit to working parents, women newly entering or reentering the work force after a prolonged absence from it, those in need of financial management services, including information and assistance with respect to credit, insurance, taxes, loans and related financial matters, and women who need information about a diversity of housing problems;

g. Career information services, job training including internships, and job placement services which assist participants in gaining admission to existing public and private job training programs and in gaining job opportunities by cooperating, whenever possible, with appropriate State and local government agencies and private employers. These training and placement services shall foster the development of partnerships with industry, particularly those concerns which are associated with urban enterprise zones, and the enhancement of the neighborhood and communities which surround the centers. To the extent possible, the training and placement services shall consult with the area private industry councils established pursuant to the provisions of the federal Job Training Partnership Act, Pub.L.97-300 (29 U.S.C. § 1501 et seq.), and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development in order to help identify local job opportunities or areas of expansion in private industry;

h. Information and referral services concerning: legal issues such as domestic violence, sexual assault, family support and sex discrimination; health care issues such as family planning, substance use disorder, nutrition and mental health; public assistance programs; and child care services.

Each center may purchase services from or contract with individuals, county or municipal governments, school districts, county colleges or county vocational schools to carry out the provisions of this section.

L.1990, c.83, s.5; amended 2023, c.177, s.147.