Assisting Newcomers through Employment and Support Services

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Assisting Newcomers through Employment and Support Services

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Issue
2009-8

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Description

Arkansas and Iowa are among 22 states that historically were not major immigrant destinations, but whose foreign-born populations grew most quickly during the 1990s.  Like other states experiencing this growth, Arkansas and Iowa are only beginning to grow accustomed to the rapid flow of new immigrants and continue to work on how best to integrate these newcomers into the community and ensure their self-sufficiency.  The New Americans Centers (NACs) Demonstration Project is a three-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA).  Through the project, ETA provided a three-year grant to Arkansas and Iowa to develop NACs within One-Stop Career Centers in high immigrant population areas.  NACs are designed to help immigrants and other newcomers establish themselves in the community while simultaneously enhancing the workforce, furthering local economic development, and raising awareness of diversity issues.  Key to the design of NACs is a three-pronged service delivery approach that focuses on participants, employers, and the community.  This paper focuses on the initial implementation phase of the demonstration projects in Arkansas and Iowa, highlighting start-up and early operation as well as the types of services participants receive.  It is based on in-person interviews with key partners in each NAC operational in May 2007.  A subsequent and final report will provide additional information on program operations and plans for program sustainability, and will examine outcomes for participants, employers, and local communities, where possible.