The Urban Institute Assisting Newcomers through Employment and Support Services: An Evaluation of the New Americans Centers Demonstration Project in Arkansas.

The Urban Institute

Assisting Newcomers through Employment and Support Services:

An Evaluation of the New Americans Centers Demonstration Project in Arkansas and Iowa

Robin KoralekThe California Symposium on Poverty

October 15, 2009

2 The Urban Institute

Overview of Presentation

• Demonstration overview

• Design of the New Americans Centers

• Services provided

• Sustainability

• Lessons learned


Demonstration Overview


New Americans Centers Demonstration Project

• Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration

• Three-year grants ($850,000) to develop NACs in Arkansas and Iowa

• Located within One-Stop Career Centers in high-immigrant population areas



7The Urban Institute

Purpose of Grants

• Promote stability and rapid employment with living wages

• Speed the transition of new immigrants into their communities

• Assist employers as they adjust to a changing workforce

• Enhance economic development opportunities in local communities


Immigration Context

• Immigrants make up a large share of all U.S. workers– 15 percent of all U.S. workers (2005)– 21 percent of workers earning below twice the minimum

wage– 45 percent of workers with less than a H.S. education

• Great variation in educational attainment and ability to speak English– Limited English skills are single factor associated with

low wages and poverty among immigrants


Immigration Context (Cont’d.)

• Rapid growth in immigration between 1990 and 2000– 196 percent increase in Arkansas

– 110 percent increase in Iowa

• States struggle with rapid flow of new immigrants– Integration into community

– Language barriers

– Increased dependence on immigrant workers


Design of the NACs


Project Goals

• Help “newcomers” establish themselves in the community

• Enhance local workforce and further local economic development

• Raise awareness of diversity issues


Sponsoring Organizations — Arkansas

Site Oversight

Fiscal and programmatic

agent

Local program operation

Little RockDepartment of Workforce Services (DWS)

Little Rock Workforce Investment Board

Latin Community Organization (LCO)

Malvern DWS

West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, (WCAPDD)

West Central Arkansas Career Development Center System (WCACDCS)

Rogers DWS

Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District (NWAEDD)

Northwest Arkansas Certified Development Company (NWACDC)

Russellville DWS

West Central Arkansas Planning and Development District, (WCAPDD)

West Central Arkansas Career Development Center System (WCACDCS)


Sponsoring Organizations — Iowa

Site Oversight

Fiscal and programmatic

agent

Local program operation

Council Bluffs

Iowa Workforce Development (IWD)

Des Moines

Marshalltown

Mount Pleasant


Planning & Implementation• Community meetings to garner support

and gauge need– Local government officials, police and fire departments,

local WIBs, service providers, employers, and business owners

• Advisory committees• Staff

– Bilingual– Established in the community– Skilled in networking with service providers and

community organizations


Planning & Implementation (Cont’d.)

• Establishment of community trust and respect

• Identify existing services

• Outreach to participants via “word of mouth”


Key Partners

• Development of partnerships with local leaders and other service providers – Advisory committees– Networks of local service providers and

businesses (One-Stop Career Center programs, health care, adult education, banks, colleges, schools, employers, local government agencies, etc.)


Staffing• Typically, two full-time bilingual staff per site

• Coordinators

– Responsible for community outreach, establishing networks, partnerships with other service providers, project sustainability

• Intake Specialists

– Support coordinators in outreach, work more directly with participants, provide services, make referrals, translation and interpretation services


Staff Responsibilities

• Intake

• Resource and referral

• Translation and interpretation

• Job search

• Do not carry caseloads


Services Provided


Program Enrollment

• Arkansas — 4,883 participants across four sites– Nearly two-thirds are men– Most are Hispanic

• Iowa — 2,775 participants across three sites– Over half are women– Hispanic (40%), white, non-Hispanic (20%)

• Most are recent immigrants


Service Delivery1. Participants

• Increasing income

• Achieving self-sufficiency

• Gaining English proficiency

• Building awareness of civic laws and institutions

• Promoting civic participation

• Accessing needed services


Service Delivery (Cont’d.)

2. Employers

• Meeting staffing needs

• Adapting to increasingly diverse workforce

3. Community

• Educating on diversity issues

• Conducting general outreach


Service Delivery Approach

• Staff in each site given flexibility to design program to meet local needs

• No eligibility requirements

• No formal assessment process

• Services and referrals based on individual need


Services to Participants• Supportive services (child care, clothing, food housing,

health care, other basic needs)

• Translation and interpretation services

• Employment assistance (job search, resumes, applications, interviewing)

• Civics education (education, immigration, law enforcement, cultural issues, taxes, local services)


Services to Participants (Cont’d.)

• ESL classes

• Other education and training

• Legal and civil rights assistance

• Computer and internet access and other services


Services Provided to ParticipantsArkansas

Supportive Services

Interpretation/Translation

Employment Services

ESL/Language Classes

Other Classes

Immigration Services

Tax/SSN

General Information

Other

Civics Education Classes

Legal Issues

Financial

Computer Access


Services Provided to ParticipantsIowa

Interpretation/Translation

Employment Services

Other

Tax/SSN

Supportive Services

Civics Education ClassesLegal Issues

Computer Access

General Information

Immigration Services

Other Classes

ESL/Language Classes


Employer Services

• Resource to area employers and businesses

• Assistance with staffing needs (referrals to language classes, targeted training, translation and interpretation, diversity training, immigration issues, etc.)

• Local welding training program (AR)


Community Services

• Local community events (job fairs, networking events, Cinco de Mayo, etc.)

• Workshops on cultural awareness and diversity

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The Urban Institute

Sustainability


Sustainability — Arkansas

• Goal is to build a “network” to sustain partnerships created through the demonstration

• No formal state-level role

• Seeking funding through grants from local banks, and foundations, additional grant writing


Sustainability — Iowa

• Goal is to secure permanent funding stream through the state

• State appropriations support a larger system of NACs

• Local communities encouraged to secure local support

The Urban Institute

Implementation Lessons


Implementation Lessons

• Network building and community support are critical early steps

• Dynamic and committed staff are essential

• Location is a factor in service delivery

• Project sustainability is challenging and requires support at a high level


Next Steps for Evaluation

• Currently completing a final report

• Incorporates updated information about site operations and sustainability

• Includes analysis of individual-level service receipt data and employment and earnings data


Contact Information

New Arkansan Resource NetworkMike Kennedy(501) 682-3142

[email protected]

New Iowan CentersBarbara Bobb

(515) 242-6240 [email protected]

http://www.iowaworkforce.org/centers/newiowan/


U.S. Department of LaborEmployment and Training Administration

Michelle Ennis(202) 693-3636

[email protected]

Robin KoralekThe Urban Institute

(202) [email protected]

Full report is available at http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=411874

The Urban Institute Assisting Newcomers through Employment and Support Services: An Evaluation of the New Americans Centers Demonstration Project in Arkansas.

Documents

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urban institutedesign

urban institutenew americans

community organizations

rapid employment

immigrant workers

career centers

workers15 percent