City Bar Justice Center Releases Economic Empowerment Resource Guide

The City Bar Justice Center’s Immigrant Women and Children (IWC) Project has produced an Economic Empowerment Resource Guide, providing resource information for immigrant victims of violent crimes and low-income New York City residents in general. Topics covered in the guide include public benefits, job training and placement, employment agencies, personal finance, financial aid for higher education, and small business resources.

The Immigrant Women and Children Project (IWC), one of the Justice Center’s core initiatives, was launched in 1996 in response to new developments in immigration law brought about by the 1994 Violence Against Women Act. IWC has assisted hundreds of survivors of domestic and other violence with regularizing their immigration status in the U.S. In addition to immigration issues, IWC’s low-income clients often experience a range of challenging legal, financial, and personal problems, for which the IWC often refers them to other legal and social service organizations.

“We realized that a single resource compiling contact information for organizations would be extremely helpful for our clients,” said IWC Program Director Suzanne Tomatore. “Many of our clients are receiving employment authorization for the first time, or they or their children are interested in going to college or perhaps starting a business. In our work we have found many terrific programs that we would like to link our clients up with, and other service providers could benefit from this guide as well.”

The Economic Empowerment Guide can be downloaded here.