City Bar Justice Center Releases Economic Empowerment Resource Guide

New York, January 10, 2012 – The City Bar Justice Center’s Immigrant Women and Children (IWC) Project has produced anEconomic 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 guide is available for download here: http://bit.ly/x0MAes

For more information about the Immigrant Women and Children Project please visit www.citybarjusticecenter.org

About the City Bar Justice Center

The City Bar Justice Center, the pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association, increases access to justice by leveraging the resources of the New York City legal community. The Justice Center operates the city’s busiest legal hotline and annually provides direct legal representation, information and advocacy to over 20,000 poor and vulnerable New Yorkers in areas including foreclosure, bankruptcy, elderlaw, homelessness, veterans assistance, cancer advocacy and several immigration projects.