Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
21 <br />Durham Technical Community College (DTCC), the Orange County Literacy Council <br />(OCLC), Good Work, Educational Opportunity Center, Horizons' CASAWORKS, and <br />the Orange County Disability Awareness Council. <br />A customer entering the Center encounters a unified system of services. A common <br />intake process is used. The common application connects the customer to the entire <br />system of workforce development opportunities. All customers are able to obtain a basic <br />assessment of skills, interests, and aptitudes if they choose. All people, including special <br />populations such as welfare recipients, persons with disabilities, dropouts, dislocated <br />workers, and others, have access to services. This model is predicated heavily on <br />customer choice with services ranging from-self-service to staff assisted service. <br />Improved Access for Hisyanic Families <br />Orange County Department of Social Services is committed to improving the <br />accessibility of core services to persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). <br />Ongoing efforts have been made to increase the cultural competency of staff through <br />workshops, providing county sponsored Spanish language classes, and developing an <br />LEP procedure handbook. Staff have been working to make available linguistically <br />appropriate printed documents for clients whenever possible. The Orange County <br />Department of Social Services has contracts with a number of interpreters and translators <br />and has developed a Spanish voice mail system. Regazding staff, the department has <br />worked to recruit bilingual staff and to enhance current staff members' skills by <br />participating in a Spanish immersion program. <br />XI. SpecialIssnes <br />Orange County's current Work First population faces multiple obstacles in obtaining and <br />retaining employment. Work First participants aze competing for jobs with a highly <br />skilled workforce. Unskilled and semi-skilled workers without a high school diploma <br />and a recent connection to the workforce are unable to obtain jobs that provide a living <br />wage. Barriers such as substance abuse, criminal records, and chronic physical and <br />mental health problems have no quick fix. They are resolved as a result of participant <br />commitment, adequate resources, and time. <br />Employment barriers are realities for low-income families in Orange County. Listed <br />below aze typical barriers experienced by low-income families in Orange County from <br />the Work First Planning Sessions: <br />• Lack of adequate and affordable transportation <br />• Lack of education <br />• Limited work experience <br />• Lack ofnon-traditional dependent care hours <br />• Lack of affordable housing <br />• Chemical dependency <br />• Lack of resources to handle crises <br />