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MAIN APPLICATION were paid by the hour in 2013. Of those, 73,000 earned the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, while 57,000 earned less. Collectively, these workers made up 5.8% of all hourly -paid workers in the state (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, "Minimum Wage Workers in North Carolina — 2013 "). As of 2012, women made up nearly two - thirds of the hourly paid workforce earning the federal minimum or less in North Carolina. They are 73% of tipped workers and 77% of restaurant servers, who earn just $2.13 per hour. (National Women's Law Center 2014). Compass Center's Career Exploration and Preparedness Programs give clients an opportunity to learn about resume and interview skills, about high- demand jobs where they have the potential for greater earnings, and about training resources they can access to strengthen their skills. Many of the individuals that our agency serves are women or men who have been absent from the workforce while they worked in their home to raise children or care for other family members. After separation from a spouse or other loss of the financial support, these individuals face a unique set of challenges as they work to achieve financial independence. Other women and men may also need assistance due to the anticipated loss of public assistance as the parent of a minor child. Cash assistance to families through the Work First Family Assistance (WFFA) program is limited to 24 months. The NC Division of Social Services estimates 230 families receiving WFFA in Orange County as of January, 2012. Our program can assist those on public benefits to become self - supporting when their benefits end by providing career and financial counseling, and referrals to other community resources. Victims of domestic violence are particularly vulnerable to economic challenges. Financial abuse is one of the most powerful and common tools abusers use to force victims to stay: research shows that it occurs in 98% of abusive relationships. This type of abuse can include control of finances, not allowing the victim to work or causing the victim to lose her job through stalking and harassment at work, forcing the victim to write bad checks or fraudulent tax returns, and charging significant debt to credit cards (National Network to End Domestic Violence, 2015). The link between financial abuse and domestic violence is of particular concern in North Carolina, which ranked 19`h in 2012 for its high number of women murdered by men, an FBI figure typically used to count domestic violence - related homicides (Violence Policy Center 2014). Any services that can help domestic violence victims leave potentially lethal relationships are important. Because Compass Center also offers Domestic Violence Crisis Services, supporting financial, career and legal resources has the potential to save lives. d) Describe the population to be served or the area to benefit and indicate how you will identify beneficiaries. Compass Center's Self- Sufficiency programs are available to anyone in the Triangle region. Clients come to our services through self - referral, referrals from other organizations, and word of mouth. Additionally, Compass Center is part of two new collaborative initiatives in Orange County, the Family Success Alliance and the Comprehensive Early Childhood Initiative, to provide services to the most vulnerable families with a focus on reducing intergene rational poverty. As part of these two projects, Compass Center is providing financial education and job counseling to low- income families. By providing client- centered individual counseling and workshop services in these areas, our goal is to improve the household economic security of these families. e) Who specifically will carry out the activities and in what location will they be carried out? Compass Center's Self- Sufficiency Programs Director and Associate Director work with professional volunteers to provide high - quality workshops, individual counseling sessions, and referrals. Client sessions and workshops are primarily offered at our office at 210 Henderson St. in Chapel Hill. We also offer workshops at other community locations. As part of our new collaborative efforts we will also be offering services in community locations close to participating families such as at schools, community centers and libraries. The following volunteers work with these programs: career and financial counselors and workshop facilitators, attorneys, law students and interpreters. Main Application 1/24/2016 2:59:42 PM Page 22 of 58