Neighborhood House of Milwaukee’s International Learning Program awarded $250,000 grant

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, April 23, 2019 — Wisconsin’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education’s Division of Adult Education and Literacy recently awarded Neighborhood House of Milwaukee’s (NH) International Learning Program (ILP) a three-year $250,000 grant.

The ILP is the state’s largest and leading center for adult refugees. On an annual basis, it teaches adult English as a Second Language (ESL) and employment skills training to nearly 500 legal refugees. In addition to ESL education, ILP provides citizenship classes, pre-GED, vocational ESL and workforce readiness skills.

ILP also operates a licensed preschool for refugee children, provides referrals for trauma counseling and medical needs and offers job and school support. To enable clients to become full participants in American life, ILP strives to integrate ILP families into other NH programs. This results in many refugee youth and families participating in year-round agency programming. ILP provides parenting classes to those students who bring their children with them as they attend classes. Home visits are also made to help refugee families learn about American culture and amenities that we take for granted, but are completely unfamiliar to them.

This competitive grant enables ILP students to function effectively as parents, employees and citizens.  It provides students with the skills needed to locate employment, become a U.S. citizen and continue on to post-secondary education,” commented Cynthia Zarazua, ILP’s Program Manager. “We are delighted our work is so well regarded by the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education.”

“Founded in 1945, Neighborhood House was established in the settlement house tradition and we are proud that we can continue our historical legacy”, emphasized Neighborhood House Executive Director, Jeff Martinka. “We serve people of all ages from those who first arrive in this country to those who have lived here for many decades. We also serve families who have sent multiple generations here but we always welcome all newcomers.”

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ABOUT NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE: Neighborhood House of Milwaukee was founded in 1945 to help strengthen children and families in some of the city’s most under-served neighborhoods. The agency has touched the lives of nearly a million children and adults for more than 70 years. It’s a highly regarded, award-winning programs serve infants & toddlers, school-age and teen youth, adults and families, refugees and immigrants. More at www.nh-milw.org.

 This grant comes thorough the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA, Pub. L. 113-128). It is the principal source of federal funding for States for adult education programs.

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