County Executive Announces Plans For Multicultural Community Center For New Americans, Foreign-Born Residents; Other Ethnic Issues Outlined

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Contact: David Weaver or Bonnie Ayers,
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COUNTY EXECUTIVE ANNOUNCES PLANS
FOR MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY CENTER
FOR NEW AMERICANS, FOREIGN-BORN RESIDENTS;
OTHER ETHNIC ISSUES OUTLINED

Reflecting on the rich cultural diversity in Maryland's largest jurisdiction, Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan today proposed opening a Multicultural Community Center to provide information and referral for services and resources that are available to the many ethnic groups in the County.

The Executive was joined by leaders of various local cultural and ethnic organizations.

"Twenty-two percent of Montgomery County's population is foreign-born, making it the largest percentage in the state," Duncan said, "so there is a definite need for this kind of facility here."

The center would be home to the New Americans Welcome Center, which would serve the needs of new immigrants. The Multicultural Community Center would also serve foreign-born residents who have been in the County longer and have begun to assimilate into the community.

"I want to emphasize that this center will not duplicate existing County services but will be designed to fill in the gaps where certain needs may not be specifically addressed," Duncan explained.

"We also envision this facility as a place where the County's diverse cultural communities can come together for dialogue and increased understanding. We want the center to reach out to minority communities the ensure that their needs are understood and met," Duncan said.

The program would begin as a pilot and be supervised initially by the Community Use of Public Facilities (CUPF) office, which would also coordinate existing resources and programs from the public and private sectors. CUPF Director Ginny Gong would oversee the project in its pilot phase. The Executive has included $400,000 in his recommended budget for the center.

The new Americans portion of the center would focus on the needs of newly arrived immigrants who are unable to speak English and for whom issues such as employment, transportation, housing, health care and assimilation are crucial. The center could also encompass the Refugee Center currently housed at Northwood High School which provides assistance to refugees in MC.

The center would also address the needs of persons who have settled into the areas such as leadership development, employment advancement, community empowerment and minority business development.

community and are able to speak some English, but who would benefit from support in Howard County already has a similar center called Foreign Born Information and Referral Network (FIRN) and another 'one-stop' facility is being established in Baltimore City.

Other County agencies participating in the project are the departments of Recreation, Health and Human Services, Human Resources, and Montgomery County Public Schools. The Multicultural Community Center will be included in the Executive's proposed FY 2000 Operating Budget which will be presented on March 15.

Other Multicultural Issues in Budget Duncan also announced funding for several other diversity initiatives, including: community outreach positions for the Departments of Public Libraries, Housing and Community Development and the Human relations Commission; support for bilingual counseling services at the Commission for Women's Counseling and Career Center; voter outreach to minority communities for the Board of Elections; additional health outreach for Hispanic women and enhancements for Hispanic Customer Service in the Department of Health and Human Services; and community empowerment grants for Hispanic, Indian, Korean, Latino and Vietnamese organizations.

The Executive will include $ 1.7 million in his proposed budget to fund these new programs and services.

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