Welcome To North Carolina
North Carolina is the home of our corporate headquarters and original programs for migrant farmworkers in 1965. Services for migrant and seasonal farmworkers continue to be the mainstay of offices and early childhood centers throughout the state today. For more information about our locations or details of the programs briefly described below, contact our offices.
National Farmworker Jobs Program
Our employment and training program serves nearly 2,000 farmworkers each year. Through federal grant resources, we are able to provide both short and long-term services to those who qualify. (see Eligibility Criteria) For example, we can assist farmworkers who experience emergencies while traveling and working in the state; and if they decide to upgrade their job skills and seek more stable employment, we provide a wide range of related services. Counseling, educational support and occupational training are but a few. Over the years, North Carolina has become an attractive place to settle, and our collaboration with educational institutions and skill training entities have played important roles in this process. Our role as a partner in the state's Workforce Investment service delivery system connects us with JobLink Career Centers and the resources available there. As a partner in this statewide system we are able to help not only farmworkers, but other customers as well.
JobLink Career Center (One Stop Career Center)
The JobLink Career Centers in North Carolina are user-friendly facilities, which provide job/training seekers, and employers access to a variety of employment and training services all under one roof authorized through the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. The JobLink Career Center Vision is "To improve North Carolina’s workforce and strengthen our state’s economy by developing a system of JobLink Career Centers that offers labor market information, provides access to career training and job placement services, and serves as the connection between employers and qualified workers." JobLink Career Centers provide employment, education, and training services under a single "One-Stop" delivery system. JobLink Career Centers are designed to provide individuals with the resources and assistance needed to make good decisions about their career training and employment needs. The four key principles for all JobLink Career Centers are… universality… customer choice… integration of services… and outcome based measures.
Through funding provided by the Capital Area Workforce Development Board in Raleigh, North Carolina, Telamon celebrated the grand opening of the operation of our JobLink Career Center at Clayton Corners in August of 2006.
Youth Programs - Project P.R.I.D.E.
Eligible youth can benefit from WIA Youth program services through participation in Project P.R.I.D.E ‘Personal Responsibility In Daily Endeavors’ operated in North Carolina. Project P.R.I.D.E provides support and assistance to eligible youth, ages 14-21 years of age, residing in Nash County through funding from Turning Point Workforce Development Board and in Wake County through Capital Area Workforce Development Board. The services may include educational opportunities, employment skills and readiness, and life enhancement activities, including counseling, mentoring, tutoring, leadership training, and follow-up.
Working closely with schools, the Youth Specialists focus on basic skills improvement and leadership development. With out-of-school youth, the focus includes the above but also emphasis on development of employment-related skills and behaviors. The main priority is education and the main goal is a higher level of employment that is only secured through education.
WIA Adult Program Services
In Columbus County, Adults are offered comprehensive training and employment WIA services through funding from the Cape Fear Workforce Development Board that is located in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Private Foundation Funding
The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission was created in 2000 by the N.C. General Assembly to help members of the tobacco community – including farmers, tobacco workers and related businesses – lessen the impact of declining tobacco production. The trust fund commission's funding comes from major cigarette manufacturers as a result of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement. Telamon Corporation, the National Farmworker Jobs Program operator in North Carolina received an awarded from the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission to prepare dislocated farmworkers to succeed in a competitive workforce through diverse program activities in Johnston and Sampson counties.
"These grants will serve critical needs throughout the state to help retool for 21st century agriculture," said Billy Carter, who chairs the commission.
Emergency Assistance Program for Farmworkers
Enables Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers to retain or remain in agricultural employment by providing emergency assistance when not available form other sources and English Language instruction emphasizing communication and life skills. Support for this project comes from the State Office of Economic Opportunity under the Community Services Block Grant program.
Head Start
Early childhood services have been a mainstay at Telamon for more than three decades. Today, we operate Head Start programs for children of migrant farmworker families in three locations. Strong parental involvement, health and nutritional education, and a solid academic curriculum are priorities in this effort. They combine to facilitate a safe and learning-conducive environment. Supplementing the promotion of childcare education is a literacy program designed for parents who can benefit from this offering. Individualized services are provided to children with disabilities as when needed. A recent addition to our early childhood efforts is our Early Head Start program, which provides a full range of services to low-income expectant mothers, and children, ages 0 to 5, in Caswell County. See Eligibility Criteria for details.
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF)
This beginning this project, we have provided thousands of books to the children of families we serve. The RIF program attempts to motivate America's children to read often and well by involving them in reading activities as early as possible. Our offices normally sponsor events that involve children making the selection of their individual books as an activity. Since many of our customers are Hispanic, the book selection committees at each of the Head Start centers identify books of various titles for each respective age group in both the English and Spanish languages.
Housing
Telamon administers two multi-state housing programs designed to improve housing conditions for migrant and seasonal farmworkers. USDA/Rural Development and the US Department of Labor fund these housing programs.
In North Carolina, USDA/Rural Development Program funding provides resources to conduct training and technical assistance to local organizations in the development and implementation of multi-family apartment communities for migrant and seasonal farmworkers employed in the agricultural industry.
The purpose and scope of this program is to assist public and nonprofit sponsors in order for them to develop sufficient and specific knowledge of the USDA, Rural Development’s Section 514/516 Farm Labor Housing Program. This knowledge and expertise will enable them to apply for funds to construct farm labor rental housing facilities, and develop the capacity to manage such a complex including appropriate financial management and budgetary skills. This program also operates in the states of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, and Kentucky.
With funding provided by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Telamon Corporation in North Carolina operates an On-Farm Housing Program. This program provides financial assistance to farmers and growers who wish to upgrade their existing farm labor housing. Through a financial matching agreement, Telamon will provide a maximum grant up to $5,000 to eligible farmers and growers for the repairs completed on their farm labor housing facilities.
Another function of the DOL program is to provide emergency housing assistance to eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Assistance is provided for eviction prevention, late utility payments, rent and utility deposits. Additionally, this program provides housing counseling services to eligible migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
Telamon is a HUD approved Local Housing Counseling Agency and provides the following housing counseling assistance to families and individuals; Fair Housing Assistance, Homebuyer Education Programs, Loss Mitigation, Mobility and Relocation Counseling, Money Debt Management, Mortgage Delinquency and Default Resolution Counseling, Postpurchase Counseling, Prepurchase Counseling, Renters Assistance and Services for Homeless.
We also partner with housing development organizations using the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC) in the development of new multi-family facilities and the acquisition and rehabilitation of existing multi-family housing facilities.
Contact North Carolina Housing Staff