NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1979 SESSION

CHAPTER 1016

HOUSE BILL 394

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A MULTI-PURPOSE SERVICE CENTER TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO DISPLACED HOMEMAKERS.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  G.S. 143B-393 is amended by adding a new subsection (3) to read as follows:

"(3)      to establish programs for the assistance of displaced homemakers as set forth in Part 10B of this Article."

and by changing the period at the end of subsection (2) of G.S. 143B-393 to a semicolon and inserting the word "and" after the semicolon.

Sec. 2.  A new Part 10B is added to Article 9 of Chapter 143B of the General Statutes to read as follows:

"Part 10B.

"Displaced Homemakers.

"§ 143B-394.4.  Definitions. — As used in this Part, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1)        'Center' means any multi-purpose service facility for displaced homemakers established pursuant to this Part;

(2)        'Council' means the Council on the Status of Women;

(3)        'Department' means the Department of Administration;

(4)        'Displaced homemaker' means an individual who:

a.         has worked in his or her own household for at least five years and during which period has provided unpaid household services; and

b.         is unable to secure gainful employment due to the lack of required training or experience; or is unemployed, or underemployed; and

c.         has been dependent on the income of another household member but is no longer adequately supported by that income, or is receiving support from a spouse but is within two years of losing such support, or has been supported by public assistance as the parent of minor children but is no longer eligible, or is within two years of losing such eligibility.

"§ 143B-394.5.  Establishment of center, location. — The Council shall establish or contract for the establishment of a pilot center for displaced homemakers. In determining where to locate the center, the Council shall consider, with respect to each proposed location, the probable number of displaced homemakers in the area and the availability of resources for training and education.

"§ 143B-394.6.  Staff for center. — To the maximum extent feasible, the staff of the center, including technical, administrative, and advisory positions, shall be filled by displaced homemakers. Where necessary, potential staff members shall be provided with on-the-job training.

"§ 143B-394.7.  Funding. — The Council shall explore all possible sources of funding and in‑kind contributions from federal, local and private sources in establishing the center. The Council is authorized to accept any funding or other contributions such as building space, equipment, or services of training personnel.

"§ 143B-394.8.  Services to be provided. — (a) The center shall be designed to provide displaced homemakers with such necessary counseling, training, services, skills, and education as would enable them to secure gainful employment, and as would be necessary for their health, safety, and well-being.

(b)        The center shall provide:

(1)        job counseling programs specifically designed for displaced homemakers entering the job market, taking into consideration their previous absence from the job market, and their lack of recent paid work experience, and taking into account and building upon the skills and experience possessed by the displaced homemaker;

(2)        job training and job placement services to train and place displaced homemakers for and into available jobs in the public and private sectors;

(3)        health education and counseling services with respect to general principles of preventive health care, including but not limited to family health care, nutrition education, and the selection of physicians and health care services;

(4)        financial management services with information and assistance on all aspects of financial management including but not limited to insurance, taxes, estate and probate matters, mortgages, and loans; and

(5)        educational services, including information services concerning available secondary and post-secondary education programs beneficial to displaced homemakers seeking employment; and information services with respect to all employment in the public or private sectors, education, health, public assistance, and unemployment assistance programs.

"§ 143B-394.9.  Rules and regulations; evaluation. — (a) The Department shall, upon recommendations by the Council, promulgate rules and regulations concerning the eligibility of persons for the services of the center and governing the granting of any stipends to be provided.

(b)        The Council shall require the director and staff of the center to evaluate the effectiveness of the job training, placement, and service components of the center. The evaluation shall include the number of persons trained, the number of persons placed in employment, follow-up data on such persons, the number of persons served by the various service programs, and the cost effectiveness of each component of the center."

Sec. 3.  Nothing herein shall be construed to obligate the General Assembly to make appropriations to implement the provisions of this act.

Sec. 4.  This act shall become effective July 1, 1979.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 8th day of June, 1979.