lawmakers are officially in the thick of budget season and deciding which programs will and won't be on the chopping block Funding for women's resource centers within the Latino Action Network are facing massive cuts in the governor's proposed spending plan Advocates say the centers have helped thousands of women many of whom are survivors of domestic violence get training to find jobs and the funding cuts would cause them to shutter their doors Senior correspondent Joanna Gagas has the story as part of our new reporting project under the dome exploring the state government and its impact on New Jersey Here in Yako they uh provide me with information about how to look for employment but also I'm trying to start my my own business um mechanic to fix cars Berta Yungura is a client at Yako the immigration and American citizenship organization From business courses to citizenship classes she says the services that she her husband and their three kids receive here have changed their lives since coming to the US There are many programs but unfortunately they are in English So we don't have access to them because we don't we don't speak the language So uh having this information this support and motivation and everything that organizations as Jacko give us the opportunity to access these resources and also to keep this hope that we can succeed in this new country We uh do legal consultations for the immigrant community to find out what their eligibility is Sometimes we do TPS's which stands for temporary protective status We do Dhaka renewals We do employment authorizations As Yako served the Latino community in Patterson for the last few decades they've seen a growing need for social supports And so with funding from the Latino Action Network Fund they expanded last year to launch a series of women's programs helping them be prepared for interviews how to um navigate the jobs uh searching on the internet But in addition to that we provide a whole range of educational programs Um starting with financial stability how to start their own business We talk about issues that affect women such as you know mental health But in spite of seeing the need expand year after year and a critical need for legal services within the immigrant community amidst expanding federal deportation proceedings the Latino Action Network Fund is staring down the barrel of an 80% budget cut from the state of New Jersey for the next fiscal year This is a program that particularly targets Hispanic women It has been doing so for decades We've been working on an issue to bridge uh the pay gap for Latina women which is the largest pay gap among all demographics of women So this is not a partisan issue to us This is uh an issue of supporting women to be part of the economy to work and to uh you know become the American dream is essentially what our mission is Yako is not the only organization the Latino Action Network supports They distribute grants throughout the state to established nonprofits with trusted reputations in the community that are looking to expand But of their $3.07 million budget they stand to lose 2.5 million or 80% They're calling on the legislature especially the Legislative Latino Caucus to reinstate their funding This is not really the time to back down on supporting women supporting immigrant women mothers who are looking to learn English um take citizenship classes uh find employment maybe take some interviewing classes It's not just about getting a job but keeping a job right being able to sustain that and what are the supports you need to be able to do that so this is the time that New Jersey really wants to stand up and say this is how we truly help people um be a better and healthier New Jersey The cuts will have a very detrimental impact on the community that we serve In this particular climate the services that we provide are more critical because people are afraid to reach out and to get help People are afraid that if they're victims of uh some sort of a crime uh sexual assault domestic violence they're afraid to report it to the police We reached out to several members of the Legislative Latino Caucus but none were available in time for this story The Latino Action Network did face similar cuts in last year's budget proposal but saw the majority of their funding restored by the final budget They're hoping to see the same turn of events this year in Patterson I'm Joanna Gagis NJ Spotlight News This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting a private corporation funded by the American people [Music]