The Portuguese Community Center is committed to the enrichment of the quality of life of all members of the community. Opportunities for friendship, service, and lifelong learning are essential to live a full, productive life in the mainstream of society.
Since 1976, the Portuguese Community Center has been a gathering place where community members socialize, meet old friends, experience new things, help others and receive help from others; thus spending rewarding time in community.
For these purposes, the following programs and services are offered:
Information and Referral
The Center maintains an up-to-date bank of information on a full variety of public and private services and resources. The staff and volunteers instruct and assist people in the utilization of these resources in order to meet a multiplicity of personal and social needs. An essential part of this program is language interpretation and translation.
ESL/Citizenship Class
With the continued collaboration of the Metropolitan Adult Education Program, City of San Jose and Santa Clara County, the Center offers a weekly citizenship class to prepare immigrants for their naturalization as American citizens and a weekly ESL class to facilitate their integration.
Brown Bag
The Portuguese Community Center is a Second Harvest Food Bank distribution center. More than 100 bags of groceries are distributed to low-income individuals and families each week.
Immigration and Naturalization
In addition to the ESL/citizenship classes, the Center offers services to resolve immigration issues. The most common requests are for assistance in applying for naturalization and adjustment of status.
POSSO arranged for the Immigration and Naturalization Service to process Green Card applicants at our Portuguese Community Center. POSSO has processed thousands of applicants, saving tens of thousands of hours in processing time to both the applicants and the INS.
Legal Services
To assist in understanding and dealing with complex laws and legal problems, volunteer attorneys provide legal advice to the Center’s clients. Furthermore, through the Information and Referral Program, the Center links the community with other legal resources.
Case Management
POSSO continues to provide case management for individuals with multiple serious problems or who have difficulty negotiating the complex health and human services system. These individuals need extra support to live independently. These services are supported in part by the United Way of Santa Clara County and the City of San Jose.
Voter Registration
POSSO offers ongoing voter registration and holds voter education sessions before elections to promote civic involvement.