A new community center will offer afterschool programs and employment training to residents of a largely working-class section of Allston, the first of its kind in this section of neighborhood along the Charles River.

The Josephine A. Fiorentino Community Center has opened its doors as part of the new Charlesview Residences along Western Avenue in Boston’s North Allston neighborhood, the site of the former Brighton Mills strip mall.

The 10,000-square-foot community center at 123 Antwerp St. will be available for use by all members of the Allston and Brighton communities, and offer workforce training, computer classes, afterschool homework assistance for children and art classes. The entire building has wireless Internet access, as well as 30 desktop computers and 20 laptops, care of web giant Google, the community center’s largest investor.

The center is now open for special events and community meetings, but will not be fully operational until the fall.

"The opening of the Josephine A. Fiorentino Community Center brings a much-needed resource to a very deserving neighborhood," Mayor Thomas Menino said in a prepared statement.

The Charlesview Residences include 240 recently completed rental units, as well as 100 future for-sale homes, being co-developed by Boston’s The Community Builders and Charlesview Inc., an interdenominational organization.

The project includes an additional 15,000 square feet of commercial space. While no decisions have yet been made, the balance will likely be retail of some kind, according to Deborah Addis, a project spokesperson.