Introduction to CSBG & Community

ActionUtah Community Action Partnership Association

What Are Community Action Agencies?

• CAAS nonprofit private and public organizations established under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to fight America's War on Poverty.

• Community Action Agencies help people to help themselves in achieving self-sufficiency.

• Today there are approximately 1,000 Community Action Agencies serving the poor in every state as well as Puerto Rico and the Trust Territories.

Community Action Agencies

• CAAs serve 95% of the country• The entire state of Utah is served by CAAs.• CAAs are a primary source of direct support

for the more than 34.5 million people who live in poverty in the United States.

• The majority of CAA program participants are extremely poor, with incomes below 75 percent of the federal poverty threshold.

The National Network

• Community Action Partnership• NCAF• CAPLAW• NASCSP

Unique Characteristics of CAAs

• Tripartite Board

• Maximum Feasible Participation

• Solutions to Poverty

• Advocacy

History of Community Action

• Knowing the History of Community Action is citical to understanding it’s purpose.

History

• 1964 - Congress passed the Economic Opportunity Act establishing and funding CAAs

• War on Poverty• Federal to Local Funding

History

• 1970 - OEO established the mission and model of community Action– Family– Agency– Community

History

• 1974 - Economic Opportunity Act replaced with the Community Service Act of 1974– Mission & Purpose Remain

Unchanged– Erroneous Signal to Local CAAs

History

• 1981 - CSA replaced by CSBG Act of 1981– Changed funding basis and

relationship between local agencies and federal government

– State offices were installed as recipients of funds and became intermediaries

– Mission & Purpose did NOT CHANGE

History

• 1993 - Congress passed Government Performance and Results Act– CAAs must establish performance goals– Goals must be objective, quantifiable &

measurable– CAAs must establish performance

indicators– Verify & Validate

History

• 1994 - CSBG Act is amended in response to GPRA – CSBG eligible entities must

provide outcome measures in three areas:• Self-Sufficiency• Family Stability• Community Revitalization

Six National Goals

1. Low-Income people become more self-sufficient (Family)

2. The conditions in which low-income people live are improved (Community)

3. Low-income people own a stake in their community (Community)

Six National Goals4. Partnerships among supporters and

providers of services to low-income people are achieved. (Agency)

5. Agencies increase their capacity to achieve results. (Agency)

6. Low-income people, especially vulnerable populations, achieve their potential by strengthening family and other supportive systems. (Family)

History

• 1994 - The Monitoring & Assessment Task Force advised OCS to support the development of their own management and accountability practices.

• ROMA – Results Oriented Management &

Accountability• At this time ROMA was voluntary

History

• 1998 - Reauthorization of CSBG Act• Congress mandated

implementation of a comprehensive performance-based management system across the entire Community Services Network.

• System becomes mandatory as of October 1, 2001

ROMA• ROMA incorporates the use of

outcomes/results into the administration, management, operation and evaluation of human services

• Data is collected to develop a body of information used by CAA managers and Board Members to support their on-going operation and administrative activities.

ROMA

• ROMA focuses on the outcomes in addition to the traditional counting of clients and units of service.

• To be truly successful, budget data is also linked to outcomes in addition to expenditures and services.

History

• 2001 - OCS issues IM 49 - Program Challenges, Responsibilities & Strategies– State Offices and CSBG Eligible

Entities were provided with guidance regarding the implementation of ROMA and core activities to assist tem in preparing for mandatory performance reporting.

History• 2004 - OCS participated in a

Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) administered by OMB which raised several questions regarding the implementation and reporting of outcome data across the country

• PART questioned the way states had established performance goals & indicators.

History

• 2005 - Implementation of National Indicators of Community Action Performance– Mandatory performance reports to

OCS include National Performance Indicator data as of fiscal year 2005.

Today

• President Bush has zeroed CSBG out of his budget for the past three years.

• OMB has issued a scathing report on OCS.– In response, OCS is making

monitoring visits in each state between 2007 - 2010.

– Utah was visited in May of 2008.