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FY 2003 Annual Performance Plan
STRATEGIC GOAL 3: INCREASE THE HEALTH AND PROSPERITY OF COMMUNITIES AND TRIBES
Rationale
Strong neighborhoods and communities are essential in creating healthy environments for children and families. Research reveals a significant relationship between the quality of community life and the well-being of residents. Living in distressed neighborhoods is associated with negative impacts on early childhood development, educational attainment, and health, as well as higher rates of violence, infant mortality, substance abuse, and out-of-wedlock teen parenthood. ACF programs contribute to the goal of increasing the health and prosperity of communities and Tribes by strengthening local community partnerships, improving civic participation, increasing community development investments, and working with Tribes and Native American communities to build capacity and infrastructure for social and economic development and self-sufficiency.
Many DHHS programs vital to this goal are implemented by State, local, and non-governmental agencies. Several other Federal Departments and agencies manage projects for strengthening community-based efforts and creating economic opportunity for residents of distressed communities. In addition, the Nation's overall economic climate, and that of particular geographic regions, is a major factor in the Department's ability to achieve this strategic objective.
ACF assists community organizations to gain access to DHHS programs supporting comprehensive, coordinated community services. Community service programs, such as the Family Violence Prevention Program, the Community Services Block Grant program, Healthy Start, Mental Health Services for Children and the Aging Network, are encouraged to build coordinated service networks. ACF promotes the involvement of community residents as active partners in developing and implementing local programs and services through community service programs, such as the Community Services Block Grant Program, HIV prevention programs in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Administration for Native Americans.
The Community Services Block Grant, the Social Services Block Grant, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and the programs of the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) are administered directly by States and Tribal governments. Numerous agencies throughout DHHS have responsibilities for achieving parts of this strategic objective. ACF, Administration on Aging, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Resources and Services Administration, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and individual offices within the Office of the Secretary, including the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, contribute to the effort.
ACF supports activities that create jobs in economically disadvantaged communities, that help communities develop comprehensive service networks to provide community supports for local residents, and that empower residents to leverage local assets and address their needs. ACF assists communities to develop economically and enable low-income individuals to get work through a number of initiatives. For example, the Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community (EZ/EC) initiative, in cooperation with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, provides substantial funding and technical assistance for community development corporations and other organizations to create new business and employment opportunities.These programs help low-income families, including many leaving TANF cash assistance, succeed and advance at work. In isolated urban low-income communities, immigrant neighborhoods and rural areas separated from labor markets, organizations which have a stake in those communities serve as an indispensable link between low-income parents struggling to become self-sufficient and find jobs and employers and public agencies offering needed services and support. These community-based organizations have identified innovative and promising roles for community-level agencies to create employment opportunities and assist low-income families to succeed at work.
This Administration is committed to ensuring that the Federal government plays a larger role in providing support to charitable organizations. Successful support for those in need can come from many sources, and we must broaden our efforts to work with faith-based and community-based organizations. These organizations have a stake in the community and have a history of providing services to those in need. The FY 2003 request for the Compassion Capital Fund is $100 million, an increase of $70 million over the FY 2002 appropriation. These funds will be used to expand the number of public and private partnerships engaged in this critical effort and strengthen our ability to identify those successful models for providing social services by charitable organizations located in the communities -- closest to the people in need.
Building on years of experience within the communities, activities are focused on partnering with State TANF, Medicaid, labor, and human services agencies to connect low-income working families with a full range of supports and career development possibilities.In addition, numerous other Federal agencies, such as the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Justice, Education, Commerce, and Labor, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Small Business Administration, are involved in related work. DHHS coordinates and collaborates with these entities.
The objectives and major program areas for this goal are:
Community Services Block Grant
Family Violence Prevention Program
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance
Native Americans Programs
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