white paper on performance management for community ... - FACA

NASCSP 2013
3. When will you achieve them (time period)?
By definition, Long-Term Goals cannot be achieved overnight. This Network understands the
complex nature of poverty and the devastating intergenerational effects it has on families and
communities. Network experience and current research suggests that it takes a family at least
three to five years to achieve some level of self-sufficiency. Through its Performance
Measurement and Management processes, the Network will need to track progress toward its
Long-Term Goals on a quarterly and multi-year basis and, over time, it will develop its own
baseline for the time needed to create positive change for families and communities.
4. How will you and others make this happen (activities, strategies, resources, etc.)?
Many American families and communities are just one illness or natural disaster away from
poverty. Community Action believes every family and community should have access to high
quality services that provide a pathway to self-sufficiency so that poverty need not be a life
sentence. As noted under Assumptions, Community Action serves 99% of the nation’s counties.
What’s more, to ensure consistent high- quality services, Community Action is supported at
every level - Federal, State, and local. The Federal Office of Community Services (OCS) provides
critical oversight and support to State CSBG Offices. In turn, State CSBG Offices maintain the
administrative, fiscal, and programmatic health of local Community Action Agencies (CAAs)
through monitoring, as noted in the CSBG Statute Sec.678B, and specialized training and
technical assistance, as noted in the CSBG Statute Sec.675C(b)(A). State CSBG Offices also
facilitate learning communities for CAAs through state-level coordination, resource leveraging,
and communication, as outlined in the CSBG Statute Sec.675C(b)(A-F).
The strategies Community Action employs to move people out of poverty and along the
pathway to self-sufficiency address both family and community barriers that work in tandem to
contribute to or exacerbate poverty conditions. Noted under Assumptions and supported by
the CSBG Statute Sec.672(2)(A)(D), they are built on the belief that family and community
service strategies should be driven by local planning and implementation, which includes
maximum participation by all community stakeholders. The Network believes community
stakeholders, particularly those who are struggling or have struggled with financial stability,
know best how to address their community’s needs. This belief is supported by the Federal
Office of Economic Opportunity Instruction 1105-1 titled “The Mission of the Community Action
Agency.” As such, Community Action engages public, private and low-income stakeholders in
Community Action Agency governance, advocacy, program design, and evaluation, as found in
the CSBG Statute Sec.676B(a-b).
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