Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik today advanced bipartisan legislation that she introduced to update the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program.
The CSBG program supports more than 1,000 Community Action Agencies (CAAs) that support a wide range of community-based activities to reduce poverty, including Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County, JCEO of Clinton and Franklin Counties, Washington County L.E.A.P, Lewis County Opportunities Inc., St. Lawrence County Community Development Program, Adirondack Community Action Programs, and Warren-Hamilton Counties ACEO in New York’s 21st District.
The Community Services Block Grant Modernization Act of 2021 (H.R. 5129) will reauthorize this critical program for another decade and make overdue updates to further reduce poverty.
“I am proud to vote to advance this legislation to strengthen a critical program that supports local agencies in the North Country working to tackle poverty issues, including combating the opioid epidemic, addressing education disparities, and fighting hunger,” Stefanik said. “Locally-driven solutions are at the core of this legislation, and I have been proud to work to strengthen the CSBG program. Now, we are one step closer to equipping local organizations to continue their good work addressing poverty and expanding opportunity in the North Country.
Community Service Block Grants enable CAAs to be innovative, leverage public and private resources for their communities, and efficiently administer many programs—including Head Start, LIHEAP, nutrition assistance, weatherization, job training, housing, and assistance for those experiencing homelessness.
Updates to the CSBG program include:
- Strengthening program accountability with results-oriented performance measurements
- Improving technical assistance provided to CAAs to enhance efficiency and service delivery
- Promoting innovation and addressing emerging needs, including access to broadband and connected devices
