CSBG Funds Helping Hundreds of Thousands of PA's Most Vulnerable Families, DCED Official Says

Program Leveraged Nearly $15 for Every $1 Invested, Helped People Find Jobs, Become Self-Sufficient in 2008

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A federal program designed to help Pennsylvania's neediest and most vulnerable families is helping to find work and improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of people statewide, a top Department of Community and Economic Development official told a state legislative committee today.

"The Community Services Block Grant program addresses real needs and helps real families lead better lives," Jacqueline Parker, DCED's deputy secretary for community affairs and development, today told the joint House and Senate Committee on Local Government. "There can be no question that, through the help of our partners -- the community action agency network and other non-profits and communities -- these funds have been used at a grass roots level to significantly help our poorest residents."

In 2008, Parker said the state's $27.53 million CSBG grant was used by community action agencies to leverage more than $365 million and help 356,338 people, or $14.82 for each CSBG dollar invested.

The 2008 funding resulted in other measurable, real-world outcomes, including:

• Jobs for 6,511 unemployed, low-income people;
• Higher pay for 1,237 people;
• Improved skills and competency training for 7,456 people; and
• The creation of 1,231 jobs that provide enough income for a family to adequately meet their basic needs without public or private assistance.

"The national recession created hardships for families all across the state, often through no fault of their own," said Parker. "As an increasing number of Pennsylvanians are affected, our CSBG funding has been instrumental in helping community organizations continue their efforts to provide assistance to those who need it most."

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Parker said 12.1 percent of Pennsylvania's population lived at or below the poverty level in 2008. Rural Pennsylvania has a higher percentage of poverty than urban Pennsylvania.  

CSBG is a federal program through the Department of Health and Human Services that is administered in Pennsylvania by DCED. The program is designed to address the interconnected problems of poverty. DCED develops a state plan and a formula to administer CSBG funds.

Funds are allocated at the local level through 42 community action agencies that cover all 67 counties of Pennsylvania. The funds are the foundation for a wide variety of services and improvements that leverage other federal, state and local funding resources.  

Additionally, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act provided DCED $42.3 million in CSBG-Recovery funds, which will allow community action agencies to undertake a variety of community activities to stimulate economic recovery, as well as job creation and retention. These funds, which expire Sept. 30, are being used to meet emergency needs and to provide employment-related services, legal services, financial literacy assistance, family counseling and other services designed to move clients toward self-sufficiency.  

For more information on community development programs available through the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit www.newpa.com or call 1-866-466-3972.

Media contact: Luke Webber, 717-783-1132

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development