Search high and low, I don’t think you will find anything else in writing that includes the city anti-poverty plan, except in the largely dismissed obscure HUD report. i.e. Don’t hold your breath waiting for something earth shattering.
I testified at the CDBG Commission last week about this, and they thanked me for my comments, made a few changes (some don’t seem to appear in the “final” draft) and said that essentially, this was a report on decisions already made and that they weren’t really planning, but reporting. I asked a few commissioners when would be a better time to testify about planning for the future. There wasn’t really a good answer to that – no their fault, I kinda knew that was the answer.
Anyways, this is the 2013 Annual report to HUD from the CDBG office that the Board of Estimates will be voting on this evening. On page 31 you will find our “Anti-Poverty Strategy”.
Antipoverty Strategy
29. Briefly describe the actions that will take place during the next year to reduce the number of poverty level families (as defined by the Office of Management and Budget and revised annually), taking into consideration factors over which the jurisdiction has control.
2013 Action Plan Antipoverty Strategy response:
The Antipoverty strategy of the City is to promote the accessibility and availability of employment, education, health care and family support services to lower income households to help them develop greater family independence and to promote neighborhood involvement, steps which will eventually lead to the reduction of poverty throughout the City.
The City has adopted five major strategies to achieve these goals of poverty reduction:
1. Market information about resources to poverty level households;
2. Refine housing assistance programs to better link such housing assistance to other helping resources, including self-help activities, such as community gardening, employment efforts, and case management services.
3. Improve City service delivery systems to become more responsive to neighborhoods where poverty-level families tend to reside and encourage goals, policies and practices which tend to involve these neighborhoods in the City’s decision processes and revitalization efforts.
4. Increase economic development and employment and training opportunities.
5. Improve collaborative efforts between local governments, non-profits, schools and businesses.In 2013, the City will continue efforts begun earlier to work closely with residents, owners and community groups to address some of the emerging revitalization issues in the Southwest area, Leopold School area and the East Isthmus areas, as well as continue to support revitalization efforts in the Allied-Dunn’s Marsh area. These efforts will continue to:
• Improve the public infrastructure within the areas.
• Continue to support the 9 Neighborhood Resource Staff Teams (including representatives from CDBG, EOC, Public Health, Police, Community Services and Building Inspection).
• Increase effectiveness of the overall police law enforcement efforts to reduce criminal activity.
• Stabilize the management of rental housing and the Meadowood neighborhood center in the greater southwest area.
• Assess and refine the City’s efforts to support resident involvement and empowerment in the community.
• Support efforts of owners and residents to reduce energy consumption through partnership efforts with the State of Wisconsin, Madison Gas and Electric, and Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation (WECC).
• Coordinate and collaborate programs and services with other funders, agencies, businesses, and neighborhood organizations.The City’s efforts will assist in reducing poverty by addressing emerging neighborhood needs. These efforts will bring additional services and opportunities to residents that may have been previously underserved or isolated.
Is this the best we can do? In some selected areas we’ll improve streets, evict more people, increase energy efficiency, coordinate better and send more cops?
Ugh.
An amusing point, at least to me, but the original draft didn’t include the Common Council in the following paragraph, they only added that after my testimony.
The City of Madison presents this One Year Action Plan for the 2013 Community Development program funds. The City developed these funding decisions based upon Mayoral priorities, Common Council priorities, CDBG Committee recommendations, Community Development Division (CDD) staff analysis, public hearing comments, program performance information and consultation with various service agencies, stakeholders, other funders, the Madison Metropolitan School District and business leaders and developers.
Sadly, I think the statement, before it was amended, was more accurate.
Rest easy everyone, we have a plan! Expect nothing to change.
