Office of Community Services

U.S. government agency that promotes economic development

OCS logo as of 2018

The Office of Community Services (OCS) is a division of the US Executive Branch under the Administration for Children and Families within the Department of Health and Human Services.^[1]^: 79 It is the direct successor of the Office of Economic Opportunity, an independent agency created in 1964.^[2]

OCS administers six programs which provide funding for community development and poverty alleviation for private and public agencies:^[1]^: 79^[3]^: 346

The Assets for Independence program, which provides matching contributions to Individual Development Accounts for those eligible for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.^[4] The program was funded at $18.9 for the 2016 fiscal year.^[5] Participants in the program's first year saw a median increase in saving of $657, a drop in experiences of economic hardship by 34%, and a 39% drop in the use of payday loans.^[6]
The Community Economic Development Program, which provides funding for non-profits with the principal goal of supporting low-income housing or community economic development. The program was funded at $19.75 million for the 2017 fiscal year.^[7] This program includes separate funding as part of the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, a partnership between the Department of Health and Human Services, the Treasury Department, and the Department of Agriculture to increase access healthy food.^[8]
The Community Services Block Grant, which was created in 1981 in a consolidation of over 200 government programs, and provides funding directly to states to distribute.^[9]^: 191 The program was funded at $715 million in the 2016 fiscal year.^[10]
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which "provides grants to states to fund fuel payment assistance and home energy efficiency improvements for low-income households."^[11]^: 13 The program was funded at $3.39 billion in the 2016 fiscal year.^[5]
The Rural Community Development Program which provides funding for water management and wastewater treatment. The program was funded at $7.45 million in the 2016 fiscal year.^[12]
The Social Services Block Grant, used to support a wide range of activities. As of 2010^[update], the most highly supported of which were child care, foster care, and services for the disabled.^[13] The grant is authorized by Title XX of the Social Security Act, and funding is allocated according to population.^[14]^: 93 The program was funded at $1.6 billion for the 2016 fiscal year.^[15]

References

^ ^a ^b Hughes, Jan N.; Greca, Annette M. La; Conoley, Jane Close (11 January 2001). Handbook of Psychological Services for Children and Adolescents. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198028970. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
^ "Records of the Community Services Administration". U.S. National Archives.
^ Berns, Roberta M. (1 January 2012). Child, Family, School, Community: Socialization and Support. Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1133710158. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
^ "AFI Fact Sheet". Office of Community Services. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
^ ^a ^b "OCS Fact Sheet" (PDF). Office of Community Services. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
^ Weston, Liz (March 15, 2018). "2 sexy ways to get paid to save". Market Watch. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
^ "CED Fact Sheet". Office of Community Services. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
^ "Community Economic Development Program (CED) Overview Webinar" (PDF). Office of Community Services. January 29, 2015.
^ Soifer, Steven D.; McNeely, Joseph B.; Costa, Cathy; Pickering-Bernheim, Nancy (18 November 2014). Community Economic Development in Social Work. Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231508575. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
^ "CSBG Fact Sheet". Office of Community Services. March 16, 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
^ Morris, Paul M. (2006). National Energy Policy: Major Federal Energy Programs and Status. Nova Science Publishers. ISBN 9781594546969. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
^ "RCD Fact Sheet". Office of Community Services. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
^ Karen E. Lynch (March 14, 2016). "Social Services Block Grant: Background and Funding" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved August 15, 2017.>
^ Patti, Rino J. (October 2008). The Handbook of Human Services Management. SAGE Publications. ISBN 9781412952910. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
^ "SSBG Fact Sheet". Office of Community Services. Retrieved 8 May 2018.