What Do I Mean by Revisiting CSBG?

A number of people have asked me about what I mean by my comments, on this blog and in recent speeches, about revisiting the Community Service Block Grant.

I had someone come up to me at our conference last week and accuse me of hating states. Let me assure you: I do not hate states!

If we are going to continue the hard push for CSBG reauthorization, we can never be satisfied with the status quo. (If we were satisfied with the status quo, there would never have been a “War on Poverty” 45 years ago.) I think that it is a healthy process to revisit things from time to time and answer for ourselves some of the tough questions that could face our network.

For example, is the current system the most effective mechanism for delivering services and resources to those who need them? Are we fully encouraging innovation, partnerships and effectiveness? These are legitimate questions that we should not be afraid to ask. I, alone, do not know the answers. It is up to all of us to answer these questions.

I have had a few federal officials tell me in the last two weeks that they are disappointed in state performance and have openly asked what alternatives might be. This is stemming from the fact that 17 states still have not spent weatherization stimulus dollars.

We will continue to be asked questions. We should actively be seeking the answers for ourselves. If at the end of the process we discover that we only need to fine tune a few things – great! The process would have been beneficial.

Please contact us with any questions or comments you may have about this.