Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)
What The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Program Provides For In Cherokee, Clay, Graham, and Swain Counties:
The CSBG Program through Four Square Community Action, Inc. (FSCA) provides Information and Referral Services for low-income individuals. There is an office in each of the four county service area where Community Outreach Specialists work to help individuals who need assistance with:
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obtaining/maintaining affordable housing – HUD Section 8
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early childhood education - Head Start
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home repairs and energy efficient measures through Urgent Repair (URP), Essential Single Family Rehabilitation (ESFR), Weatherization (WAP) and Heating and Air Repair and Replacement Program (HARRP).
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emergency services (utility payments, transportation assistance, food and nutrition support, household item assistance, rental deposits and payments, etc.) through other grant funded programs and agency fundraiser events.
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referrals and resource information to community partner agencies for needed assistance
All offices in the FSCA service area are ready to assist you beginning with an intake application and assessment of need(s) and initial qualification evaluation. Please contact the Office in your county to start the process.
Cherokee County
Murphy Office
Office : (828) 837-7318
Cell : (828) 557-3080
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Andrews - Main Office
Office : (828) 321-4475
Clay County
Hayesville Office
Office : (828) 389-6787
Cell : (828) 557-3523
Swain County
Bryson City Office
Office : (828) 488-2685
Cell : (828) 541-3320
Graham County
Robbinsville Office
Office : (828) 479-3001
Cell : (828) 557-3096
The Community Services Block Grant Begins at the Federal Level:
The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) is a federally funded block grant in the Office of Community Services, Administration for Children and Families, United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides funds to states, territories, and tribes to administer to support services that alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty in under resourced communities. Established in 1964 as part of the War on Poverty, CSBG provides federal funds to states, territories, and tribes, which then distribute them to local agencies, primarily Community Action Agencies (CAAs), to deliver services that address the causes and conditions of poverty. Tribes, territories, and over 1,000 local Community Action Agencies provide CSBG funded services and activities including housing, nutrition, utility, and transportation assistance; employment, education, and other income and asset building services; crisis and emergency services; and community asset building initiatives, among other things. Over 9 million individuals are served by CSBG-funded programs annually.
CSBG funds are allocated to states according to a statutory formula, and at least 90% of the grant must be passed through to local eligible entities, including CAAs, tribal organizations, migrant and seasonal farm worker organizations, and local governments. The remaining funds can be used for administrative costs or discretionary projects that support CSBG goals. Discretionary grants may also fund technical assistance and training for organizations addressing low-income community needs.
CSBG-funded programs offer a wide range of services aimed at improving self-sufficiency and quality of life for low-income individuals and families. These services typically fall into nine categories:
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Employment – Job training, placement, and support services
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Education – Adult literacy, youth programs, and college readiness
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Income and Asset Building – Financial literacy and assistance programs
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Housing – Support for affordable housing and homelessness prevention
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Emergency Services – Crisis intervention, utility assistance, and hygiene kits
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Nutrition – Food assistance and meal programs
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Linkages – Connecting clients to other community resources
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Self-Sufficiency – Programs that promote independence and life skills
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Health – Access to healthcare and wellness programs
CSBG programs serve millions of individuals annually, helping them access essential services, maintain housing, improve employment prospects, and build community assets. Local agencies are required to conduct community needs assessments to ensure services align with local priorities, and states must review each local entity at least once every three years. Annual reports and surveys, such as the CSBG Annual Report to Congress, track program outcomes and effectiveness.
CSBG is complemented by smaller programs like Community Economic Development (CED) and Rural Community Development (RCD), which focus on job creation, business development, and infrastructure improvements in low-income and rural communities. These programs often work alongside CSBG to enhance economic opportunities and community development.
Eligible recipients of CSBG funding include nonprofit agencies, housing authorities, municipalities, counties, and neighborhood organizations that serve low-income populations. Individuals and families with low incomes benefit indirectly through the services provided by these agencies. Special populations, such as migrant farm workers or former correctional inmates, may receive targeted assistance.
CSBG programs serve millions of individuals annually, helping them access essential services, maintain housing, improve employment prospects, and build community assets. Local agencies are required to conduct community needs assessments to ensure services align with local priorities, and states must review each local entity at least once every three years. Annual reports and surveys, such as the CSBG Annual Report to Congress, track program outcomes and effectiveness.
In summary, the CSBG program is a cornerstone federal initiative that empowers local agencies to provide comprehensive services addressing poverty, supporting self-sufficiency, and strengthening communities across the United States.
The Community Service Block Grant Funding in North Carolina:
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), formerly known as the State Economic Opportunity Office, was established in 1966 to provide training and technical assistance to Community Action Agencies. In 1981, the Office was assigned the responsibility of administering the federal Community Services Block Grant Program (CSBG)
The Community Services Block Grant is the sole source of federal funding for North Carolina’s Community Action Agencies that provide a wide range of services and programs to assist low-income families with children. CSBG funding supports projects that:
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Decrease poverty in communities.
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Address the needs of low-income individuals, including the homeless, migrants and the elderly.
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Provide services and activities addressing employment, education, better use of available income, housing, nutrition, emergency services and/or health.
The CSBG State Plan is required for North Carolina to receive CSBG block grant funds, and it describes major program provisions, eligible entities, training and technical assistance, and program benefits
As mobilizers of resources for the low income at the local level, Community Action Agencies (CAAs) serve millions of Americans whose income is below the poverty level and who do not receive welfare benefits – the working poor. Most CAAs promote self-sufficiency, provide help with setting a household budget, weatherization assistance and help with rental, nutrition, emergency assistance, and help with education and housing. CAAs also administer almost half the nation’s Head Start programs.
The CAAs are rooted in the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, a measure that recognized help was needed and that the poor should have a say in how resources should be allocated to address their needs. In CCAs, at least one-third of the board of directors must represent the low income, a third are public officials or their representatives, and the rest are community-based members representing business, clergy, labor, education and other stakeholders.
Community Action lives on under the Community Services Block Grant Program (CSBG) administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
OEO provides local entities with the opportunity to apply for funding to assist low-income individuals and families at or below 200% of the federal poverty level achieve self-sufficiency and work to improve the social and economic well-being of individuals, families and communities across North Carolina.
The contents of the Annual CSBG Funding Application serve as each agency’s Community Anti-Poverty Plan and therefore identifies the causes and conditions of poverty specific to the specific agency’s service delivery area and outlines a concerted strategy to address the identified barriers and define the process by which the agency will ensure effectiveness in mitigating the poverty conditions for the families served.
The application process aligns with the elements of Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) which form a continuous cycle of Assessment, Planning, Implementation, Achievement of Results and Evaluation. The application process produces a framework for achieving the National ROMA Goals:
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Individuals and families with low incomes are stable and achieve economic security.
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Communities where people with low incomes live are healthy and offer economic opportunity.
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People with low incomes are engaged and active in building opportunities in communities
As part of the National Performance Management Framework established through the Office of Community Services (OCS), agencies must also demonstrate compliance with the Organizational Standards, which some aspects of the CSBG application support meeting some of the Organizational Standards.
Completing the CSBG grant application for funding requires the agency’s Board of Directors to implement a strategic planning process as follows:
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Determination of planning period
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Develop and facilitate a process that allows for meaningful citizen participation
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Completion of a needs assessment
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Prioritization of identified needs
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Analysis of available and needed resources
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Development of service strategies
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Development of work plan with annual objectives and supporting activities
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Development of an annual program budget
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Development of monitoring, assessment, and evaluation criteria