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Sahsbuiy Rowan Community Action A0ency, Inc. The Board utilizes the strategic planning process to provide direction for the agency and the staff in order to address that need. In 2013, the Board utilized the ROMA Goals to guide the process. By integrating the ROMA goals into the development of the plan they were able to; • Assess poverty needs and conditions within the community; • Define a clear agency anti - poverty mission for community action and a strategy to address those needs. • Identify both immediate and longer term strategies in the context of existing resources and opportunities in the community; • Identify specific improvements, or results, to be achieved among low- income people and the community; and • Organize and implement programs, services, and activities, such as advocacy, within the agency and among "partnering" organizations, to achieve anticipated results. These aspects of the strategic plan were revisited at this years agency retreat. One recurring concern for the agency is the need for affordable housing solutions in both counties. The Board discussed and committed to making ongoing assessments of the housing need for participants and developing plans for addressing that need for low income families being served. Since the Board meets annually the strategic plan is a living document which the Board and the Executive Director use to ensure that the services delivered to low- income families meet their needs. At this year's retreat, the Board chose to focus on becoming a performance -based organization Therefore, the Board and the Executive Director will continue to develop strategies of excellence for the organization to help them plan for becoming an organization that is cognizant of what works best when serving low - income families and how SRCAA can do that well, 2. Describe your agency's method and criteria for identifying poverty causes and list the identified causes. Also describe the methods and criteria used to determine priority and selection of strategies to be implemented that will address the poverty causes. Our agency identifies poverty causes by staying abreast of current literature on poverty, being active in the north Carolina and National Community Action Agency Associations, attending conferences, workshops and State (OEO) conferences, being knowledgeable about the communities and the participants in those communities, and assessing community need by asking low- income people and the agencies who serve them what those causes are. In 2012 the Community Assessment process conducted (for our agency by a Head Start consultant) included a needs assessment and planning process that asked not only low income individuals but partners about changes in the socio- economic landscape of OUr counties, state and our nation, The Head Start requirement for this assessment is every three years, During the last two years, one notable gap in services at SRCAA is the lack of Latino participation in the CSBG program. The Head Start Community Assessment conducted in 2012 indicated the need for increased services to these families to more adequately reflect the county demographic populations where CSBG programs are located (Rowan and Cabarrus). Since July, 2014, SRCAA has contracted with a Hispanic consultant to achieve this goal and to increase SRCAA's ability to serve this population. Several families have been referred to the Waiting List. The effort to reach more diverse low - income families further demonstrates the staff's willingness to implement a specific strategy while addressing an element of the strategic plan. Certain factors that are determined to impact poverty or change the current landscape are consistent over the years. However, other sociolenvironmental factors such as economic downturns, fluctuation in the job market, growth in various industries or simultaneous decline in Fiscal Year 2095 -16 Community Services Black Grant Application Attachment number 1 Page 7 of 44 F -13 Page 180