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2 The OFF program provides significant opportunities for Cabarrus County. The planning grants alone afford the opportunity to undertake a com~unity process to dete~nine how existing public and private programs may be restructured, streamlined, and coordinated to assure the most efficient use of existing resources. In the coming months, the County will be implementing the federal welfare reform JOBS program. This program places counties under a new mandate to prepare welfare recipients and move them into the workforce. It also provides counties with new funding and guidelines for education, ~ob training, transportation and child care. A large-scale co. unity planning process is required for the development of the JOBS program. A planning grant under the OFF program could help to assure the scope, resources and flexibilitI needed to maximize the effectiveness of the JOBS program planning effort for the co~unity. The opportunities afforded by ,the planning grants are sufficient to warrant pursuing involvement in the OFF program. Should the County later be successful in securing one of the five demonstration grants, substantial resources ~ould of course be brought into the comunity to facilitate the planned system restructuring and to provide additional funding for needed services. Dltimately the program could not only help many of our citizens, it could also help to meet a serious need of our changing, growing local economy, Increasingly, there will be a need here for a vorkforce which is prepared ~ith education, traininE and supportive services for the jobs which will be available in the coming years. One point of caution should be raised. Foundation representatives have stated that in assessing county proposals, they will look for indications of local support and condiment, including financial support. Of interest to them for example, will be whether local demonstration projects, if successful and appropriate, can be instituted on any ongoing basis. Care will need to be taken in the local process to develop plans and programs which will be feasible for the con.unity to implement and maintain. Of concern would be not to lea~e the County or some other co~aunity organization at the end of the grant period with the undesired or unrealistic burden of supporting a ~ervice delivery programwhlch had been started utilizing grant funds. The planuiug process will need to focus in part on limiting expenses~ identify~.ng alternate sources of revenue, ~eneratfing savings, perfo~aing activities ~'hich can be completed during the grant period, and otherwise arranBlng for ongoing financial support which is acceptable to the County and to ocher involved organizations. At this time, t~e focus of the process is upon the proposals for planning grants only and the Board oi Co~missioners will approve each proposal and the acceptance of each grant under the OFF program. (The County is not obligated to accept a grant if selected.) In order to pursue grants under the OFF program the Department of Social Set-vices reco~ends that the County designate the Department as the lead County agency for ad~inistration of the OFF program. The Department is a primary local service provider in the area of se~]ice relating to the OFF program. The OFF program process ~lll also need to be highly coordinated with the planniug effort which the Department viii be required to undertake in relation to the JOBS program. However, with the emphasis which it must devote to the JOBS program, the Department of Social Services has insufficieat resources to support the total effort needed for the OFF program process. The Department recoamenda that the County engage the United ~'ay of central Carolinas to facilitate the co.unity planning process mud development of grant proposals for the OFF program. The ~nitad ~ay has considerable expertise in the service planning process. It has the ability to convene co~unity-vide Broups for planning efforts. The 0F~ program reprssents a natural extension of the york of the United ~sy~a Fa~dly Issues Task Force. There exists between the United Way and the County the desire Co further develop coordinated working relationships which will be