N.Y. Executive Law § 548-a: Legislative findings and intent

§ 548-a. Legislative findings and intent. Many recent studies have

pointed out that although New York has an array of human services and

programs that are spread across numerous state programmatic and

regulatory agencies, there is no unified strategy for service delivery.

Although problematic statewide, the absence of a service coordination

and delivery strategy critically impairs the ability of communities

suffering from widespread poverty to fully benefit from such services.

The legislature hereby finds and declares that there is a need to

develop a strategy for distressed neighborhoods to assist them in

identifying ways to expand and strengthen the services in their

communities, to improve the delivery of such services, and to help

identify and eliminate barriers to the effective delivery of services to

their residents.

The legislature further finds that the provision of services is only a

partial solution to the complex problems of economically and socially

distressed areas. Neighborhood stabilization and improvement also

require an assessment of the long term housing and economic needs of the

community and a strategic plan for the stabilization and development of

the community. Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to

establish neighborhood based initiatives to first provide integrated and

coordinated services for people in crisis or with a potential for being

in crisis in selected distressed neighborhoods and then to assist the

neighborhoods in developing a long range plan so that such neighborhoods

can take steps to improve their overall economic and social condition.