X.  RESOURCE ALLOCATION POLICY

The ultimate goal of the city’s Consolidated Development Block Grant program is to reduce the number of people living in poverty in the City. Toward this end, the city will give funding priority to programs which – in addition to complying with federal regulations and addressing a priority outlined in the Consolidated Plan – are consistent with the following anti-poverty strategy for resource allocation. In addition, this policy is intended to further the city’s guiding principles for community and economic development, as outlined previously, and to ensure that CDBG resources are used efficiently and effectively. The Citizen Advisory Board which reviews CDBG applications will rate applications using the criteria of this Resource Allocation Policy.

1. Each project must satisfy one of the three following overriding goals:
1. The project must help people move out of poverty;
2. The project must prevent people from entering poverty; or
3. The project must address the basic needs of people living in poverty.
2. In making funding decisions, the city will give priority to programs that:
1. Support, complement or are consistent with other current city plans;
2. Are sustainable over time;
3. Have demonstrated cooperation and collaboration among government, private nonprofit agencies and the private sector to maximize impacts and reduce administrative costs; and
4. Do not have a more appropriate source of funds.
3. The city will give priority to programs that provide services addressing the basic needs of Burlington’s most at-risk populations.
4. The city will give priority to programs that support economic development and other programs that capture local dollars and prevent them from “leaking out” of the community.
5. The city will give priority to programs that promote access to quality jobs – positions that pay well enough to support an adequate standard of living, allow the purchase of housing and other basic necessities, offer stability and decent working conditions, and provide opportunities for advancement.
6. A priority population for CDBG-funded services are individuals (especially people of color and people with disabilities) who are denied, by poverty and historical institutional practices, the opportunity to develop their full potential and to enjoy the benefits of community participation. The city will give priority to programs provided through organizations or agencies that demonstrate a commitment to making their services accessible to people through diversity training of staff and Boards, through recruitment and hiring of minority staff and Board members, and through efforts to provide services in an accessible and culturally sensitive manner.
7. A priority population for CDBG-funded services are female-headed households with children, who are currently, and have been historically, disproportionately impacted by poverty.
8. CDBG funded services must, to the fullest extent possible, be appropriate and accessible to people with disabilities, people of color, people with limited or no proficiency in English, and other eligible individuals and families who may face special barriers in accessing services. The city recognizes that while progress is being made in improving access to services and activities, specialized access services are likely to continue to be required in certain instances to ensure that priority populations receive the services they need.
9. The CDBG program was built on a premise of local involvement in directing funds to neighborhood and community needs. The city will give priority to programs that promote community initiatives to identify priority needs and to address those needs.
10. Recognizing the limits on the ability of service systems to meet all needs, the city will seek to leverage resources to promote comprehensive, long-term responses that promote resident and neighborhood self-sufficiency.
11. The city will give priority to programs that build and support the capacity of local organizations to address the needs of residents.

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