President Johnson initiated the War on Poverty in 1964 with a variety of legislation aimed at assisting states and localities in developing targeted initiatives to spur economic opportunity for low income people and assisting families out of poverty. Much success has been met since 1964 in bringing equity, in creating career opportunity, and in creating family supports that enhance employability. Chautauqua Opportunities will be hosting its annual dinner on July 31, 2003 at SUNY Fredonia. We will be looking at the existing state of poverty and take a brief look back and a strategic look forward with the assistance of our keynote speaker, Derrick L. Span, National President of the Community Action Partnership.

Mr. Span became the national president of the Community Action Partnership on June 3, 2002. He provides leadership and guidance for the Partnerships network of 1,000 Community Action Agencies. Mr. Span has extensive experience working with other community based organizations in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was most recently executive director of the Center for Community Building in Harrisburg, Pa. He has also served as president/CEO of the Urban League, both in Harrisburg Pa and Broome County, NY. Mr. Spann is a dynamic speaker and will bring us an overview of the status of low income families in America today.

The United States has had a number of paradigm shifts in its approach to supporting low income families and in reducing poverty. The first major shift occurred around the Depression with the creation of many government sponsored initiatives. The New Deal ushered in programs like Social Security. Americans have come to expect and depend on such programs as they assist us in life transitions and help us plan for our futures. In the 60s, programs like Head Start and Job Corps were developed to promote self sufficiency and target our low income youth. Both these programs have experienced unparalleled success over the 40 years of their existence. Both have been highlighted and received bi-partisan support over the years as successful social programs that promote success and enhance individual and family viability. In the 80s, President Reagan made changes by block granting federal low income funds and putting much decision making in the hands of states. States were given more discretion over low income funds and the allocation of those funds. This took away a comprehensive national approach to fighting poverty and splintered the “collective voice of advocacy”. Once again, the current administration is considering block granting federal low income programs, such as Head Start. The discussion has appeared to be moving toward promoting Head Start as a pre-school, literacy program.

Human Service providers are being encouraged to look toward outcomes and provide services that assist individuals and families toward self sufficiency. Service providers are being asked to collaborate, to integrate and to view the family as a single unit and provide for overall independence and health. What does not exist across the country are standardized measurements for self sufficiency, nor clear expectations regarding time frames and dependency.

Market trends occur in all industries. Business responds to these trends in varying ways and in varying degrees. Human Services is not an industry that should be responding to trends. Self sufficiency is and has always been the goal of all service delivery. How you measure personal and/or collective independence is yet unclear. Is a family or an individual on supports if they use child care to maintain employment? Is a family or individual less than self sufficient if they accept unemployment insurance if they are employed in the construction trades and work is or may be seasonal? Am I self sufficient if I rely on my family to assist with my aging mother, or my periodic transportation concerns? How many times in a year does it take before you consider me a “dependent” if I require limited assistance? What is progress? What is a rational expectation of a community by the individual member? Do we have the right to assume government will provide some level of public transportation? Should government and/or the church assist individuals at times when they are unable to care for themselves or their families? What is our responsibility to each other? These are all questions that society and communities must answer.

It would appear that we are making paradigm shifts regarding human service delivery. We are not the country today that we were in 1955. Our populous is far more mobile. We do not all have extended family around us to provide life supports at times of transition. Many of our elderly are working to supplement inadequate fixed incomes and are no longer available for an extended family. An ever increasing divorce rate necessitates another kind of support for working single head of households. It would behoove us to examine the social structure, the needs of working families, the numbers of single headed households, the percentage of individuals living below the poverty line, as well as the numbers of children living in poverty. The structure of a nation should determine the needs of that nation and thus the services available to the citizens to expedite life.