New York State - Executive - EXC - Article 19-L
ARTICLE 19-L NEW YORK STATE NEIGHBORHOOD BASED INITIATIVES ACT
Section 548-a. Legislative findings and intent.
548-b. Definitions.
548-c. Neighborhood based initiatives project; services and activities.
548-d. Application for funding.
548-e. Neighborhood based initiatives oversight committee.
548-f. Administration.
548-g. Evaluation.
548-h. Reports.
§ 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.
§ 548-b. Definitions. As used in this article:
1. "Committee" shall mean the neighborhood based initiatives oversight committee established in accordance with section five hundred forty-eight-e of this article.
2. "Eligible applicant" shall mean a not-for-profit private or public agency, a school district, a local governmental agency, or a combination of such entities.
3. "Project" shall mean a neighborhood based initiatives project established in accordance with section five hundred forty-eight-c of this article.
4. "Department" shall mean the department of social services.
5. "Neighborhood based initiatives unified contract" or "contract" shall mean the sole written agreement for a project between the department, as representative of the committee, and the approved applicant, providing for the terms under which funds may be used to finance allowable project costs as defined in section five hundred forty-eight-f of this article.
6. "Neighborhood based initiatives advisory council" or "council" shall mean a voluntary group representing, to the greatest extent possible, the following: neighborhood residents, local government, the business and economic development community, service providers, charitable organizations, the legal community, and educational institutions, who shall be responsible for development of the plan required in section five hundred forty-eight-c of this article.
7. "Action plan" shall mean the strategic neighborhood action plan as described in subdivision three of section five hundred forty-eight-c of this article.
§ 548-c. Neighborhood based initiatives project; services and activities. 1. Project establishment. Neighborhood based initiative projects shall be established pursuant to this article. Each approved project shall have as its primary components an action plan, the creation of a council, and the provision of programs and services as described in this section.
2. Programs and services. a. Projects shall provide for coordinated, accessible services, which shall include:
i. comprehensive crisis intervention services on a twenty-four hour-a-day basis which shall provide for information and referral services and case management services, and may provide for mental health services, alcohol and substance abuse services, child care services, preventive services, and other services as identified by the project, to individuals and families who are experiencing an emergency due to homelessness, eviction, domestic violence, child abuse, alcohol or drug abuse, mental illness, or other emergency situations identified by the project; and/or
ii. comprehensive case management services to assist clients in accessing quality services and to expedite and ensure the receipt of such services. In addition, two or more needed services as determined by the applicant and approved in the project application, such as services listed in paragraph b of this subdivision, shall be provided.
b. Projects also may include any other specific local initiatives which may be necessary to assist in stabilizing and improving the neighborhood such as early intervention services, education, employment and training services, intensive home based prevention services, parenting education, comprehensive prenatal care, alcohol and substance abuse prevention, treatment, and aftercare services.
3. Strategic neighborhood action plan. The council for each approved project shall identify and quantify neighborhood needs on both a short and long range basis. Such plan shall include the council's assessment of the neighborhood's present and long range needs for economic development, job development, housing, and such other improvements and needs as may be identified by the project. Such plan also shall include a description of the actions and resources necessary to meet the needs as identified in the plan over the next five year period. The plan subsequently shall be submitted to the committee for review and the committee shall provide assistance as prescribed in section five hundred forty-eight-e of this article to the council to help enable the project to achieve its goals.
§ 548-d. Application for funding. 1. Application process. In response to a request for proposals, an eligible applicant may submit an application for funding for a project to the department, which shall receive all such applications on behalf of the committee. The department shall forward all such applications for funding to the committee for review and approval.
2. Components of application. Each application for funding shall include, but not be limited to:
a. a description of the geographic boundaries and demographic characteristics of the neighborhood in which the proposed project services will be targeted and an explanation of why that neighborhood was selected;
b. a description of the services that currently exist in the targeted neighborhood, any gaps in or barriers to such services, including identification of any known statutory or regulatory barriers, and the resources available within the community to support such services;
c. a description of how existing services will be made more accessible to residents of the targeted neighborhoods, whether or not any existing services will be expanded, what new services will be provided, how both the new and existing services will be coordinated, and what links will be established among the providers of services in the community;
d. a statement of the project's goals and objectives, including the intended outcome for each specific service or activity contained in the action plan provided, however, that such outcomes may include, but need not be limited to, appropriate measurable factors relating to employment, health, education, substance abuse, and alcoholism;
e. a description of the process and criteria that will be used by the applicant to select members of the council;
f. a description of the method that will be used to develop the action plan. Such description shall address the process to be used to engage the community residents in developing such action plan; and
g. a description of the community's involvement in the development of the application including the involvement of local governmental agencies, voluntary agencies, businesses, foundations, community organizations, and community residents, and the methods by which the applicant will assure continued community involvement in the delivery of services and long range planning efforts.
§ 548-e. Neighborhood based initiatives oversight committee. 1. Establishment. A neighborhood based initiatives oversight committee shall be established to oversee the implementation of the provisions of this article and shall consist of representatives of the following agencies or their designees, with the commissioner of the department or his or her designee serving as chairperson: the state advocate for the disabled; the director of the office for the aging; the director of the division of alcoholism and alcohol abuse; the executive director of the council on children and families; the chancellor of the city university of New York; the executive director of the developmental disabilities action planning council; the director of the budget; the commissioner of economic development; the commissioner of education; the commissioner of health; the commissioner of housing and community renewal; the commissioner of labor; the commissioner of mental health; the commissioner of the office for people with developmental disabilities; the commissioner of parks, recreation and historic preservation; the chancellor of the state university of New York; the director of the division of substance abuse services; the director of the division for youth; the director of the division for women; and the department of audit and control.
2. Powers and duties. a. The committee shall develop guidelines for the operation of projects.
b. Upon request the appropriate members of the committee may provide technical assistance to applicants.
c. The committee shall review and approve applications using the following selection criteria:
i. the demonstrated commitment and support, including financial support, for the project expressed by local government agencies, community residents and leaders, appropriate service providers, and private supporters;
ii. demographic information that indicates significant incidences of poverty, unemployment, foster care, infant mortality, substance or alcohol abuse, adolescent pregnancy, or other indicators of need relevant to the action plan;
iii. the anticipated effectiveness of the project as evidenced by the existence of other available resources, including existing links between public and/or private agencies that focus on the provision of services in high-need geographic areas of populations;
iv. the ability of the applicant to undertake and complete a comprehensive project and develop an action plan; and
v. the ability of the applicant to provide the necessary data for an effective evaluation of the project.
d. The committee shall ensure, as far as practicable, the equitable distribution of projects among urban, suburban, and rural areas.
e. Members of the committee shall provide technical assistance on an on-going basis to approved projects, which shall include, but shall not be limited to: providing and analyzing data; assistance in strengthening the programmatic and administrative viability of approved projects; assistance in strengthening action plans; identifying federal, state and local funds, and resources from any other sources available to support such projects; and developing local evaluation systems.
f. To promote innovative approaches and maximize effective use of federal, state, and local monies, and, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the commissioner or director of any state agency on the committee may waive, subject to the approval of the director of the budget, for those persons, providers, and communities involved in a project, any of such agency's regulatory requirements that may impede the successful implementation of a project, provided that such waiver is consistent with applicable state and federal statutes and will not impair the general health or welfare of the people receiving services under such project or others. Such commissioner or director shall be authorized, in consultation with the director of the budget, to impose appropriate alternative standards in place of any waived requirements.
g. On the basis of information submitted in approved applications and in the action plan, the committee is required to:
i. assist in identifying and obtaining resources and funding necessary for the implementation of the action plan, and make recommendations as appropriate and necessary in accordance with article VII of the state constitution;
ii. identify and request the appropriate member or members of the committee to waive any regulations or procedures that act as barriers to the effective implementation of the action plan, as long as such waiver is consistent with paragraph e of this subdivision;
iii. identify any specific statutory requirements that are expected to impede the successful implementation of such projects and, when and if necessary, submit requests to the legislature in accordance with article VII of the state constitution for specific legislative enactments necessary to remove such impediments; and
iv. provide all other assistance needed for successful implementation of the action plan.
h. The committee shall ensure that there will be a maximum use of existing resources, services, and funds to support projects and that the purposes and objectives of this article will be accomplished effectively.
i. The committee shall monitor each approved project to ensure that services are provided in accordance with this article and that funds are used in accordance with applicable state and federal law and regulations.
j. The committee shall require such reports as may be necessary.
§ 548-f. Administration. 1. Responsibilities of the department. a. Unless otherwise prescribed, the department or its designee shall be responsible for the administration of the provisions of this article.
b. In consultation with the committee, the department shall develop and disseminate a request for proposals on a statewide basis, provided however that during state fiscal year nineteen hundred ninety-ninety-one, the committee may limit the locations for dissemination of such request for proposals based on relevant demographic data and such other factors as may be determined by the committee. Not less than thirty days prior to dissemination of such requests for proposals in such state fiscal year, the department shall notify the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly of such proposed locations and the criteria for selection.
c. Not less than thirty days prior to approving an application pursuant to the provisions of this article, the committee, through the department, shall notify the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly of its intent to approve a project. Such notification shall identify the recipient and state the proposed location, the estimated project cost and a brief description of the project. Upon completion of its review of an application and not less than thirty days after the notification as provide for in this paragraph, the committee shall approve or disapprove such application and the department shall notify the applicant of its decision.
d. The commissioner of the department and the other members of the committee shall enter into such agreements as shall be necessary to delineate their respective roles regarding the cooperative provision of program funding and technical assistance, and the review and monitoring of projects.
e. The department shall provide assistance to approved projects to develop an evaluation methodology appropriate to the goals and objectives of the projects.
2. Neighborhood based initiatives unified contract. a. The department shall enter into a neighborhood based initiatives unified contract with each applicant approved by the committee. The provisions of such contract shall include, but not be limited to: a description of project services and activities, the action plan, the allowable project costs, the specific sources of funds that will support the approved costs, including state funds, local funds, other governmental funds, and all nongovernmental funds or revenues that are proposed to be used in support of all project costs, and the allocation of costs by funding source.
b. The form of the neighborhood based initiatives unified contract shall be developed in consultation with the division of the budget and the department of audit and control.
3. The comptroller is authorized pursuant to a certificate of allocation submitted by the division of the budget to interchange or transfer from appropriations made to the agencies of the committee or any other appropriation, as appropriate, such amounts as may be required to fulfill the obligations of the state pursuant to neighborhood based initiatives unified contracts to the department for payment of such obligations. The division of the budget shall provide the chairmen of the senate finance committee and the assembly ways and means committee with quarterly reports of all interchanges and transfers which occur pursuant to this subdivision.
4. Allowable costs for each project shall include, but not be limited to costs reasonably incurred for:
a. preparation of the action plan required in section five hundred forty-eight-c of this article;
b. services as approved in the project application;
c. evaluation of the approved project;
d. administration, provided however in every case, the support of administrative costs pursuant to the contract shall be not more than the maximum percentage authorized for each source of funding or the total maximum dollars allowed for administrative costs for each funding source; and
e. minor renovations to existing structures, except that in no case shall the state support of such costs exceed either twenty-five percent of the project contract or fifty percent of the total renovation costs, whichever is less.
5. Funding made available through the contract shall not be used to supplant local or other funds.
6. Not more than forty percent of funds appropriated and made avail- able specifically for neighborhood based initiatives shall be used for any single project.
§ 548-g. Evaluation. 1. The committee shall conduct two evaluations of the implementation and effectiveness of this article: a compilation of individual project evaluations to be conducted in accordance with criteria established in paragraph d of subdivision one of section five hundred forty-eight-f of this article; and a comprehensive neighborhood based initiatives evaluation.
a. Individual project evaluations shall be conducted pursuant to the requirements of this article and submitted to the committee for review. The committee shall forward its comments and criticisms to the approved projects with recommendations of strategies for remediation of project deficiencies. Further, the committee shall compile the evaluations and the required comments and recommendations into a single document and shall submit such compilation to the governor and the legislature by January first, nineteen hundred ninety-two.
b. The committee shall cause to be prepared a comprehensive neighborhood based initiatives evaluation, which shall assess the efficacy and impact of the unified contract, the authorization relating to waiver of regulations, and the statutory exemptions on the delivery of services enacted by the legislature. In addition, the committee shall assess the extent to which the initiative has:
i. accomplished the goals and objectives to be reported to the legislature;
ii. improved the coordination of program development and service provision by the agencies participating on the committee; and
iii. reduced or eliminated duplicative and conflicting regulations.
2. The committee shall submit to the governor and the legislature an interim report, which shall include a compilation of the goals and objectives of the approved projects, and shall supplement such compilation with a statement of goals and objectives that relate specifically to the state's role in policy development, administration, and delivery of services to the targeted communities not later than January first, nineteen hundred ninety-two.
§ 548-h. Reports. The committee shall submit a report to the governor and the legislature on or before the first day of March of each year subsequent to a year in which funds have been awarded under this article to implement neighborhood based initiatives regarding the activities and actions of the committee, the criteria used to evaluate project goals, objectives, and outcomes, and based on these factors, the effectiveness of such projects in reaching the goals and objectives of the individual projects. The report shall address the appropriateness of continuing the provisions of this article and the feasibility of replicating such projects in other areas of the state. The report shall include recommendations, based on the experience gained under the provisions of this article, for modifying statewide policies that direct publicly funded programs.
Section 548-a. Legislative findings and intent.
548-b. Definitions.
548-c. Neighborhood based initiatives project; services and activities.
548-d. Application for funding.
548-e. Neighborhood based initiatives oversight committee.
548-f. Administration.
548-g. Evaluation.
548-h. Reports.
§ 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.
§ 548-b. Definitions. As used in this article:
1. "Committee" shall mean the neighborhood based initiatives oversight committee established in accordance with section five hundred forty-eight-e of this article.
2. "Eligible applicant" shall mean a not-for-profit private or public agency, a school district, a local governmental agency, or a combination of such entities.
3. "Project" shall mean a neighborhood based initiatives project established in accordance with section five hundred forty-eight-c of this article.
4. "Department" shall mean the department of social services.
5. "Neighborhood based initiatives unified contract" or "contract" shall mean the sole written agreement for a project between the department, as representative of the committee, and the approved applicant, providing for the terms under which funds may be used to finance allowable project costs as defined in section five hundred forty-eight-f of this article.
6. "Neighborhood based initiatives advisory council" or "council" shall mean a voluntary group representing, to the greatest extent possible, the following: neighborhood residents, local government, the business and economic development community, service providers, charitable organizations, the legal community, and educational institutions, who shall be responsible for development of the plan required in section five hundred forty-eight-c of this article.
7. "Action plan" shall mean the strategic neighborhood action plan as described in subdivision three of section five hundred forty-eight-c of this article.
§ 548-c. Neighborhood based initiatives project; services and activities. 1. Project establishment. Neighborhood based initiative projects shall be established pursuant to this article. Each approved project shall have as its primary components an action plan, the creation of a council, and the provision of programs and services as described in this section.
2. Programs and services. a. Projects shall provide for coordinated, accessible services, which shall include:
i. comprehensive crisis intervention services on a twenty-four hour-a-day basis which shall provide for information and referral services and case management services, and may provide for mental health services, alcohol and substance abuse services, child care services, preventive services, and other services as identified by the project, to individuals and families who are experiencing an emergency due to homelessness, eviction, domestic violence, child abuse, alcohol or drug abuse, mental illness, or other emergency situations identified by the project; and/or
ii. comprehensive case management services to assist clients in accessing quality services and to expedite and ensure the receipt of such services. In addition, two or more needed services as determined by the applicant and approved in the project application, such as services listed in paragraph b of this subdivision, shall be provided.
b. Projects also may include any other specific local initiatives which may be necessary to assist in stabilizing and improving the neighborhood such as early intervention services, education, employment and training services, intensive home based prevention services, parenting education, comprehensive prenatal care, alcohol and substance abuse prevention, treatment, and aftercare services.
3. Strategic neighborhood action plan. The council for each approved project shall identify and quantify neighborhood needs on both a short and long range basis. Such plan shall include the council's assessment of the neighborhood's present and long range needs for economic development, job development, housing, and such other improvements and needs as may be identified by the project. Such plan also shall include a description of the actions and resources necessary to meet the needs as identified in the plan over the next five year period. The plan subsequently shall be submitted to the committee for review and the committee shall provide assistance as prescribed in section five hundred forty-eight-e of this article to the council to help enable the project to achieve its goals.
§ 548-d. Application for funding. 1. Application process. In response to a request for proposals, an eligible applicant may submit an application for funding for a project to the department, which shall receive all such applications on behalf of the committee. The department shall forward all such applications for funding to the committee for review and approval.
2. Components of application. Each application for funding shall include, but not be limited to:
a. a description of the geographic boundaries and demographic characteristics of the neighborhood in which the proposed project services will be targeted and an explanation of why that neighborhood was selected;
b. a description of the services that currently exist in the targeted neighborhood, any gaps in or barriers to such services, including identification of any known statutory or regulatory barriers, and the resources available within the community to support such services;
c. a description of how existing services will be made more accessible to residents of the targeted neighborhoods, whether or not any existing services will be expanded, what new services will be provided, how both the new and existing services will be coordinated, and what links will be established among the providers of services in the community;
d. a statement of the project's goals and objectives, including the intended outcome for each specific service or activity contained in the action plan provided, however, that such outcomes may include, but need not be limited to, appropriate measurable factors relating to employment, health, education, substance abuse, and alcoholism;
e. a description of the process and criteria that will be used by the applicant to select members of the council;
f. a description of the method that will be used to develop the action plan. Such description shall address the process to be used to engage the community residents in developing such action plan; and
g. a description of the community's involvement in the development of the application including the involvement of local governmental agencies, voluntary agencies, businesses, foundations, community organizations, and community residents, and the methods by which the applicant will assure continued community involvement in the delivery of services and long range planning efforts.
§ 548-e. Neighborhood based initiatives oversight committee. 1. Establishment. A neighborhood based initiatives oversight committee shall be established to oversee the implementation of the provisions of this article and shall consist of representatives of the following agencies or their designees, with the commissioner of the department or his or her designee serving as chairperson: the state advocate for the disabled; the director of the office for the aging; the director of the division of alcoholism and alcohol abuse; the executive director of the council on children and families; the chancellor of the city university of New York; the executive director of the developmental disabilities action planning council; the director of the budget; the commissioner of economic development; the commissioner of education; the commissioner of health; the commissioner of housing and community renewal; the commissioner of labor; the commissioner of mental health; the commissioner of the office for people with developmental disabilities; the commissioner of parks, recreation and historic preservation; the chancellor of the state university of New York; the director of the division of substance abuse services; the director of the division for youth; the director of the division for women; and the department of audit and control.
2. Powers and duties. a. The committee shall develop guidelines for the operation of projects.
b. Upon request the appropriate members of the committee may provide technical assistance to applicants.
c. The committee shall review and approve applications using the following selection criteria:
i. the demonstrated commitment and support, including financial support, for the project expressed by local government agencies, community residents and leaders, appropriate service providers, and private supporters;
ii. demographic information that indicates significant incidences of poverty, unemployment, foster care, infant mortality, substance or alcohol abuse, adolescent pregnancy, or other indicators of need relevant to the action plan;
iii. the anticipated effectiveness of the project as evidenced by the existence of other available resources, including existing links between public and/or private agencies that focus on the provision of services in high-need geographic areas of populations;
iv. the ability of the applicant to undertake and complete a comprehensive project and develop an action plan; and
v. the ability of the applicant to provide the necessary data for an effective evaluation of the project.
d. The committee shall ensure, as far as practicable, the equitable distribution of projects among urban, suburban, and rural areas.
e. Members of the committee shall provide technical assistance on an on-going basis to approved projects, which shall include, but shall not be limited to: providing and analyzing data; assistance in strengthening the programmatic and administrative viability of approved projects; assistance in strengthening action plans; identifying federal, state and local funds, and resources from any other sources available to support such projects; and developing local evaluation systems.
f. To promote innovative approaches and maximize effective use of federal, state, and local monies, and, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the commissioner or director of any state agency on the committee may waive, subject to the approval of the director of the budget, for those persons, providers, and communities involved in a project, any of such agency's regulatory requirements that may impede the successful implementation of a project, provided that such waiver is consistent with applicable state and federal statutes and will not impair the general health or welfare of the people receiving services under such project or others. Such commissioner or director shall be authorized, in consultation with the director of the budget, to impose appropriate alternative standards in place of any waived requirements.
g. On the basis of information submitted in approved applications and in the action plan, the committee is required to:
i. assist in identifying and obtaining resources and funding necessary for the implementation of the action plan, and make recommendations as appropriate and necessary in accordance with article VII of the state constitution;
ii. identify and request the appropriate member or members of the committee to waive any regulations or procedures that act as barriers to the effective implementation of the action plan, as long as such waiver is consistent with paragraph e of this subdivision;
iii. identify any specific statutory requirements that are expected to impede the successful implementation of such projects and, when and if necessary, submit requests to the legislature in accordance with article VII of the state constitution for specific legislative enactments necessary to remove such impediments; and
iv. provide all other assistance needed for successful implementation of the action plan.
h. The committee shall ensure that there will be a maximum use of existing resources, services, and funds to support projects and that the purposes and objectives of this article will be accomplished effectively.
i. The committee shall monitor each approved project to ensure that services are provided in accordance with this article and that funds are used in accordance with applicable state and federal law and regulations.
j. The committee shall require such reports as may be necessary.
§ 548-f. Administration. 1. Responsibilities of the department. a. Unless otherwise prescribed, the department or its designee shall be responsible for the administration of the provisions of this article.
b. In consultation with the committee, the department shall develop and disseminate a request for proposals on a statewide basis, provided however that during state fiscal year nineteen hundred ninety-ninety-one, the committee may limit the locations for dissemination of such request for proposals based on relevant demographic data and such other factors as may be determined by the committee. Not less than thirty days prior to dissemination of such requests for proposals in such state fiscal year, the department shall notify the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly of such proposed locations and the criteria for selection.
c. Not less than thirty days prior to approving an application pursuant to the provisions of this article, the committee, through the department, shall notify the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the assembly of its intent to approve a project. Such notification shall identify the recipient and state the proposed location, the estimated project cost and a brief description of the project. Upon completion of its review of an application and not less than thirty days after the notification as provide for in this paragraph, the committee shall approve or disapprove such application and the department shall notify the applicant of its decision.
d. The commissioner of the department and the other members of the committee shall enter into such agreements as shall be necessary to delineate their respective roles regarding the cooperative provision of program funding and technical assistance, and the review and monitoring of projects.
e. The department shall provide assistance to approved projects to develop an evaluation methodology appropriate to the goals and objectives of the projects.
2. Neighborhood based initiatives unified contract. a. The department shall enter into a neighborhood based initiatives unified contract with each applicant approved by the committee. The provisions of such contract shall include, but not be limited to: a description of project services and activities, the action plan, the allowable project costs, the specific sources of funds that will support the approved costs, including state funds, local funds, other governmental funds, and all nongovernmental funds or revenues that are proposed to be used in support of all project costs, and the allocation of costs by funding source.
b. The form of the neighborhood based initiatives unified contract shall be developed in consultation with the division of the budget and the department of audit and control.
3. The comptroller is authorized pursuant to a certificate of allocation submitted by the division of the budget to interchange or transfer from appropriations made to the agencies of the committee or any other appropriation, as appropriate, such amounts as may be required to fulfill the obligations of the state pursuant to neighborhood based initiatives unified contracts to the department for payment of such obligations. The division of the budget shall provide the chairmen of the senate finance committee and the assembly ways and means committee with quarterly reports of all interchanges and transfers which occur pursuant to this subdivision.
4. Allowable costs for each project shall include, but not be limited to costs reasonably incurred for:
a. preparation of the action plan required in section five hundred forty-eight-c of this article;
b. services as approved in the project application;
c. evaluation of the approved project;
d. administration, provided however in every case, the support of administrative costs pursuant to the contract shall be not more than the maximum percentage authorized for each source of funding or the total maximum dollars allowed for administrative costs for each funding source; and
e. minor renovations to existing structures, except that in no case shall the state support of such costs exceed either twenty-five percent of the project contract or fifty percent of the total renovation costs, whichever is less.
5. Funding made available through the contract shall not be used to supplant local or other funds.
6. Not more than forty percent of funds appropriated and made avail- able specifically for neighborhood based initiatives shall be used for any single project.
§ 548-g. Evaluation. 1. The committee shall conduct two evaluations of the implementation and effectiveness of this article: a compilation of individual project evaluations to be conducted in accordance with criteria established in paragraph d of subdivision one of section five hundred forty-eight-f of this article; and a comprehensive neighborhood based initiatives evaluation.
a. Individual project evaluations shall be conducted pursuant to the requirements of this article and submitted to the committee for review. The committee shall forward its comments and criticisms to the approved projects with recommendations of strategies for remediation of project deficiencies. Further, the committee shall compile the evaluations and the required comments and recommendations into a single document and shall submit such compilation to the governor and the legislature by January first, nineteen hundred ninety-two.
b. The committee shall cause to be prepared a comprehensive neighborhood based initiatives evaluation, which shall assess the efficacy and impact of the unified contract, the authorization relating to waiver of regulations, and the statutory exemptions on the delivery of services enacted by the legislature. In addition, the committee shall assess the extent to which the initiative has:
i. accomplished the goals and objectives to be reported to the legislature;
ii. improved the coordination of program development and service provision by the agencies participating on the committee; and
iii. reduced or eliminated duplicative and conflicting regulations.
2. The committee shall submit to the governor and the legislature an interim report, which shall include a compilation of the goals and objectives of the approved projects, and shall supplement such compilation with a statement of goals and objectives that relate specifically to the state's role in policy development, administration, and delivery of services to the targeted communities not later than January first, nineteen hundred ninety-two.
§ 548-h. Reports. The committee shall submit a report to the governor and the legislature on or before the first day of March of each year subsequent to a year in which funds have been awarded under this article to implement neighborhood based initiatives regarding the activities and actions of the committee, the criteria used to evaluate project goals, objectives, and outcomes, and based on these factors, the effectiveness of such projects in reaching the goals and objectives of the individual projects. The report shall address the appropriateness of continuing the provisions of this article and the feasibility of replicating such projects in other areas of the state. The report shall include recommendations, based on the experience gained under the provisions of this article, for modifying statewide policies that direct publicly funded programs.
