52:27D-397. Definitions

As used in this act:

a. "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Community Affairs;

b. "Community" means a municipality, county or any part or combination thereof which represents a reasonable geographic area and sufficient population for community action programs;

c. "Community action agency" means any public, or private nonprofit, agency or organization which was officially designated as a community action agency or a community action program under the provisions of section 210 of the "Economic Opportunity Act of 1964," Pub.L.88-452 (42 U.S.C. s.2790; repealed, section 683(a), Pub.L.97-35 (42 U.S.C. s.9912(a))) for federal fiscal year 1981, or which came into existence during federal fiscal year 1982 as a direct successor in interest to such a community action agency or community action program, and meets all the requirements under section 675(c)(3) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. s.9904(c)(3)), unless such community action agency or community action program lost its designation under section 210 of the "Economic Opportunity Act of 1964," (42 U.S.C. s.9912(a)) as a result of a failure to comply with the provisions of that act. "Community action agency" also means an agency designated by the State in accordance with section 675(c)(4) of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. s.9904(c)(4));

d. "Community action program" means any program or project conducted by an agency or organization as described in subsection c. of this section which uses funds: (1) to provide a range of services and activities having a measurable and potentially major impact on causes of poverty in the community or those areas of the community where poverty is a particularly acute problem;

(2) to provide activities designed to assist participating low-income persons, including the elderly poor, to secure and retain meaningful employment, to attain an adequate education, to make better use of available income, to obtain and maintain adequate housing in a suitable living environment, to obtain emergency assistance through loans or grants to meet immediate and urgent individual and family needs (including the need for health service, nutritious food, housing and employment-related assistance), to remove obstacles and solve problems which block the achievement of self-sufficiency, to achieve greater participation in the affairs of the community, and to make more effective use of other programs related to the needs of low-income persons;

(3) to provide on an emergency basis for the provision of such supplies and services, nutritious foodstuffs, and related services, as may be necessary to counteract conditions of starvation and malnutrition among the poor;

(4) to coordinate and establish linkages between governmental and other social services programs to assure the effective delivery of such services to low-income individuals; and

(5) to encourage the use of entities in the private sector of the community and efforts to ameliorate poverty in the community;

e. "Low-income persons" means any individual or family whose gross annual income is at or below the official poverty line as determined by the Director of the federal Office of Management and Budget;

f. "Federal Office of Community Services" means the federal office within the Federal Department of Health and Human Services which distributes Community Services Block Grant Act funds to states; and

g. "Community Services Block Grant Act" means section 671 et seq., subchapter B of chapter 8 of the "Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981," Pub.L.97-35 (42 U.S.C. s.9901 et seq.), as amended.

L.1991,c.51,s.3.