Duties of office

The office shall: (1) coordinate state activities designed to reduce poverty; (2) encourage entities in the private sector to participate in efforts to ameliorate poverty in the community; (3) cooperate with agencies of local, state, and the federal government in reducing poverty and implementing community, social, and economic programs; (4) receive and expend funds for the purposes outlined in this part; (5) enter into contracts with and award grants to public and private nonprofit agencies and organizations; (6) develop a state plan based on needs identified by community action agencies and community action statewide organizations; (7) designate community action agencies to receive funds through the Community Services Block Grant program; (8) fund community action agencies and community action statewide organizations; (9) make rules in conjunction with the division in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, to carry out the purposes of this part; (10) provide assistance to local governments or private organizations for the purpose of establishing and operating a community action agency; (11) provide technical assistance to community action agencies to improve program planning, program development, administration, and the mobilization of public and private resources; (12) convene public meetings that provide citizens the opportunity to comment on public policies and programs to reduce poverty; (13) advise the governor and Legislature of the nature and extent of poverty in the state and make recommendations concerning changes in state and federal policies and programs; (14) encourage Utah's nonprofit humanitarian assistance agencies serving low-income persons by facilitating, coordinating, training, and providing technical assistance to address the needs of Utah's low-income persons by enhancing management, improving service and program delivery, facilitating partnerships, and preserving flexibility and local initiative; (15) develop and implement management goals that fulfill the Community Services Block Grant mission, state requirements, and the mandates of federal legislation; (16) prepare a Community Services Block Grant plan that contains provisions describing how the state will carry out the assurances of the Community Services Block Grant Act; (17) act as the state agency responsible for the evaluation and improvement of emergency food assistance services in the state; (18) monitor the impact of social policies on the emergency food network; (19) provide training and technical assistance to grantees to assist their: (a) program development and implementation; (b) compliance with state and federal regulations; and (c) reporting and management information systems; (20) make the distributions required by Section 35A-8-1009; and (21) administer other programs to alleviate poverty that are assigned to the office.