§ 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.