NEW FORMULA WOULD CUT CRI POVERTY FUNDS

(10/31/2003)

Anti-poverty money in West Virginia has some winners and losers, with some state officials wanting to change the way they divvy up federal aid among the anti-poverty programs. The largest loss under the newest proposal is $238,539 for Community Resources Inc., a Parkersburg-based CAP that serves Calhoun, and got more than $866,000 this year to serve 11 counties. Community Service Block Grant funds are over $6.5 million this year. The money helps West Virginia's 16 Community Action Partnerships provide services, from Head Start and health clinics to driving single moms to work and helping people insulate their homes. The state Office of Economic Opportunity wants to start parceling out the money using a formula developed in 2000. The new system is described as fairer by some administrators. The new formula would give each CAP $150,000, plus $5,000 for each county it serves. The formula would then give out additional funding based on the area's low-income population.

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