OCS DCL-2022-21 FY 2021 Annual Report FY2022
Dear Colleague Letter
DCL#:
DATE:
TO:
SUBJECT:
ATTACHMENT(S):
Dear Colleagues,
You doubled down on your commitment to serve individuals, children, families, and communities long before I was appointed to be the director of the Office of Community Services. It has been my greatest honor supporting you during my tenure and witnessing you reaffirm your commitment every single day to the vulnerable populations we collectively serve. So I am proud to share the Office of Community Services (OCS) FY 2021 Annual Report with you, our grant recipients, subrecipients, partners, and stakeholders. This is OCS’ first-ever annual report, and we wanted the report to include data from our entire network. To achieve this, we pushed the release of the report back by four months in order to work with grant recipients to get their data in. I am happy to say that this report now represents data from all but one state.
This new annual report is dynamic and interactive, and demonstrates the wide reach and vibrancy of the work that OCS funds. As you read this report, I hope you feel a sense of pride knowing that your work makes OCS what it is. I hope you feel proud of everything we have accomplished together, and take some time to celebrate your contributions towards addressing the causes and consequences of poverty.
Today, more than ever, we see the vital role OCS-funded programs play in addressing persistent poverty and pervasive disparities and inequities. And, in order to achieve our vision—thriving communities where children are able to live choice-filled lives and where everyone has the opportunity and support needed to achieve their full potential— we have to take every viable and tangible action we can to achieve our goals.
When I joined OCS, I outlined four overarching priorities for OCS:
- Ensuring the programs we administer are of the highest quality possible and are reaching those most in need.
- Lifting up voices from the field and using lessons learned to be thoughtful, inclusive, and innovative in our approach.
- Identifying opportunities to break down silos and implement cross-cutting initiatives within OCS and ACF, and across the federal government.
- Amplifying OCS’ many connections to the Biden-Harris Administration’s top four priorities for better supporting families and communities.
I am pleased to present a snapshot of OCS’ initial efforts to support these overarching priority areas during FY 2021. I am proud of the foundation we have built thus far, and, and I look forward to seeing how far we will go in the years ahead.
OCS’ FY 2021 Annual Report can be found here .
As always, thank you for your partnership, collegiality, thoughtful feedback, and encouraging presence. I am privileged to lead this work with you.
/s/
Dr. Lanikque Howard
Director
Office of Community Services
Files
- PDF COMM_OCS_DCL-2022-21 FY 2021 Annual Report_FY2022 (270.30 KB)