RCD AT 2022-01 RCD Program Data Collection – Projects Serving Persistent and High-Poverty Areas (FY 2021)

Publication Date: December 3, 2021
Current as of:

Rural Community Development Program

Action Transmittal

 

IM#:                                  RCD AT-2022-01

DATE:                              December 3, 2021

TO:                                  Rural Community Development Grant Recipients

SUBJECT:                      Rural Community Development (RCD) Program Data Collection — Projects Serving Persistent and High-Poverty Areas (FY                                                2021)

ATTACHMENT(S):         RCD_Persistent Poverty Data Collection Tool_FY 2021 Activities


PURPOSE: To collect information from Rural Community Development (RCD) grantees regarding technical assistance provided to projects with RCD funding during Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 that are located in persistent poverty areas and high-poverty areas, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

RELATED REFERENCES: 
•    Section 680(a)(3)(B) of the CSBG Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. § 9921(a)(3)(B)).
•    Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Pub. L. No: 116-260; H Rept. 116-450

BACKGROUND:  RCD funds are used for increasing access to water supply and waste disposal services; preserving affordable water and waste disposal services; increasing local capacity and expertise to establish and maintain needed community facilities; ensuring basic water and sanitation; utilizing technical assistance to leverage additional public and private resources; and, promoting improved coordination of federal, state, and local agencies and financing programs in these communities.

FY 2019 and 2020 Data Report

On December 27, 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Public Law No: 116-260, was enacted into law.  The House Report accompanying the law, H. Rept 116-450, requested that the Department of Health and Human Services provide a report on Rural Community Facilities Development projects supported by RCD grant funding during FY 2019 and 2020.  The report, which was submitted on May 28, 2021, identified which projects are in persistent poverty areas, which are defined as any county that has had 20 percent or more of its population living in poverty over the past 30 years, as measured by the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses and the most recent Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates published by the Census Bureau.  In addition, the report identified which projects are in high-poverty areas, where the term high-poverty area is defined as any county or tribal census tract with a poverty rate of at least 20 percent, as measured by the American Community Survey’s 2014—2018 5-year data series. 

FY 2021 Data Collection and Reporting

As part of the FY 2021 non-competing continuation application process, RCD grantees were required to collect and report time and costs associated with work supporting projects in persistent and high-poverty areas.  As such, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will provide a similar report on Rural Community Facilities Development projects supported by RCD grant funding during FY 2021. The report will identify which projects are in persistent poverty areas. For the purpose of this report, persistent poverty areas will be measured by the 2000 and 2010 decennial censuses and the 2019 Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), which is the latest available data from the Census Bureau. In addition, the report will identify which projects are in high-poverty areas, as measured by the Census Bureau’s latest American Community Survey 5-year statistics, which is based on data collected from 2015 to 2019 American Community Survey.

ACTION: RCD grantees are to provide data on projects for which RCD grant funding was used to provide technical assistance during FY 2021. The report will identify the amount of time and the costs associated with technical assistance activities supporting projects in persistent and high-poverty areas.  

Grantees are expected to enter the following information into the attached Excel-based tool for each project and location:

  • Project Name
  • County — to include county, city (incorporated city), Parish (LA), Census Area (AK), or Municipio (PR)
  • State
  • Census Tract — Census tract must be provided for all entries, even if the tool designates a county as persistent poverty, so that persistent poverty and high-poverty data can be analyzed separately.
  • Time associated with supporting this project 
  • Grant cost associated with supporting this project

The tool provides specific instructions for data entry.  Once data is provided, the tool will automatically identify which projects serve areas (counties or census tracts) of persistent or high-poverty, based on the most recent available data from the U.S. Census Bureau. 
Please submit the completed RCD Persistent Poverty Data Collection Tool via email to OCSRegistrar@icf.com no later than January 15, 2022.

Thank you for your attention to these matters. OCS looks forward to continuing to provide high-quality services to OCS grantees. 

/s/
Lynda E. Perez
Director, Division of Community Discretionary and Demonstration Programs
Office of Community Services