Section 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.