ACL, OCS Aim To Encourage Partnerships To Better Serve Beneficiaries
Sometimes it’s better to work in a partnership rather than going it alone. Therefore, two agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and the Office of Community Services (OCS) – are teaming up to enhance services for older Americans and those with disabilities.
Explaining that “no one agency can address all of the needs” of this audience, the two agencies have entered into a memorandum of understanding to develop and enhance activities for grant recipients who provide community-based support to address the causes and consequences of poverty, increase the opportunity and economic security of individuals and families, revitalize communities, and help older adults and people with disabilities live independently and participate fully in their communities.
ACL and OCS officials noted that their offices “have to work together to make a tangible different in the lives of older adults and person with disabilities, particularly those that are low income.” In the coming months, the agencies will issue a joint Dear Colleague letter that will identify ways to combine their various networks to encourage state and local collaborations.
“While we know that many OCS-funded grantees and ACL-funded grantees already partner in various ways, we are encouraging our networks to find new and re-imagined ways of meeting the needs of older adults and people with disabilities, particularly during the pandemic and recovery from it,” the agencies explained in a recent HHS blog post. “We are also encouraging OCS and ACL grantees who have not typically worked together to identify ways to partner to best support these populations, including supporting efforts to advance the use of evidenced-based approaches in our programs and networks.”
The agencies aim to combine their resources to: (1) explore opportunities for cross-sharing of knowledge; (2) promote the visibility and intersections of programs; (3) support efforts to inform and connect networks; (4) advance the use of evidenced-based approaches; and (5) enable networks to leverage funding to best meet client population needs. We look forward to see what results from this partnership!
Join us for our following Thompson Grants events:
Thompson Grants Workshop: Preparing for the Annual Audit | December 9, 2021 | Virtual Event
Federal Grants Forum: Orlando | December 14 - 16, 2021
