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The U.S. Conference of
Mayors provides information and technical assistance to mayors, city human
services officials, and other city officials on a wide range of problems
relating to human services and efforts and initiatives they can undertake to
prevent or alleviate these problems. While organizations and
agencies dealing with human services and related problems and issues may be
defined and organized differently in different cities, human services
principally include those services which directly assist people in areas such
as child care, income assistance, nutrition and services to specific
populations, including children, youth, families, the elderly and the homeless.
Areas in which the
Conference's human services activities have been recently concentrated include
hunger and homelessness, poverty including income assistance, and youth. Human Services and the U.S. Conference of
Mayors
Over the past 20 years the
U.S. Conference of Mayors has conducted a variety of human service projects
including those relating to welfare reform implementation, implementation of
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), immigration and immigration policy,
the depth and degree of involvement of city governments in social services and
their delivery, the use of volunteers in city governments, issues related to
the resettlement of refugees in cities, homelessness, hunger and the
development of comprehensive municipal food policies and the status of aging
populations and children in the nation’s cities. In 1983, the President of
the U.S. Conference of Mayors established The Task Force on Hunger and
Homelessness. Since then, the Task Force has grown and continues to serve as
the focal point for the Conference's efforts in this area. More than 25 reports
on hunger, homelessness and related issues have been accomplished under its
auspices. In 1996, the Executive
Committee of the Conference established a Task Force on Welfare Reform
Implementation. Among the priorities outlined by the Task Force were the
monitoring of welfare reform implementation in cities. During this time the
Task Force crafted significant policy recommendations solutions which were
later adopted by the Conference of Mayors,.
The Conference, through the Task Force, also produced two surveys that
catalogued the challenges that America's cities faced and continue to face in
implementing welfare reform. A Snapshot of the Conference’s Past Human
Services Activities
Welfare Reform Implementation The Conference’s first Welfare Reform report, "Implementing
Welfare Reform in America's Cities," is a 34-city survey which not
only compiled information on the impact of welfare reform on cities' demands
and resources for providing job opportunities, child care, assisted housing,
immigrant and other services, but catalogued 'Best Practices' in these areas. The second report, "The Welfare Challenge Facing
America's Cities," surveyed 125 cities on job prospects for
welfare recipients, reasons for welfare case load reductions, assessment of
services connecting low-income individuals to jobs, potential for job creation,
and opportunities for regional collaboration to employ welfare recipients.
Hunger and Homelessness Under the auspices of the Task Force on Hunger and
Homelessness and through its human services programs, Conference reports were
cited extensively by members of Congress, other political leaders, researchers
and advocates as reliable sources of data in their efforts to understand,
develop adequate policy responses to, and enact legislation that addresses the
problems of hunger and homelessness. In addition, staff has tracked the
programs of the McKinney Act and provided information to city officials which
has assisted them in funding applications.
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) The U.S. Conference of Mayors played a key role in the
development of a national public education campaign on the Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC). This EITC campaign has
significantly increased the number of low-income households applying for the
credit. According to the IRS, the involvement of the Conference and cities in these
outreach efforts was crucial to the success of the campaign. The Conference
continues to be a central participant in the ongoing EITC campaign with
innumerable cities nationwide conducting their own successful EITC Outreach and
Awareness public information activities and campaigns.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) To assist cities in implementing the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), the Conference published "Implementing The
Americans with Disabilities Act: Case Studies of Exemplary Local
Programs." In addition, a series
of 12 articles on the ADA was published in the Conference newspaper, US MAYOR.
In later years the Conference continued its monitoring of ADA implementation,
forging alliances with organizations dedicated to focusing on disability
issues. As an integral part of the Conference’s publication of a
“Directory of Human Services Officials the Conference” has also historically
included a “Directory of Local ADA Officials" listing city ADA
coordinators. Staff Contact:
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The United States Conference of Mayors
J. Thomas Cochran, Executive Director
1620 Eye Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
Telephone (202) 293-7330, FAX (202) 293-2352
Copyright ©2003, US Conference of Mayors, All rights
reserved.