The Monroe County Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (FBCI) is a Division of the Department of Human Services. The Office will operate following the guidelines put forth by the National FBCI Office created by President George W. Bush in 2001.

President George W. Bush’s Initiative

“The paramount goal is compassionate results, and private and charitable groups, including religious ones, should have the fullest opportunity permitted by law to compete on a level playing field, so long as they achieve valid public purposes, like curbing crime, conquering addiction, strengthening families, and overcoming poverty.”

Monroe County FBCI Mission

The primary mission of the Monroe County Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives is to strengthen the role of faith-based and community-based organizations in addressing the social needs of the Monroe County community, including literacy, homelessness, poverty, and the care of children and the elderly.

Responsibilities

The Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives is responsible for:

• Building stronger relationships between Monroe County departments and area faith-based and community-based organizations to better serve the community.
• Assisting faith-based and community-based organizations with information regarding government assistance, grant writing and program development.
• Creating greater community awareness of the federal government’s faith-based initiatives as they pertain to Monroe County.

CFBCI Mission Statement

The mission of the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI) is to create an environment within the Department (HHS) that welcomes the participation of faith-based and community-based organizations as valued and essential partners assisting Americans in need. The CFBCI’s mission is part of the Department’s focus on improving human services for our country’s neediest citizens. This Center leads the Department’s efforts to better utilize faith-based and community-based organizations in providing effective human services.

HHS has made great strides in improving current faith-based and community partnerships, providing opportunities for new partnerships with faith-based and community organizations, and removing existing barriers to the inclusion of these groups in HHS programs. Technical assistance has been provided throughout the country to increase the capacity of faith-based and community organizations working with vulnerable and needy populations. HHS has reached out and collaborated with religious and neighborhood organizations that for decades have been bringing solutions to bear on some of our country’s most intractable problems. Finally, HHS staff has received training to better understand how to reach out and partner with these organizations.

The Center supplies information and training, but it does not make the decisions about which groups will be funded. Those decisions are made through procedures established by each grant program, generally involving a competitive process. No grant funding is set aside for faith-based organizations. Instead, the Faith-Based and Community Initiative creates a level-playing field for faith-based as well as other community organizations so that they can work with the government to meet the needs of America’s communities.