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Distressed Cities and Persistent Poverty Technical Assistance Program
Municipality of Coamo – Recipient of DCTA
City of Needles, California – DCTA Recipient
 
Download the DCTA Program Info Sheet (English | Español)
 
Overview

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The Distressed Cities and Persistent Poverty Technical Assistance (DCTA) program is designed to build capacity of local governments experiencing economic distress and assist local governments and their nonprofit partners in alleviating persistent poverty in specific areas (census tracts). Through DCTA, HUD provides technical assistance (TA) directly to entities serving smaller communities with populations under 50,000.

DCTA considers good fiscal health, strong financial performance, and effective financial management practices to be the foundation for successful implementation of projects and progression towards goals. Therefore, these are central components of the TA offered through this program.

Other possible areas of TA under the DCTA program include governance and management, leadership development, data and research, building partnerships, community engagement, strategic planning, plan implementation, and program evaluation. This list is not exhaustive. Please email distressedcities@hud.gov if you need TA in another area and are unsure if it fits within the scope of the DCTA program.

Most DCTA recipients work on building capacity in the areas listed above by identifying a priority goal they would like to make progress on. See examples below.

Example Table

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Goal

Priority goal for the UGLG requesting TA.

Assessment

Opportunity for the TA provider to gather background and understand circumstances.

TA Activities

Specific tasks UGLG will do with the support of the TA provider to make progress towards goal.

TA Outcome

Realistic outcomes of DCTA engagements where UGLG is fully engaged and committed to TA process.

Improve long-term fiscal stability
  • Review recent audits and financial statements.
  • Review funding applications (unsuccessful and successful).
  • Review organizational chart and sample time sheet.
  • Interview elected leaders and financial director.
  • Implement cost saving initiatives, such as phone line audits and dependent eligibility audits.
  • Incorporate multiyear revenue forecasts and priority-based budgeting into the City’s existing budget process.
  • Able to align budget line items to city's performance and community impact.
  • Established open communication between finance and other departments.
  • Identified funds to purchase software for priority-based budgeting.

Retain qualified staff in essential positions
  • Interview city manager or mayor, department managers, and human resources staff.
  • Review pay schedule of UGLG compared to similar employers in area.
  • Look for trends in departures and vacancies.
  • Review employee incentive and growth opportunities.

 
  • Connect with peer cities to learn about their employee incentives.
  • Learn how to adopt a local hiring policy.
  • Identify previous employees areas of frustrations and take steps to mitigate.
  • Received relatively high number of applicants for recently posted position that describes workplace flexibilities (an employee incentive).
 
Eligibility

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Category 1: Economically Distressed

Units of general local government (UGLGs or local governments) serving populations under 50,000 that are economically distressed are eligible to receive capacity building technical assistance through HUD’s Distressed Cities and Persistent Poverty Technical Assistance (DCTA) Program.

  • Economically Distressed: Local governments with an average unemployment rate of 9 percent or more over the past three years using American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates; a poverty rate of 20 percent or more among individuals not enrolled in higher education as of the most recent ACS 5-year estimates, OR a population decline of 5 percent or more between the 2010 Decennial Census and most recent ACS 5-Year estimates.

Category 2: Experiencing Persistent Poverty

Units of general local government (UGLGs or local governments) serving populations under 50,000 with one or more census tracts experiencing persistent poverty are eligible to receive capacity building technical assistance through HUD’s Distressed Cities and Persistent Poverty Technical Assistance (DCTA) Program.

  • Persistent Poverty: A census tract with a poverty rate of 20 percent or higher over the past 30 years.

**Please note Categories 1 and 2 are not mutually exclusive. **

Search for your local government in the spreadsheet below to see if you are eligible. If you believe your local government is eligible but is not noted as such in this spreadsheet, please contact distressedcities@hud.gov.

For information on the methodology used to create this eligibility spreadsheet, please see FAQs 1-4.

Request Technical Assistance

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Submit your request for technical assistance via this online form. If you experience difficulties accessing and completing this form, please email distressedcities@hud.gov.

The DCTA program operates on a demand-response system, meaning there is no deadline for requesting technical assistance through this program. However, requesting assistance early is highly encouraged to better ensure HUD will be able to approve your request. This program has limited capacity and may not be able to approve all requests. Requests for financial management technical assistance will be prioritized.

Some non-profit organizations may receive technical assistance in partnership with their local government. The local government must submit a request and will be the lead entity for the technical assistance engagement. Non-profit organizations may submit a request separately to provide information on their organization and its partnership with the local government. If you are unsure if this approach is appropriate for your local government and community needs, please email distressedcities@hud.gov. If this approach fits your needs and circumstances, please note this in your request. You will be prompted to provide the name of the other local government(s) nonprofit organization(s) and your primary points of contact at these entities.

Questions?

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Email distressedcities@hud.gov

 

 

Content current as of March 27, 2023

General Information
What is technical assistance (TA)?

Guidance which enables recipients to overcome a lack of specific skills or knowledge and, by doing so, become more successful in meeting the needs of their communities. TA is the transfer of skills and knowledge to entities that may need, but do not possess, such skills and knowledge.

Request TA Here

DCTA Resources

Current recipients of DCTA and others looking for resources for economically distressed communities, visit the DCTA HUD Exchange.

Sampling of Current Recipients
  • Municipality of Barranquitas, Puerto Rico
  • City of Bogalusa, Louisiana
  • Municipality of Comerio, Puerto Rico
  • City of Fairfield, Alabama
  • City of Gretna, Louisiana
  • City of Hardin, Montana
  • City of Hattiesburg, Mississippi
  • City of West Memphis, Arkansas
  • City of Laurel, Mississippi
  • Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Minnesota
  • City of Monessen, Pennsylvania
  • Muscogee Nation, Oklahoma
  • City of Salem, New Jersey
  • City of Selma, Alabama
  • City of Sylvester, Georgia
  • City of Talent, Oregon
  • Municipality of Villalba, Puerto Rico
  • City of York, Alabama

Examples of Units of General Local Governments

  • Tribes
  • Villages
  • Towns
  • Cities
  • Counties
  • Municipalities

 

Partner nonprofit organizations must be established 501(c)3 organizations with a history of working to alleviate poverty in your jurisdiction.