ROMA: Results-Oriented Management and Accountability

ROMA, a performance-based initiative promoting outcome-based management strategies, was designed to preserve the anti-poverty focus of community action and to promote greater effectiveness among state and local agencies receiving Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funds. ROMA incorporates the use of outcomes or results into the administration, management and operation of over 1,000 community action agencies assisting low-income families and communities.

ROMA was created in 1994 by a task force of Federal, state, and local community action officials – the Office of Community Services' Monitoring and Assessment Task Force (MATF) in response to the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. The purposes of the act was to improve Federal program effectiveness and public accountability by promoting a focus on results, service quality and customer satisfaction. GPRA requires that federally funded programs demonstrate measurable outcomes. In response to GPRA and the recognition by OCS that the Community Action agencies could benefit from developing their own management and accountability practices, the CSBG Act was amended to mandate implementation of a comprehensive performance-based management system across the entire Community Services Network.

The six broad anti-poverty goals, established by the MATF, that guide the Community Services Network are:

Goal 1: Low-income people become more self-sufficient. (Family Goal)

Goal 2: The conditions in which low-income people live are improved. (Community Goal)

Goal 3: Low-income people own a stake in their community. (Community Goal)

Goal 4: Partnerships among supporters and providers of service to low-income people are achieved. (Agency Goal)

Goal 5: Agencies increase their capacity to achieve results. (Agency Goal)

Goal 6: Low-income people, especially vulnerable populations, achieve their potential by strengthening family and other supportive systems. (Family Goals)