In exercising its powers and carrying out its overall responsibility for a community action program, a community action agency shall have, subject to the purposes of this chapter, at least the following functions:
(a)
Planning systematically for and evaluating the program, including actions to develop information as to the problems and causes of poverty in the community, determine how much and how effectively assistance is being provided to deal with those problems and
causes, and establish priorities among projects, activities, and areas as needed for the best and most efficient use of resources.
(b)
Encouraging agencies engaged in activities related to the community action program to plan for, secure, and administer assistance available under this chapter or from other sources on a common or cooperative basis; providing planning or technical assistance to those agencies; and generally, in cooperation with community agencies and officials, undertaking actions to improve existing efforts to overcome poverty.
(c)
Initiating and sponsoring projects responsive to needs of the poor that are not otherwise being met.
(d)
Establishing effective procedures by which the poor and area residents concerned will be enabled to influence the character of programs affecting their interests,
providing for their regular participation in the implementation of those programs, and providing technical and other support needed to enable the poor and neighborhood groups to secure on their own behalf available assistance from public and private sources.
(e)
Joining with and encouraging business, labor, and other private groups and organizations to undertake, together with public officials and agencies, activities, in support of the community action program that will result in the additional use of private resources and capabilities, with a view to things such as developing new employment opportunities, stimulating investment that will have a measurable impact in reducing poverty among residents of areas of concentrated poverty, and providing methods by which residents of those areas can work with private groups, firms, and institutions in seeking solutions to problems of common concern.