Nebraska HHS Committee reviews CSBG state plan, hears local community action agencies describe services and needs

At a public hearing of the Nebraska Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee, senators heard federal and local officials describe how the Community Services Block Grant, or CSBG, supports Nebraska’s nine community action agencies and the state’s plan development for federal fiscal years 2027–28.

The discussion matters because CSBG is the core federal funding stream that underpins Nebraska’s Community Action Network. Shannon Goetrien, director of the Office of Economic Assistance at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, told the committee the department is drafting the state plan that must be submitted by Sept. 1, 2026, and summarized program oversight, eligibility and reporting requirements tied to the federal CSBG Act.

"The purpose of the Community Services Block Grant is to provide assistance to states and local communities ... for the reduction of poverty, the revitalization of low-income communities, and the empowerment of low-income families and individuals to become fully self-sufficient," Goetrien said. She told senators the department…