In December 1994, President Clinton announced 3 rural Empowerment Zones (EZ) and 30 rural Enterprise Communities (EC). Again in January 1999 Vice President Gore announced an additional 5 rural EZs and 20 rural ECs. The designations released major Federal funding for these low-income communities, along with tax credits, technical assistance, and eased regulations.

These actions alone will produce visible improvements in the quality of life for residents of these communities. But the Community Empowerment Initiative is much more than dollars. Experience teaches that lasting improvements in community life are unlikely to occur unless other more fundamental advances take place as well.

Basic to the Empowerment Initiative is the belief that low-income citizens must take charge of their communities and their lives, develop their ability to bring about basic improvements in the way their communities work, and undertake economic development that is sustainable through their own efforts.

This is empowerment.