The purpose of this act is to establish an annual Community Development Block Grant Entitlement for certain cities, boroughs, towns and townships and for 54 counties to be used by said counties principally in boroughs, towns and townships which are not allocated annual entitlements. Assured annual funding will permit meaningful programs to be developed and local staff capacity to be created and maintained. Boroughs, towns and townships will also have the opportunity to obtain annually discretionary funding for projects for community development activities which are eligible under the Housing and Community Development Act.¹ Initially, it will put 54 counties and certain municipalities on a comparable basis with the 12 urban counties and 28 cities, boroughs and townships which receive direct annual community development block grant entitlements from the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.