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About Community Action Agencies (CAAs)
Community Action Agencies (CAAs) are nonprofit private and public organizations established under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to fight America's War on Poverty. Community Action Agencies help people to help themselves in achieving self-sufficiency. Today there are approximately 1,000 Community Action Agencies serving the poor in every state as well as Puerto Rico and the Trust Territories. The service areas of Community Action Agencies (CAAs) cover 96 percent of the nation's counties.* Our agencies are connected by a national network that includes the Community Action Partnership national association, regional associations, state associations, a national lobbying organization, and a national association of Community Service Block Grant administrators. Click here for a listing of CAAs and state CAA associations. CAAs are a primary source of direct support for the more than 34.5 million people who live in poverty in the United States.** The majority of CAA program participants are extremely poor, with incomes below 75 percent of the federal poverty threshold, or $9,735 for a family of three (the average family size for the client population).* The Community Action network serves approximately:
* Source: The National Association for State Community Services Programs ** Source: Census Bureau Other figures obtained through a 1998 survey of CAAs. Response rate: 37 percent. CAA boards of directors have a unique composition of:
Little Dixie CAA in Hugo, Oklahoma, built its 1,000th home under USDA’s Self-Help Housing program in June 1999. Self-Help Housing pulls families together into groups that work together to build a home for each family in the group. The sweat equity cuts the cost of this housing cost almost in half and the bonds developed between the families can last a lifetime. Little Dixie provides funds and support every step of the way to make sure each family succeeds in getting a safe, decent, and affordable home. Home ownership is a key step toward self-sufficiency. Little Dixie Community Action Agency Hugo, Oklahoma The Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph office in Cameron, Missouri, became a bustling one-stop center only seven months after opening. The CAA and the Department of Family Services (DFS) staff formed the CARE team to maintain and improve the quality of life for the citizens of Cameron by addressing their social, economic, and educational needs. Program participants meet staff from the CAA and other public service agencies in one place. With a coordinated effort, the CAA and DFS have been able to establish a one-stop system that eases the path to self-sufficiency. Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph St. Joseph, Missouri National Community Action Month and the Community Dialogue Each year, the CAA network recognizes May as National Community Action Month. During May, the Community Action Partnership and CAAs celebrate Community Action successes and re-commit to fighting poverty. Every four years during National Community Action Month, the network leads a series of dialogues on poverty to discuss how to attack the root causes of poverty at the local, state, and national levels. The National Dialogue on Poverty began in 1996 with more than 150,000 people participating in over 3,000 local dialogues convened by 500 CAAs across America. Sixty-four percent of the 1996 participants identified well-paying jobs with benefits as the top priority in eliminating the causes of poverty. Other important concerns included basic needs, affordable housing, education, and healthcare. The Partnership's follow-up Dialogue 2000 focused on how communities and CAAs can advocate for the implementation of public policies to achieve their priorities and produced An Agenda for Every American. |
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