History of Community Action
The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964
(EOA) established over 1,000 Community
Action Agencies (CAAs) at the local level to
implement EOA programs. EOA programs
included: VISTA (Volunteers In Service To
America); Job Corps; Neighborhood Youth
Corps; Head Start; Adult Basic Education;
Family Planning; Community Health
Centers; Congregate Meal Preparation;
Economic Development; Foster
Grandparents; Legal Services;
Neighborhood Centers; Summer Youth
Programs; Senior Centers; and others.
CAAs vary widely, with some being nonprofit
groups, others being city agencies, and
some being community-controlled groups.
Many CAAs vary greatly in how their
agencies are organized and in the type of
services they provide to their local
communities. In fact, the number of CAAs
has increased and it is now estimated that
CAAs serve over 80 percent of all U.S.
counties. Although CAAs were established
over 40 years ago, they have a rich history
of advocacy for and service to low-income
people and remain important in domestic
social policy to the present day.
About the Indiana Community
Action Association
The Indiana Community Action Association,
Inc. (IN-CAA) is a statewide not-for-profit
membership corporation, incorporated in the
State of Indiana in 1970. IN-CAA’s members
or Network is comprised of Indiana’s 24
Community Action Agencies (CAAs), which
serve all of Indiana’s 92 counties. IN-CAA
envisions a state with limited or no poverty,
where its residents have decent, safe, and
sanitary living conditions, and where
resources are available to help low income
individuals attain self-sufficiency.
IN-CAA serves as an advocate and facilitator
of policy, planning and programs to create
solutions and share responsibility as leaders
in the war against poverty. Therefore, it is
IN-CAA’s mission is to help the state’s
Community Action Agencies address the
conditions of poverty through: training and
technical assistance; developing models for
service delivery; and providing resources to
help increase Network capacity.
The functions of IN-CAA include
dissemination of information throughout the
Indiana Community Action Network, the
delivery of services in areas where local
operators have not been available, the
development of training programs that are
seen as viable, implementation of practices
that are best delivered by a central agency,
and other functions that are agreed upon by
the Board of Directors.
About the Indiana Community Action Network
In Indiana, there are 24 Community Action
Agencies that serve all 92 counties of
Indiana and comprise the Indiana
Community Action Network. Each
Community Action Agency periodically
analyzes community needs to identify
strategies that will work best in attacking
poverty. Each CAA is distinct because its
programs reflect the needs of their local
communities. These agencies are unique in
their ability to deploy diverse program
activities and services in meeting their
mission.
Community Action Agencies operate an
array of programs which include, but are not
limited to: Head Start, Energy Assistance
Program, Weatherization Program,
Individual Development Accounts,
Homeownership Counseling, Owner
Occupied Rehabilitation, Housing
Development, Foster Grandparents, Child
Care, and many more programs and
services. |
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