What We Do
From early childhood education to home repair, CAW/M provides an environment of friendly customer service. Head Start programs offer a two-generation approach and work to close the achievement gap that poverty may impact, assisting families in developing and supporting education for their children. Eligible low-income households are assisted through various cost-savings programs, making homes safer, more energy-efficient and affordable. Other services support economic self-sufficiency and independence, addressing self-sufficiency, transportation, food insecurity, employment, prescription assistance and relevant community partnerships that leverage resources.
For over 50 years, CAW/M has provided much-needed services and opportunities to thousands of low-income people and families each year, improving their lives and generating positive impact in the communities served.
History of Community Action
On August 20, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, which created a variety of programs, including Community Action Agencies, as part of his War on Poverty. Community Action Agencies (CAA) were designed as locally controlled organizations with the purpose of reducing poverty and helping low-income people become self-sufficient.
Through keeping a pulse on their communities of service, CAAs find solutions based on local needs by promoting self-sufficiency, ensuring that all residents are able to live in dignity, and by implementing innovative and cost-effective programs to improve lives and living conditions. Now there are about 1,100 CAAs across the United States serving income-eligible individuals and families of all ages. They are governed by a tripartite board of directors composed of one third representing low-income people.