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Living In Ohio
Community Services
About Ohio's Community Action Agencies
CommunityAction Agencies were first incorporated with the advent of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. They are locally controlled private nonprofit organizations whose purpose is to reduce poverty and to help low-income people become self-sufficient. There are over 1,100 community action agencies in the United States.
Currently, there are fifty-two (52) CAA's in Ohio, with every county receiving services. During the last program year, they administered $523,407,248 of resources aimed at alleviating the problems of poverty in Ohio's Communities. Nationally, Ohio ranks second in the amount of resources developed by its community action network.
Over the last thirty years, the CAA network has developed a broad base of programs and services. The chart below includes many, but not all, of the available services. These were compiled from reports required by the Community Services Block Grant.
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Employment
|
| Service Description |
# of Services
|
|
| Information/Referral |
|
| Job Counseling |
|
| Job Placement |
|
| On the Job Training |
|
| Employment Generating Projects |
|
| Skills Training |
|
| Other Projects |
|
| Community Organization/Advocacy |
|
|
|
Emergency Services
|
| Service Description |
# of Services
|
|
| Information/Referral |
|
| Cash/Loan Assistance |
|
| Emergency HEAP |
|
| Other Emergency Energy Support |
|
| Crisis Intervention Case Management |
|
| Mobilizing Goods, Services, Cash |
|
| Other Emergency Services |
|
| Homeless Assistance |
|
| Community Organization |
|
|
|
Education
|
| Service Description |
|
# of Services
|
|
| Information/Referral |
|
|
| Counseling |
|
|
| Public Education |
|
|
| Head Start |
|
|
| Day Care |
|
|
| ABE/GED |
|
|
| Other Education Projects |
|
|
| Community Organization |
|
|
|
|
Nutrition
|
| Service Description |
# of Services
|
|
| Information/Referral |
|
| Surplus Food Commodities |
|
| Food Pantries |
|
| Hot Meals |
|
| Gardening/Canning |
|
| Nutrition Education |
|
| WIC |
|
| Other Nutrition Projects |
78,576
|
| Statewide Planning and Coordination |
|
| Community Organization |
|
|
|
Income Management
|
| Service Description |
|
# of Services
|
|
| Information/Referral |
|
|
| Financial Counseling |
|
|
| Income Tax Counseling |
|
|
| Credit Unions |
|
|
| Weatherization |
|
|
| Energy Conservation Workshops |
|
|
| Other Projects |
|
|
| Community Organization |
|
|
|
|
Linkages with other Programs
|
| Service Description |
|
# of Services
|
|
| Information/Referral |
|
|
| Community Needs Assessment |
|
|
| Family/Individual Counseling |
|
|
| Transportation |
|
|
| Elderly Projects |
|
|
| Neighborhood/Community Development |
|
|
| Summer Youth Recreation |
|
1,434
|
| Other Linkages Projects |
|
36,005
|
| Statewide Planning and Coordination |
|
941
|
| Community Organization/Advocacy |
|
45,907
|
|
|
Housing
|
| Service Description |
|
# of Services
|
|
| Information/Referral |
|
18,426
|
| Housing Counseling/Loan Assistance |
|
1,229
|
| Other Housing Counseling |
|
2,451
|
| Home Repair/Rehab |
|
1,520
|
| Rent/Mortgage Assistance |
|
4,141
|
| Other Housing Projects |
|
5,131
|
| Statewide Planning and Coordination |
|
3
|
| Community Organization/Advocacy |
|
47
|
|
Family Development
|
| Service Description |
|
# of Services
|
|
| Case Management |
|
|
| Counseling |
|
|
| Cash Advance |
|
|
| Child Care |
|
|
|
|
Health
|
| Service Description |
|
# of Services
|
|
| Medical Transportation |
|
|
| Medical or Dental Screening |
|
|
| Immunizations |
|
|
| Prevention of Alcohol/Drug Abuse |
|
|
| Treatment of Alcohol/Drug Use |
|
|
| Pregnancy Related Care |
|
|
| Family Planning Services |
|
|
| Rural Health Programs |
|
|
| Other Primary Health Care |
|
|
| Other Health Programs |
|
|
|
Other
|
| Service Description |
|
# of Services
|
|
| Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
On January 25, 2002 The Ohio State University's John Glenn Institute for Public Policy and Public Service (The Glenn Institute) and the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies (OACAA), awarded 17 Ohio Community Action Agencies (CAAs) with 22 Best Practices Awards. The Glenn Institute and OACAA developed the Best Practices Awards to honor innovative and effective Community Action Agency programs that measurably meet the needs of their clients, their families and their communities by helping low income people become more self-sufficient. Using an outcomes-based evaluation system known as ROMA-Results Oriented Management Accountability, the Best Practices Awards serve as a showcase for innovative Community Action Agency efforts that make a measurable and life-changing difference.
The panel of evaluators selected by The John Glenn Institute developed a criteria with which to judge the nominated programs. They assigned points in each of these weighted categories: documented outcomes (40%), innovation (25%), reputability (20%) and collaboration (15%). Using this formula, the Panel selected both awardees and honorable mentions in each of the six ROMA categories. The Best Practices Awards competition is the first collaborative effort between a major university and a statewide association of Community Action Agencies. The program is likely to serve as a model for other states. OACAA and The John Glenn Institute asked Ohio CAA Executive Directors and Board Chairs to nominate programs within their agencies that produced measurable results for the people and communities they serve.
The Best Practices Award Project summary provides excellent descriptions of innovative CAA programs.
In order to locate a local community action agency, check out the map below.
Ohio Community Action Agency Service Areas 2007
Community Action Agencies
Map Key
1. Adams/Brown Counties Economic Opportunities, Inc.
2. Lima/Allen Council on Community Affairs
3. Kno-Ho-Co Community Action Commission
4. Ashtabula County Community Action Agency
5. Tri-County (Hocking-Athens-Perry) Community Action Agency
6. Auglaize/Mercer Bi-County Community Action Commission
7. Community Action Commission of Belmont County
8. Supports to Encourage Low-Income Families
9. Har-Ca-Tus Tri-County Community Action Organization
10. Tri-County Community Action Commission of Champaign-Logan-Shelby Counties
11. Opportunities Industrialization Center of Clark County
12. Clermont County Community Services
13. Clinton County Community Action Program
14. Community Action Agency of Columbiana County
15. Ohio Heartland Community Action Commission
16. Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland
17. Community Action Partnership of the Greater Dayton Area
18. Northwestern Ohio Community Action Commission, Inc.
19. Community Action Organization of Delaware, Madison, and Union Counties, Inc.
20. Erie/Huron Counties Community Action Commission
21. Community Action Program Commission of the Lancaster/Fairfield Area
22. Community Action Commission of Fayette County
23. Columbus Franklin County Community Action Agency
24. Community Action Program Committee of Meigs and Gallia Counties, Inc.
25. Geauga Community Action, Inc.
26. G-M-N Tri-County Community Action Committee
27. Cincinnati/Hamilton County Community Action Agency
28. HHWP Community Action Commission
29. Highland County Community Action Organization
30. Jackson/Vinton Community Action, Inc.
31. Jefferson County Community Action Council
32. Lifeline for Empowerment and Development of Consumers, Inc.
33. Ironton/Lawrence County Area Community Action Organization
34. Licking County Economic Action Development Study
35. Lorain County Community Action Agency
36. Economic Opportunity Planning Association of Greater-Toledo, Inc.
37. Youngtown Area Community Action Council
38. Community Action Wayne/Medina
39. Miami County Community Action Council
40. Community Action Program Corporation of Washington/Morgan Counties, Ohio
41. Warren County CS
42. Muskingum Economic Opportunity Action Group, Inc.
43. WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc.
44. Pickaway County Community Action Organization
45. Community Action Committee of Pike County
46. Community Action Council of Portage County
47. Ross County Community Action Commission, Inc.
48. Community Action Commission of Scioto County
49. Stark County Community Action Agency
50. Akron/Summit Community Action, Inc.
51. Warren/Trumbull Community Service Agency
52. Van Wert County Community Action Commission
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