OACAA - About CAA's

Purpose Questions & Answers Community Programs District Chairs Directory and Map
Agency Profiles (Agency profiles by: Ohio Department of Development, Office of Community Services)

Purpose
It is the purpose of Community Action Agencies to provide a range of services and opportunities having a measurable and potentially major impact on the causes of poverty in the community by assisting low-income people to: secure and maintain meaningful employment attain an adequate education make better use of available income obtain and maintain adequate housing and a suitable living environment obtain emergency assistance to meet immediate individual and family needs for healthy nutrition, housing and employment needs remove obstacles and solve personal and family problems that block the achievement of self-sufficiency achieve greater participation in the affairs of the community obtain energy assistance, conservation, and weatherization services on an emergency basis, provide necessary supplies and services, nutritious foodstuffs, to counteract starvation and malnutrition among low-income persons coordinate and establish links between government and other social services programs provide child care services, nutrition and health services, transportation services, alcoholism and narcotic addiction prevention and rehabilitation services, youth development services and community services to elerly and handicapped persons encourage entities in the private sector to participate inefforts to ameliorate poverty in the community. Back to Top

Questions & Answers
Q - What is a Community Action Agency (CAA)? A- A Community Action Agency is a locally controlled private nonprofit organization whose purpose is to reduce poverty and to help low-income people become self sufficient. Q - How do Community Action Agencies involve those whom they seek to help? A - A CAA is administered with the "maximum feasible participation" of low income persons. This maximum feasible participation concept is an essential element of community action and a major factor that distinguishes CAAs from other nonprofit human service providers. Q - What is the basis for the founding of CAAs? A - The CAAs were founded under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. The nationwide network of more than 900 CAAs has become the real safety net for America’s low-income population. Q - What has provided the basic funding for the support services of the Community Action Agencies? A - The Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) funds have provided the principal funding. The CSBG funding is essential to Community Action Agency operations. Q - What is the composition of the Board of Trustees? A - By law, the CAA Board of Trustees must be composed of representatives from three major elements of the community: one-third low-income residents, one-third from elected public officials, and the remainder being members of the private sector (such as business, industry, labor, religion, welfare, education and other major groups). Q - How does a Community Action Agency work? A - A CAA uses several strategies for getting people out of poverty. These strategies focus on eliminating the causes of poverty and changing the conditions of poverty. Some strategies do NOT need any funds. They require only the energy of the Board members to implement. These strategies include: Institutional Change - These strategies include promoting changes in other social, economic and political institutions. The focus is on how these affect low-income people. The objective is to change society so that it is a better place for all people. Community Organization and Development - Involves more traditional approaches to helping low-income people to act on their own behalf. These focus on solving a community problem, creating a new opportunity, correcting a social injustice or some other self-help effort. The purpose of this strategy is to help low-income people to obtain skills needed to solve problems affecting their lives. Program Coordination - The basic strategy is that all monies within a community begin spent for a particular purpose should be coordinated to prevent duplication of effort. Resource Mobilization - This strategy is to expand the total amount of resources available to help low-income people. Outreach and Information and Referral - The objective of this strategy is to have a referral network that will put low-income people in touch with programs and services that will meet their needs. Case Management - A case management system provides the on-going contact to promote a fully self-sufficient individual or family. These systems enable a CAA to work with specific individuals and families to solve their problems. Direct Social Services - Initially, it was not intended that a CAA would offer direct social services. It was to provide a support system for existing social services systems. Over time it has proven to be a better use of resources for a CAA to provide certain social services. Back to Top

Community Programs
Community Action Agencies provide a number of programs with benefits that are more difficult to measure by statistics; yet, they provide a wide range of much needed services to low-income people. For example, some agencies have established interest-free loans for people who need small loans for simple home repairs and do not qualify for conventional loans. (No public money is used in this loan program -- only private contributions.) In different areas of Ohio, Community Action Agencies provide support for the Salvation Army. Through partnership with some of Ohio’s universities, CAAs serve as training sites for nurses, dentists and dental hygienists, and obstetrics and gynecology residents. This cooperative arrangement increases both the quality of care for low income individuals and access by this population to licensed health care professionals. Innovations in Head Start . . . Jobs created through Microenterprise Development . . . Literacy Programs . . . Counseling . . . Nutrition Education . . . Employment Training for Adults . . . Parenting/Child Skills training . . . Youth Programs . . . Homebuyer Education -- the list of quality services provided by the CAAs is endless. While the picture presented in these web pages is only a glimpse, we hope it begins to show you what Community Action Agencies are and all that they accomplish. Current Programs: Day Care: Dental Clinics: Early Start: Employment: Families in Partnership: Fatherhood: Food/Clothing Pantry: Foster Grandparents: GED Preparation: Head Start: Health: Home Repair: Homeless Shelters: Homeownership: Literacy: Parenting: Recycling: Taxi Service: Weatherization: WIC: Back to Top

District Chairs
District I DEB GERKEN Northwestern Ohio CAC 1933 E. Second Street Defiance, Ohio 43512	District II MAIME HUNT Trumbull Community Action Program (T-CAP) 230 Palmyra Raod, SW Warren, Ohio 44485
District III Gary Obloy Executive Director Community Action Commission of Belmont County 410 Fox Shannon Place St. Clairsville, OH 43950	District IV Cheryl Thiessen Executive Director Jackson/Vinton Community Action 14333 S.R. 327 North Wellston, OH 45692
District V AL NORRIS Adams-Brown Counties Economic Opportunities, Inc. 200 S. Green Street Georgetown, Ohio 45121	District VI DR. OSCAR GRIFFITH Econominc Opportunity Planning Association of Greater Toledo, Inc. (EOPA) 505 Hamilton Street - Hamilton Building Toledo, Ohio 43602
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Directory & Map
Below is a CLICK-ABLE map of the state of Ohio depicting the county service areas for the various Community Action Agencies. Single county agencies are shaded in green. Multi-county agencies are shaded and grouped in other colors. Simply click on the county area to see the agency listing. Otherwise all agencies are listed alphabetically by company name. Back to Top Adams-Brown Counties Economic Opportunities, Inc. ALVIN NORRIS - Executive Director 200 S. Green Street Georgetown, OH 45121 tel: (937) 378-6041 fax: (937) 378-3831 website: www.abets.org eMail: w8ujm@earthlink.net Back to Map Akron-Summit Community Action Agency MALCOLM COSTA - Executive Director P.O. Box 2000 Akron, OH 44309 tel: (330) 376-7730 fax: (330) 996-4040 website: www.aksumcom.org eMail: mcosta@aksumcom.org Back to Map Ashtabula County Community Action Agency (ACCAA) RICHARD PEPPERNEY - Executive Director P.O. Box 2610 Ashtabula, OH 44005-2610 tel: (440) 997-1721 fax: (440) 992-3319 website: www.accaa.org eMail: accaaed@allel.net Back to Map SOURCES Community Network Services DEBRA LINN - Executive Director 500 W. Wayne Street Celina, Ohio 45822 tel: (419) 584-1550 or (419) 584-1570 fax: (419) 584-1575 eMail: sourcescns@bright.net Back to Map CEOGC Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland JACQUELINE MIDDLETON - Executive Director Halle Building 1228 Euclid Avenue - Suite 700 Cleveland, OH 44115 tel: (216) 696-9077 fax: (216) 696-0770 website: www.ceogc.org eMail: jmiddleton@ceogc.org Back to Map CMACAO Columbus Metropolitan Area Community Action Organization BOB THOMAS - Interim President 700 Bryden Road Columbus, OH 43215-4839 tel: (614) 324-5100 fax: (614) 324-5155 website: www.cmacao.org eMail: bthomas@cmacao.org Back to Map Cincinnati/Hamilton Community Action Agency GWEN L. ROBINSON - President & CEO 2904 Woodburn Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45206 tel: (513) 569-1840 fax: (513) 751-0796 website: www.cincy-caa.org eMail: grobinson@cincy-caa.org Back to Map Clermont County Community Services BILLIE KUNTZ, Executive Director 2400 Clermont Center Drive P.O. Box 103 Batavia, OH 45103 tel: (513) 732-7182 fax: (513) 732-7416 website: www.cccsi.org eMail: cccommsv@fuse.net Back to Map Clinton County Community Action Program DEAN KNAPP - Executive Director 789 N. Nelson Avenue P.O. Box 32 Wilmington, OH 45177 tel: (937) 382-8365 ext. 113 fax: (937) 382-0390 eMail: deanknapp@hotmail.com Back to Map Community Action Agency of Columbiana County CAROL BRETZ - Executive Director 7880 Lincoln Place Lisbon, OH 44432 tel: (330) 424-7221 fax: (330) 424-3731 website: www.caaofcc.org eMail: bretz@caaofcc.org Back to Map Community Action Commission of Belmont County GARY F. OBLOY - Executive Director 153 1/2 West Main Street St. Clairsville, OH 43950 tel: (740) 695-0294 fax: (740) 695-9255 website: www.cacbelmont.org eMail: gobloy@cacbelmont.org Back to Map Community Action Commission of Fayette County JACK M. HAGERTY - Executive Director 324 E. Court Street Washington CH, OH 43160 tel: (740) 335-7282 fax: (740) 335-6802 eMail: jhollary@ameritech.net Back to Map Community Action Organization of Scioto County ROBERT WALTON - Executive Director P.O. Box 1525 Portsmouth, OH 45662 tel: (740) 354-7541 fax: (740) 354-3933 eMail: bwalton@zoomnet.net Back to Map Community Action Committee of Pike County RAY ROBERTS - Executive Director P.O. Box 799 Piketon, OH 45661 tel: (740) 289-2371 fax: (740) 289-4291 website: www.pikecac.org eMail: rayrob@pikecac.org Back to Map Community Action Council of Portage County DAVID SHEA - Executive Director P.O. Box 917 Ravenna, OH 44266 tel: (330) 297-1456 fax: (330) 297-1463 website: www.cacportage.net eMail: cacadmin@voyager.net Back to Map Community Action Organization of Delaware/Madison/Union Counties, Inc. Jim Cesa, Executive Director 169 Grove St Marysville, OH 43040 tel: (937) 642-4986 fax: (937) 642-1925 website: www.caodmu.org eMail: jwcesa@midohio.net Back to Map CAP Corporation of Washington-Morgan Counties, Inc.. DAVID BRIGHTBILL - Executive Director P.O. Box 144 218 Putnam Street Marietta, OH 45750 tel: (740) 373-3745 fax: (740) 373-6775 website: www.wmcap.org eMail: dbrightbill@wmcap.org Back to Map Community Action Program Commission of the Lancaster-Fairfield Area KELLIE AILES, Executive Director P.O. Box 768 Lancaster, OH 43130 tel: (740) 653-4146 fax: (740) 653-4462 website: www.faircaa.org eMail: kailes@faircaa.org Back to Map Meigs & Gallia Counties Community Action Program Committee, Inc. TOM REED - Executive Director P.O. Box 272 Cheshire, OH 45620 tel: (740) 367-7341 fax: (740) 367-7343 eMail: tr9@charterbn.com Back to Map (EOPA) Economic Planning Association of Greater Toledo, Inc. DR. OSCAR GRIFFITH - Executive Director 505 Hamilton Street - Hamilton Building Toledo, OH 43602-1520 tel: (419) 242-7304 fax: (419) 242-8263 eMail: ogriff@eopa.org Back to Map Erie-Huron Counties Community Action Commission JANICE ALEXANDER, Interim Executive Director 908 S. Depot Street P.O. Box 2500 Sandusky, OH 44870 tel: (419) 626-4320 fax: (419) 626-0964 website: www.ehcac.com eMail: jwalexander@aol.com Back to Map Geauga Community Action, Inc. CINDY MARTIN- Board President LAURA HOPKINS - Contact Person 12480 Ravenwood Drive Chardon, OH 44024 tel: (440) 285-9141 fax: (440) 286-6654 eMail: hopkil01@odhs.state.oh.us Back to Map GMN (Guernsey, Noble, Monroe) Tri-county Community Action Committee GARY RICER, Executive Director 615 N. Street P.O. Box 285 Caldwell, OH 43724 tel: (740) 732-2388 fax: (740) 732-4154 web: www.gmntrico4u.org eMail: gwrexecdr@localnetplus.com Back to Map HAR-CA-TUS (Carroll, Harrison, Tuscarawas) Tri-County Community Action Organization CHARLES LORENZ - Executive Director 220 Grant Street Dennison, OH 44621 tel: (740) 922-0933 fax: (740) 922-4128 web: www.harcatus.org eMail: sdemattio@adelphia.net Back to Map HHWP (Hancock, Hardin, Wyandot, Putnam) Community Action Commission DENNIS LaROCCO - Executive Director P.O. Box 179 Findlay, OH 45839 tel: (419) 423-3755 fax: (419) 423-4115 eMail: hhwpcac@bright.net Back to Map Highland County Community Action Organization JULIA NORTON PERIE - Executive Director 146 E. Main Street P.O. Box 838 Hillsboro, OH 45133 tel: (937) 393-3458 fax: (937) 393-7707 website: hccao.org eMail: periej@usa.net Back to Map Ironton-Lawrence County Area Community Action Organization D.R. GOSSETT- Executive Director 305 North 5th Street Ironton, OH 45638 tel: (740) 532-3534 fax: (740) 547-3926 eMail: jterry@ilcao.org web site: http://www.ilcao.org Back to Map Jackson-Vinton Community Action, Inc. CHERYL THIESSEN - Executive Director 14333 S.R. 327 North Wellston, OH 45692 tel: (740) 384-3722 fax: (740) 384-5815 website: www.jackson-vinton.com eMail: jvcadir@bright.net Back to Map Jefferson County Community Action Council Barbara West, Executive Director 114 North Fourth Street Steubenville, OH, 43952 tel: (740) 282-0971 fax: (740) 282-8361 eMail: bwest_cad@hotmail.com Back to Map Kno-Ho-Co (Ashland, Coshocton, Holmes, Knox) Community Action Commission J. MICHAEL STEPHENS - CEO 120 North 4th Stret Coshocton, OH 43812 tel: (740) 622-9801 ext. 14 fax: (740) 622-0165 website: www.knohoco.org eMail: mstephens@knohoco.org Back to Map LEADS (Licking County Economic Action Development Study) KENNETH KEMPTON - Chief Executive Officer 159 Wilson Street Newark, OH 43055 tel: (740) 349-8606 fax: (740) 345-2380 website: www.leadscaa.org eMail: kkempton@leadscaa.com Back to Map Lifeline to Economically Disadvantaged Consumers, Inc. CARRIE DOTSON - Executive Director 85 N. Park Street P.O. Box 496 Painesville, OH 44077 tel: (440) 354-2148 fax: (440) 354-2897 website: www.lclifeline.org eMail: carried@lclifeline.org Back to Map Lima/Allen Council on Community Affairs ROCHELLE TWINING - Executive Director 540 S. Central Avenue Lima, OH 45804 tel: (419) 227-2586 fax: (419) 227-7626 website: www.lacca.org eMail: rchl@lacca.org Back to Map Lorain County Community Action, Inc. NELSON RAMIREZ, Interim Executive Director P.O. Box 245 Lorain, OH 44052 tel: (440) 245-2009 fax: (440) 244-0447 eMail: nramirez@lccaa.net Back to Map (M.R.M.) Mansfield/Richland/Morrow Community Action Program ANNA SAMUEL - Executive Director 2 Smith Avenue Mansfield, OH 44905 tel: (419) 774-5200 fax: (419) 774-5252 eMail: amvets26@richnet.net Back to Map Ohio Heartland Community Action JOSEPH DEVANY - Executive Director P.O. Box 779 Marion, OH 43302 tel: (740) 387-1039 fax: (740) 387-8006 website: www.ohcac.org eMail: joed@ohcac.org Back to Map Miami County Community Action Council JACK BAIRD - Executive Director 1695 Troy-Sidney Road Troy, OH 45373 tel: (937) 339-1431 fax: (937) 339-8905 eMail: miamicac@erinet.com Back to Map Muskingum Economic Opportunity Action Group, Inc. Nancy Pierce, Executive Director 421 Putnam Avenue Zanesville, OH 43701 tel: (614) 453-5703 fax: (614) 454-3717 eMail: meoaginc@sbcglobal.net Back to Map Northwestern Ohio Community Action Commission, Inc. (Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding, Williams Counties) DEBORAH GERKEN - Executive Director 1933 E. Second Street Defiance, OH 43512 tel: (419) 784-2150 fax: (419) 782-5648 website: www.nocac.org eMail: dagerken@nocac.org Back to Map Pickaway County Community Action Organization DAVE HANNAHS, Executive Director P.O. Box 67 Circleville, OH 43113 tel: (740) 477-1655 fax: (740) 477-9277 website: www.picca.info eMail: dhannahs@picca.info Back to Map Ross County Community Action Commission, Inc. WAYNE McLAUGHLIN - Executive Director P.O. Box 596 Chillicothe, OH 45601 tel: (740) 773-5267 fax: (740) 775-8229 website: www.rossccac.com eMail: Back to Map Community Action Partnership of the Greater Dayton Area (Formerly SCOPE) (Darke, Greene, Montgomery, Preble, Warren Counties) JOHN T. DONNELLAN - Executive Director 719 South Main Street Dayton, OH 45414 tel: (937) 341-5000 fax: (937) 341-5002 website: www.cap-dayton.org eMail: timd@scope-dayton.org Back to Map Supports to Encourage Low-income Families (SELF) (Butler County) JEFFREY DIVER - Executive Director P.O. Box 1322 Hamilton, OH 45012 tel: (513) 868-9300 fax: (513) 737-3889 eMail: SELFSUF1@iglou.com web: http://www.selfhelps.org Back to Map Stark County Community Action Agency WALTER HENDERSON - Executive Director 402 Second Street SE - Third Floor Canton, OH 44702 tel: (330) 454-1676 fax: (330) 454-6850 website: www.starkfip.org eMail: whendel930@aol.com Back to Map Tri-County Community Action Commission of Champaign/Logan/Shelby Counties DENISE BERGEN - Executive Director 6886 Wishart St. Huntsville, OH 43324 tel: (937) 686-0032 fax: (937) 686-0071 website: www.tri-countycls.com eMail: info@tricountycls.com Back to Map Hocking.Athens.Perry Community Action (HAPCAP) BOB GARBO - Executive Director 11100 SR 550 P.O. Box 340 Athens, OH 45701 tel: (740) 592-6601 fax: (740) 592-4237 web: www.hapcap.org eMail: bobg@hapcap.org Back to Map Van Wert County Community Action Commission NANCY BLANKE - Executive Director 114 E. Main Street Van Wert, OH 45891 tel: (419) 238-4544 fax: (419) 238-4162 eMail: vwccocc@im3.com Back to Map TCAP -Trumbull Community Action Program JAMES ABICHT - Executive Director 1230 Palmyra Road SW Warren, OH 44485 tel: (330) 393-2507 fax: (330) 393-4197 website: www.onecom.net/tcap eMail: tcap@one.com Back to Map Wayne-Medina Community Action Agency CHARLES CHIPPS - Executive Director 2375-B Benden Drive Wooster, OH 44691 tel: (330) 264-8677 fax: (330) 264-5170 eMail: cchipps@valkyrie.net or communityaction@valkyrie.net Back to Map WSOS (Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca, Wood) Community Action Commission, Inc. DONALD STRICKER - Executive Director 109 S. Front Street, Box 590 Fremont, OH 43420 tel: (419) 334-8911 fax: (419) 334-8919 website: www.wsos.org eMail: rahouse@wsos.org Back to Map Youngstown Area Community Action Council Richard A. Roller - Interim Executive Director 101 Federal Plaza East - Suite 200 Youngstown, OH 44503 tel: (330) 747-7921 fax: (330) 743-0401 eMail: yacacrar@cisnet.com Back to Map