Shawn McKinney

Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County

What is a Community Action Agency In the United States and its territories, Community Action Agencies (CAA) are local private and public non-profit organizations that carry out the Community Action Program (CAP), which was founded by the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act to fight poverty by empowering the poor as part of the War on Poverty. CAAs are intended to promote self-sufficiency, and they depend heavily on volunteer work, especially from the low-income community. The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) is the agencies'​ core federal funding. Agencies also operate a variety of grants that come from federal, state and local sources. These grants vary widely among agencies, although most CAAs operate Head Start programs, which focus on early child development. Other programs frequently administered by Community Action Agencies include Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) utility grants and Weatherization Assistance Program(WAP) funded through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Each CAA is governed by a board of directors consisting of at least one-third low-income community members, one-third public officials, and up to one-third private sector leaders. This board structure is defined by federal statute and is known as a tripartite board. There are currently over 1,000 CAAs, engaged in a broad range of activities. About CAPSLO In 2017, Community Action Partnership served 36,000 persons across San Luis Obispo County and ten other central and southern California counties. Through a variety of programs and in collaboration with other community service agencies, Community Action Partnership helps individuals and families achieve self-sufficiency and economic stability through programs that focus on: • high-quality early childhood education • accessible, affordable dependent care • addressing barriers to safe, affordable housing and basic needs • health services and education • resource connection and navigation