About Us

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In April of 1965, Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph (formerly known as the Economic Opportunity Corporation of Greater St. Joseph) was designated as the “Community Action Agency” for Andrew, Buchanan, Clinton, and DeKalb counties of Northwest Missouri. Community Action became the model for implementing programs to help low-income individuals and families.

In the beginning, Community Action Partnership began with a small Youth Corp grant and soon thereafter acquired a Head Start grant an experimental summer program. Today, Community Action Partnership is still guided by the same goal of eliminating poverty by Helping People-Changing Lives-Ending Poverty. We continue to work with youth and children; we have added services such as Affordable Housing, Energy Crisis Assistance; and expanded Employment and Training programs through the Missouri Career Center .

Today there are approximately 1,000 Community Action Agencies in the United States with the service areas of Community Action Agencies (CAAs) covering 96 percent of the nation's counties. These agencies are connected by a national network that includes a national association, and state and regional associations.

Community Action Partnership Staff and volunteers have committed themselves to a whole new level of effort with regard to ending poverty: no longer are we satisfied to simply provide services to people that keep them in poverty. We want to partner with low-income families and with the community so that everyone who wants to get out of poverty can – and can stay out!

                                                                  Read a message from the Executive Director of CAPSTJOE.