About Us
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, and 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!
Mission And Promise
Our mission is helping people, changing lives and ending poverty until we reach our vision of a world free of poverty.
We believe that respect for all people is the cornerstone of our agency. We believe that empowering staff to achieve personal and professional goals enhances the quality of our service. We believe that services must be based on the needs of each individual and each community. We believe that all people should have opportunities to develop stability, self-worth, and self-reliance. We believe that community partnerships ensure a broader base of service. We believe that a community must acknowledge the presence of poverty before poverty can be eliminated.
Community Action changes people's lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.
Governance
Current Board Members
Bob Caldwell, Savannah - Elected Official
Larry King, Cameron - Elected Official
Janet Shell, Savannah - Elected Official
William Hedge, St. Joseph - Low Income Rep.
Vontella Dydell, St. Joseph - Low Income Rep.
Cathy McKinley, St. Joseph - Low Income Rep.
Twila O'Banion, St. Joseph - Low Income Rep.
Lisa Little, St. Joseph - Private Sector
Dan Batliner, Agency - Private Sector
Pat Scott, St. Joseph- Private Sector
Wilda Lewis, Rosendale - Private Sector
Head Start Policy Council:
Program Governance is section 1304.50 of the Head Start Program Performance Standards. Opportunities for parents to be involved in shared decision-making activities with the governing body and staff include elected participation on the Policy Council.
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Council is made up of 51% Head Start Parents; 49% Community Members
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No person may serve more than three years
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Meets once a month at the Administration Office
Our History
• October 2003 - Board of Directors votes to change the name of Economic Opportunity Corporation of Greater St. Joseph to Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph
• September 2003 - first full service Community Action Center opens in Savannah, Missouri. • November 2002 - EOC holds very first fundraising event, Building Bright Futures Dinner , generating more than $5,000.
• 2000 - The National Community Action Partnership office requests all Community Action Agencies across the nation add Community Action to their name.
• 1999 - The Board of Directors passes a housing resolution, to create a housing program at EOC Community Action.
• 1998 - EOC receives funding to begin an Early Head Start program.
• 1997 - A forth satellite center of EOC Community Action is established in Cameron, Missouri .
• 1996 - EOC Community Action implements the very first strategic plan and creates a new vision, mission, and statement of values for the agency.
• 1994 - EOC collaborates with MO-Kan Regional Council to help with the Dislocated Worker program after several businesses closed following the flood, including Sherwood Medical, Inc., Monfort Pork, Lee Industries.
• 1993 - The Great USA Flood of the Midwest - EOC plays major role in helping with disaster relief.
• 1991 - Administrative Office of Economic Opportunity Corporation moves to the former National Guard Armory at 817 Monterey, St. Joseph, Missouri.
• 1990 - The first full day Head Start center opens at St. Mary's.
• 1981 - President Reagan institutes the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) which ensures continued funding to Community Action Agencies.
• 1980 - The Community Services Administration is abolished.
• 1974 - Federal Court rules that the President cannot refuse to spend the appropriated Congressional funds; the Office of Community Services Administration takes over the Office of Economic Opportunity.
• 1973 - President Nixon appoints Howard Phillips as Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) with instructions to shut down community action and not spend funds that Congress had appropriated.
• 1968 - EOC establishes an Administrative office, three satellite offices, and Head Start Centers in Savannah, Maysville, and Plattsburg.
• May 1965 - EOC receives Head Start funding and subcontracts through Inter-Serv.
• April 1965 - The Economic Opportunity Corporation (EOC) of Greater St. Joseph is “designated” as the Community Action Agency for Andrew, Buchanan, Clinton, and DeKalb counties of northwest Missouri. The very first program is funded through a Neighborhood Youth Corps grant; all programs are administered from a small office in the Corby Building.
• 1964 - The Economic Opportunity Act is passed in Congress, creating community action agencies across the county whose mission is to “eliminate the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty.”
• 1963 - John F. Kennedy is assassinated; Lyndon Johnson expands the policy ideas initiated by the Kennedy administration.
• 1962 - John F. Kennedy asks his economic advisors to prepare an anti-poverty package for inclusion in the 1964 legislation.
Strategic Plan
Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph exists to address the problem of poverty. In this Strategic Plan, we commit ourselves to a whole new level of effort with regard to poverty: we no longer are satisfied to simply provide services to poor people that keep them safe in their poverty. We want to partner with poor people and with the community so that everyone who wants to get out of poverty can—and can stay out.
We recognize that if we want to help people achieve new and better outcomes in their lives, we as an agency must transform the way we do business. Therefore, we have committed ourselves to three transformational high impact strategic commitments —new approaches to our work that we believe will produce powerful, long term change for families and the community.
Strategic Committment Number 1
We will engage the community in ending poverty
Strategic Commitment Number 2
As an agency, we will focus on results rather than simply on providing good services.
Strategic Commitment Number 3
We will commit to identifying and implementing Best Practices in all neighborhoods and communities.
Outcomes:
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Low income people become self-sufficient.
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Low income people achieve their potential.
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Low-income, as well as other citizens, own a stake in their community.
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The conditions in which low-income people live are improved.
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Community Action Partnership increases its capacity to achieve the vision of ending poverty.
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Community Action Partnership partners with community groups to achieve the vision of ending poverty.
The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)
The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funds the anti-poverty Community Action Agencies and family self-sufficiency efforts of a nation-wide network of 1,100 community agencies. The organizations create, coordinate and deliver comprehensive programs and services to almost a quarter of all people living in poverty within the United States.
The CSBG program is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through its Office of Community Services. CSBG funds are distributed to states on a formula basis. States are required to pass at least 90% of those funds to local "eligible entities", generally private non-profit Community Action Agencies (CAAs). These CAAs are locally controlled by a Board of Directors that include equal numbers of low-income residents, elected officials and private-sector representatives. This block grant was created in 1981, although most CAAs have been in existence for nearly 40 years.
The CSBG Act requires that Community Action Agencies provide the following activities to help low-income persons:
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secure and retain meaningful employment
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remove obstacles to their self-sufficiency
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attain and adequate education
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obtain and maintain adequate housing and a suitable living environment
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obtain emergency assistance to meet immediate and urgent family needs
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achieve greater participation in the affairs of the community
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make better use of available income
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and to make more effective use of related programs
CSBG is an essential and unique resource even though it is only a small part of CAA budgets. Every dollar of CSBG funds received by Community Action Agencies leverages almost $5 in additional State, local and private contributions. It is CSBG-funded staff that designs and finds resources for new responses to community needs. It is CSBG which provides support to integrate other programs and fill service 'gaps'.
Nationwide, CAAs manage $9.7 billion of Federal, State, local and private program resources. That includes resources for employment and training, education, housing, senior services, energy assistance, community development, health and nutrition, Head Start and other programs that help families escape and remain out of poverty.
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