Organization working to fight poverty and affect community action

If you've never heard of a Community Action Agency, there's probably one not far from you. Located in 99 percent of the counties in America, these nonprofit organizations were created by President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration after his signing of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964.

According to the North Carolina Community Action Association website, "the act embodies the philosophy that low-income individuals can best identify the issues their communities face and develop solutions to resolve them."

These agencies — there's 1,000 of them nationwide and 34 in North Carolina — provide life-changing services "that create pathways to self-sufficiency" for low-income individuals, children, families, the disabled and other vulnerable populations.

"NCCAA is a state-wide association of Community Action Agencies that are still waging a 'War on Poverty.' We are the voice of the working poor, the disenfranchised and those who have been left behind. We represent hope for children and senior citizens and everyone in between," said Sallie Surface, executive director at Choanoke Area Development Association of N.C., one of NCCAA's local agencies. "Agencies provide an opportunity for those who are in need to work within their local communities and with other residents to improve opportunities for all instead of simply being told what they need to do; they have a voice."

As Surface pointed out, poverty is no discriminator and can affect any age, race or gender.

"Each of us is where we are today because of the opportunities we have had — the doors that have been opened to us and the support systems we received," Surface said. "Poverty in rural, northeastern North Carolina for example, is generational, and breaking that cycle is dependent on opportunities that are available for both human resource development and economic development. Some people may think that it is easy to make a change — just attend a local community college or acquire a certification in a demand occupation. However, there are challenges. How do you support your family while you are in school? How do you afford childcare or transportation? Where is the connectivity to pursue online education? Where are the jobs when you do complete a degree or certification? Will you need to relocate to acquire better employment?"

Community Action agencies like CADA help individuals address these questions and work towards resolutions.

"Community Action organizations work everyday to help low income people navigate out of poverty and obtain a better quality of life. That is one of our overarching goals. We really help people by offering a variety of programs and services that are driven by local needs," said Sharon Goodson, executive director of the NCCAA. "When you're living in poverty, you're looking for hope and opportunity — we're that somebody to help connect them with resources. Our agencies help coordinate programs and services that empower people and families."

Goodson emphasized that in addition to being the country's only nonprofit under federal legislation to serve the poor, another thing that makes CAAs unique is their practice of comprehensive case management. Case managers help individuals and families develop plans that address multi-layered needs including anything from employment and safe housing to childcare and transportation.

"Community action agencies are there to help people who want to help themselves," said Goodson. "We want to see economic self-sufficiency in these individuals, so our programs are working to help people get better jobs and take care of their families. We don’t give handouts, but instead, lend a helping hand."

CAAs employ programs like the Healthy Homes Initiative, a program that provides families with critical home repairs that they need to improve their health and NEW Reentry, a program that strives to help persons with criminal histories become contributing members of society. These agencies also operate Head Start programs, "a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families."

All of these are just a few in a large number of programs and associated services that local Community Action Agencies provide their communities.

"Head Start, for instance, we know this program is critical to the success of low-income children and helping them with social, behavioral and development skills and being prepared to be successful in school," said Goodson. "In regards to our weatherization assistance and programs like the Healthy Homes Initiative — we simply want people to be able live in healthy spaces."

The Head Start program is one of Marie Watson's favorites. Watson is the executive director at Johnston Lee Harnett Community Action, another one of NCCAA's local agencies.

"We are helping prepare not only the child, but we're preparing the family of the child on how to advocate for their child. We help pregnant moms get proper nutrition, doctor appointments and everything they need," said Watson. "We start from the beginning and have a big impact on how these kids develop when they get into the school system."

Another program that is near and dear to Watson's heart is the Self-Sufficiency/Community Service Block Grant (S.T.A.R.S) program.

"This program helps people become self-sufficient. So they may come in, in a crisis. We have funds that can help them through that crisis. But then we really look at setting goals, not our goals, but their goals. Whether it's a goal to finish school or to purchase a home, we try to help them find the resources that they can use to get there."

While CAAs do a lot of work in and of themselves, Goodson noted that agencies also leverage the power of community partnerships.

"We are a resource and community hub that will connect you to other resources that we may not provide ourselves. Community Action Agencies do an incredible amount of work, but we have a plethora of partners who stand with us in helping to move people off the road of poverty," she said. "We don't do our work in isolation, but we do it together with a small partnership base."

Surface said that people can help NCCAA and the communities they serve in several ways:

Goodson's professional journey is tied to her personal life. She grew up in a poor, rural community and was raised by her mother and grandparents who instilled in her the Golden Rule: treat people how you want to be treated.

"While my community may have lacked lots of resources that you see in an urban community, what it had was hope and love. I think that those are the things that are critical," said Goodson. "I was able to navigate life and be successful. Everything about me is putting myself in someone else's shoes for a moment and wanting to help them. Poor children deserve the same access and opportunity, regardless of what their zip code or the color of their skin may be. None of those things should impact a person's ability to lead a healthy, productive life."

Watson, like Goodson, has been impacted by the work that Community Action Agencies do on a personal level. After her divorce, she moved to North Carolina from New York with two young children and got a job as a secretary at a local CAA.

"And then I moved up. I was the secretary, I've worked as the assistant, and then I've been an executive director for 30-something years," she said. "It was a mission. It was not my doing, it was God's mission every day. Seeing someone get from one point to the other — it really makes you feel like you made a difference in society and in the community."

"Community Action Agencies are about compassionate leadership. They're about giving hope and opportunity to people who often don't have hope and opportunity or know what tomorrow holds," added Goodson. "People call our agencies 'hidden gems' but I don't think we should stay hidden anymore."