Washington State Community Action Partnership The Only Statewide Safety Net for Washington's Poor
There are thirty-one Community Action Agencies in the state of Washington that serve all 39 Washington counties. For at least thirty-five years these agencies have been providing vital human services to low-income individuals, families and those in need. Hundreds of thousands of people have benefited from these services and have become more self-sufficient. Twenty-seven of the agencies are private not-for-profit organizations and four are public, mostly county organizations.
These businesses are major employers in their communities and combined spend $202,500,000 annually. All of the agencies provide multiple services and receive federal, state and local funding. One source of funding is the federal Community Services Block Grant (CSBG). These are flexible dollars that can be used locally for the most critical needs.
The purpose of CSBG is to provide assistance to states and local communities, working through a network of Community Action Agencies for the reduction of poverty, the revitalization of low-income communities, and the empowerment of low-income families and individuals in rural and urban areas and migrant or seasonal farm workers to become as self-sufficient as possible.
Community Action Agencies provide Family Development services through trained and certified Specialists that work with the entire family to develop the necessary plans to become more self-sufficient. Family Development is a comprehensive approach to service delivery that maximizes the chance that individuals and families will find ways of becoming free of public assistance. Family Development balances the scale for low-income people by providing the means to lift themselves out of poverty.
