A Community Action Agency (or "CAA") is a non-profit private or public organization originally established under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to fight America's War on Poverty. CAAs are a primary source of support for more than 38 million Americans living in poverty.
- - CAAs are governed by tripartite Boards of Directors with equal representation from public, private,
and low-income sectors.
- The Community Action Partnership, formerly known as the National Association of Community Action Agencies (NACAA), is the national association representing the interests of over 1,000 CAAs organized to fight poverty at the local level; National Community Action Month was established in 1997 to share stories of success.
- Crowley's Ridge Development Council (CRDC), Inc., is a member of the Community Action Partnership and a member of both the Arkansas Community Action Agencies Association (ACAAA), and Community Action Agency Association of Region VI which serves Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
- The service areas of Community Action Agencies (CAAs) cover 96% of the nation’s counties.
- CAAs are a primary source of direct support for the more than 34.5 million people who live in poverty in the United States. The majority of CAA program participants are extremely poor, with incomes below 75% of the federal poverty threshold, or $9,735 for a family of three. The Community Action network serves approximately 11 million individuals per year and 3.3 million families per year.
For more information about Arkansas Community Action Agencies, visit ACAAA's Website.
What Is ROMA?
Results-Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) is a form of management practice that incorporates the use of outcomes or results into the administration, management, and operation of non-profit human services. ROMA focuses on what happens to the customer as a result of the service by measuring how effective the service has been. Designed by the Office of Community Services' Monitoring and Assessment Task Force in response to the 1993 Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), ROMA provides a flexible architecture of six national goals that the Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) network strives toward. Within these goals, agencies can show the outcomes they are achieving with CSBG funds, as well as the other programs they undertake to assist low-income families and communities.
