Community Action Opportunities, Inc.

Our History

From the days of the earliest settlers, the spirit of helping the less fortunate has been a key element of American society. In the early 1900’s the federal government stepped in to provide additional retirement income through a new Social Security Program and to assist those temporarily unemployed with the Unemployment Insurance System. Social workers were hired to determine eligibility, advise recipients about how to use the money, and help them obtain services necessary to get them off welfare. From the 1930’s to the 1950’s, State and local governments were responsible for administering the programs created during the Depression.

As communication media expanded, the American public became more aware of the growing difficulties of the low-income population. They soon believed that everyone could live “the good life” and that society as a whole had a responsibility for helping people overcome barriers that prevented them from sharing in the benefits of American Society.

In 1961 President John F. Kennedy introduced the “New Frontier” which included support for programs to prevent juvenile delinquency. The President’s Council funded Mobilization for Youth (MFY) which organized neighborhood councils to correct conditions which led to juvenile delinquency. The program was called COMMUNITY ACTION, and it looked like an effective and inexpensive way to solve problems.

After the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson expanded the policy ideas initiated in the Kennedy Administration. In his message to Congress on January 8, 1964, President Johnson said:

“Let us carry forward the plans and programs of John F. Kennedy, not because of our sorrow or sympathy, but because they are right...This administration today, here and now declares an unconditional War on Poverty in America”.

Read about 1964 to 1980 and 1980 to Today.