VOICES: This Community Action Month marks 60th anniversary of Community Action Agencies

Erin Jeffries is the President and CEO of Miami Valley Community Action Partnership, appointed in January 2024. (CONTRIBUTED)

Erin Jeffries is the President and CEO of Miami Valley Community Action Partnership, appointed in January 2024. (CONTRIBUTED)

Miami Valley Community Action Partnership helps people and changes lives every day. This May, we are proud to celebrate Community Action Month along with the 60th Anniversary of the nationwide network of Community Action Agencies.

Community Action Agencies were created when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act in 1964. Today, more than 1,100 agencies serve 99% of America’s counties with services and programs that address unique local needs.

MVCAP works in partnership with local communities to eliminate the causes and conditions of poverty and to promote individual independence and self-sufficiency. Our range of programs help in emergencies with shelter and utility assistance as well as providing opportunities to move past the day-to-day struggles to a more secure future.

MVCAP provides emergency and empowerment services in four core counties: Montgomery, Greene, Darke and Preble. Additionally, MVCAP provides weatherization services to five more counties: Auglaize, Butler, Mercer, Miami and Warren. Our Weatherization Training Center in downtown Dayton prepares students and adults for high-paying jobs that make a difference.

Nate Jones with the Miami Valley Community Action Partnership, demonstrates how insulation is sprayed into walls Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, at the partnership's new training center. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: JIM NOELKER

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Credit: JIM NOELKER

As a weatherization expert, our agency works with clients to reduce their energy usage and lower their costs while also providing emergency assistance with bill payments. MVCAP programs help lower the energy burden for more than 20,000 households every year.

MVCAP also provides emergency housing, financial counseling, monthly food boxes for seniors, and much more. Our robust Legal Clinic can help reduce fines, restore driving privileges and seal records. Most importantly, 93 percent of our annual budget goes directly to helping people in our communities.

MVCAP’s long history and strategically positioned regional offices allow us to meet the unique local needs in our diverse service area. We never closed during the pandemic and our dedicated staff moved from distributing $137,000 in benefits in 2019 to more than $20 million annually during COVID-19.

We continue to build on the successful impacts we have had on so many lives. We are committed to always improving services and responding to the changing needs of our community. We work to serve others with compassion and to embody the spirit of hope that has flowed throughout our network for the last 60 years. We are grateful for your support.

Learn more and apply for help at www.miamivalleycap.org.

Erin Jeffries is the President and CEO of Miami Valley Community Action Partnership, appointed in January 2024.

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