May is Community Action Month, and Community Action Agencies in Massachusetts are raising awareness about the wraparound services they provide to low-income residents.
Community Action was started in 1964 by the Johnson administration to fight poverty, and agencies have been working ever since to help folks – both in crisis situations and with economic empowerment.
Sharon Scott-Chandler, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), said many still are struggling to meet basic needs in the economic fallout from the pandemic.
“Community action is here, meeting as many of those needs as we can,” she said. “Obviously, the demand is outsized to what the resources we have, but we continue to advocate for more funding and continue to really come up with flexible, innovative programs that can meet the evolving needs of folks.”
Scott-Chandler noted that most funding for Community Action Agencies comes from the federal government; the U.S. House recently approved a 10-year reauthorization of the Community Services Block Grant, and it’s now on to the U.S. Senate. The Massachusetts House also included $7.5 million in the state budget for Community Action Agencies. The state Senate’s version does not, but the agencies hope it will be retained in conference committee.
