Our Mission
To serve as the professional organization for the development and implementation of strategies to provide GCAA members the tools to be effective community action agencies in solving the problems of poverty within the State of Georgia.

Our Vision
We envision the Georgia Community Action Association as a strong, united network of effective community action agencies, guided by excellence and integrity in the promotion of social and economic justice in the State of Georgia.

Historical Perspective
Following the passage of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, launching the Nation's War on Poverty as a centerpiece of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society, Community Action Agencies (CAAs) in Georgia and across the Nation were created by local communities, designated by local government, approved by the Governor's Office, and funded by the Federal Government. Funds were also provided by the Federal Government for the creation and operation of State Economic Opportunity Offices (SEOOs), responsible for oversight, training and technical assistance, and coordination and liaison with the Office of the Governor. In Georgia the SEOO was originally located in the Governor's Office.

In subsequent years many organizational changes took place at both the Federal and the State levels. As the Nation's attention and resources - and those of the President - were captured by another War (Vietnam), some programs which were originally part of the Economic Opportunity Act were "spun off" to other Federal agencies (for example, Legal Services, Family Planning, Employment and Training, and Head Start). The original funding agency, the U. S. Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), was renamed the Community Services Administration under President Richard Nixon and finally was eliminated under President Ronald Reagan as part of his New Federalism concept. However, the funding stream to CAAs continued via the Community Services Block Grant and other such block grants as that for the Home Weatherization Program and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program; most CAAs continued to receive direct Federal grants as well (i.e., Head Start). The purposes of these programs, addressing the causes and conditions of poverty and the promotion of self sufficiency among low-income families, have not changed.

At the State level, the SEOO was moved from the Governor's Office to DHR, reporting to the Commissioner, as part of the Executive Reorganization Act of 1972. The Georgia SEOO subsequently was abolished when the U. S. Community Services Administration was abolished in 1981 (although some states kept that office's identity), with its responsibilities being folded into the Office of Community and Intergovernmental Affairs in DHR, also reporting to the Commissioner. Finally, in 1991, downsizing of state government resulted in the termination of the Office of Community Intergovernmental Affairs. The responsibilities of that Office pertaining to community action agencies were considerably diminished and moved down to become part of a section (the Community Services Section) in the Division of Family and Children Services in DHR, where those functions remain today.

Community Action in Georgia Today
The Georgia Community Action Program Directors Association was formed in 1965 and maintained until 1971 when discussions began regarding wider participation. In 1972, the Georgia Community Action Association was formed with Jim Redmond of Ninth District Opportunity as the first President and Leonard Dawson of Coastal Georgia Area Community Action as the first Vice President.

Today there are twenty (20) Community Action Agencies in the State of Georgia, comprising a human service network capable of serving all 159 counties in the State. The Federal, State and local resources currently managed by Community Action Agencies in Georgia include such services as Head Start, employability services, emergency assistance, transportation, home weatherization, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and case management.