August, 2013
Community Action
Past, Present and Future
Jim Masters, CCAP, NCRT
jmasters@cencomfut.com
The Economy
Social Values
Demographics
1. Demographics shape the economy.
2. Demographics and the economy often drive social
values.
3. One or more of these 3 drive public policy.
4. Most of the 3 do not get translated into public
policy. Our system is designed for stalemate.
5. For the few things that do wind up in public policy,
the lag is typically 5 to 50 years.
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Concepts about Public Policies,
Programs and Management
Systems
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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Most are designed to try to do good things
Have limits
Have opportunity costs
Create new problems
Have unintended consequences
3
Leading up to the EOA of 1964
Earlier social problems and “solutions”
1830’s. Puritans/Quakers. Women can own property.
1860’s. Abolition, Demons/asylums. Youth “reform”atory
1890’s. Settlement houses (500 by 1920). Corruption.
W.E.B. DuBois.
1910’s. Food/drug poisoning. Women’s suffrage.
1930’s. Depression. Program of Community Action.
Social Security, ADC. NYA. Legal Services was
rejected. NAACP Margold Report. Prep for WWII.
1950’s Brown vs. Board of Ed. Economy booming.
1960’s. JFK = 3 strategies. LBJ Task Force
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Three Big Federal Interventions
1. Post Civil War Reconstruction:
The Freedman’s Bureau 1865 – 1872 (Gen Howard)
2. The Great Depression
Farm Security Administration 1936 – 1943 (Tugwell)
3. The War on Poverty. LBJ SOU speech January, 1964.
23 Strategies -- 3 went into EOA
Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 (added 9 more)
Office of Economic Opportunity 1964 –1974 (Shriver)
Community Services Administration 1974 -- 1981
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Origins of the
Economic Opportunity Act of 1964
Populist Movement
Declaration of
of Farmers &
Independence
Industrial Workers
Civil War
Magna 1776
Reconstruction 1890’s
WW II
Carta
Freedman’s
1215
JFK
and
LBJ
1864 -- 1873
US Constitution
1789
14th Amendment to
the US Constitution
Past struggles for
1868
economic justice and
human / civil rights
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Civil Rights
The New
Deal
FSA
1936 - 43
1954 Brown
EOA
1964
6
Signing the Civil Rights Act, July 2, 1964
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Signing the EOA, August 20, 1964
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Economic Opportunity Act of 1964
“The Great Society War on Poverty”
AN ACT
To mobilize the human and financial resources of the Nation to
combat poverty in the United States. Be it enacted by the Senate
and House of Representatives of the United States of America in
Congress assembled. That this Act may be cited as the
"Economic Opportunity Act of 1964."
FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF PURPOSE SEC. 2. Although the
economic well-being and prosperity of the United States have
progressed to a level surpassing any achieved in world history,
and although these benefits are widely shared throughout the
Nation, poverty continues to be the lot of a substantial number of
our people. (continued on next slide)
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Economic Opportunity Act of 1964
“The Great Society War on Poverty” cont.
(continued from previous slide)
The United States can achieve its full economic and social
potential as a nation only if every individual has the opportunity
to contribute to the full extent of his capabilities and to participate
in the workings of our society. It is, therefore, the policy of the
United States to eliminate the paradox of poverty in the midst of
plenty in this Nation by opening to everyone the opportunity for
education and training, the opportunity to work, and the
opportunity to live in decency and dignity. It is the purpose of this
Act to strengthen, supplement, and coordinate efforts in
furtherance of that policy.
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Economic Opportunity Act of 1964
“The Great Society War on Poverty” cont.
Basic Philosophy of EOA
 Self-empowerment of the poor. From deserving poor to rights
 Maximum feasible participation (in planning / decisions)
 Redistribution of economic and social opportunities
 Community leadership and mobilization of resources
 Volunteerism
Creation of Community Action Agencies
 Local control within an organized national effort / network
 Maximize influence and voice of the poor
 Community capacity building
Excerpted from CCAP
Body of Knowledge
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EOA History. 1964 -- 1981
OEO Creates
Community Action
Agencies
Green (designation)
1964
Quie (Tripartite Boards)
EOA
1967 -68
Community Services
Admin (1974 – 1981)
EOA
repealed
CSBG
1981
OEO transformed to Increased focus on
Community Services compliance and mgmt
Office of Economic Administration (CSA)
CSA closed. Office of
Opportunity (OEO) (1974)
Excerpted from CCAP
Community Services
Established 1964
Body of Knowledge
(OCS) created 1981
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1964 – 1967. Our 1’s
CAA’s have Federal mandate to end poverty.
Checkpoint form.
Citizen participation in policy making. Power.
Voter registration.
New program incubation. Head Start, Adult Ed, Legal
Services, VISTA, SCSEP, Cmty Health Centers, Federally
funded family planning, Foster Grandparents, Upward
Bound, Job Corps, NYC, Food programs in Senior
Centers, Local Initiative, etc.
6. Shift from “deserving poor” to entitlements.
7. Civil rights and get a GED/job strategies worked!
8. 1967 separation of IM and social services.
9. Voting Rights Act of 1965
10. Grant Application Process, Program Accounts (2).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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1964 to 1967. Our 4’s and 5’s
1. Must incorporate, have by-laws, annual audits, org
charts inventory.
2. Got Green and Quie Amendments.
3. Congress put limits on use of Federal funds for
voter registration.
4. Congress began earmarking new money to
“National Emphasis Programs”.
5. OEO decides it needs detailed demographic data
on each person served. “CAP Form 84”
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1968 – 1972. Our 1’s
1. Over 90% of existing nonprofit CAA’s were
designated under the Green Amendment.
2. Food Stamp Act of 1968 “Cash not
commodities”. Food Stamp Alert.
3. Implemented the Quie Amendment (tripartite).
4. Consolidated CAA’s, From 1,800 to about 930.
5. Medicaid Alert.
6. Civil rights Act of 1968 (housing)
7. Experiments in administrative decentralization.
Community Corporations, PNC
7. Dumped CAP Form 84
8. We were OK with Don Rumsfeld, Frank Carlucci
as OEO Directors.
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1968 – 1972. Our 4’s and 5’s.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Lost the Checkpoint Form. Chicago.
1968. HQ funded the Blackstone Rangers.
MLK & Bobby Kennedy killed.
Opposed the Family Assistance Plan in 1972.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
5. Guaranteed Annual Income projects folded.
6. President Nixon re-elected. Moves to impound $
and close OEO.
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1973 – 1981. Our 1’s.
1. Saved OEO. Howard Phillips resigns.
2. CAA’s move into the space created by separation
of IM and social services.
3. Community Services Amendments of 1974.
Standards of Effectiveness. (3) (President Ford).
4. EITC (1975).
5. Extended civil rights into HUD, Transportation.
6. CAA’s were the local Sponsor Agency for CETA.
7. LIHEAP and WX created.
8. President Carter. Charles Aragon Report.
Grantee Program Mgmt System (4) (GPMS).
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1973 – 1981. Our 4’s and 5’s
1. Anti-impoundment and Budget Reconciliation Act
of 1973 – used against us in 1981.
2. Assumed everything we did reduced poverty.
Didn’t distinguish between public charity, antidestitution, human development, anti-poverty.
3. Did not understand how inflation, globalization
were eating away at work opportunities for low
income people.
4. After social movements slowed, we had no strategy
to replace them except service coordination.
5. Lost CETA prime sponsorships, PSE.
6. Too much reliance on pushing the Presidential
button.
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1981 – 1993. Our 1’s
1. The CSBG was cobbled together with ideas from the
EOA. Saved tri-partite board, got 90% pass through
in return for closing CSA.
2. NVRS, CSBG IS (5)
2. OCS Demonstration Partnership Program validated
family development and microbusiness programs.
3. Evaluations.
4. EITC, Food Stamps, Medicaid expansions.
5. In several states, legislation is passed with elements
of EOA, CSBG.
6. President Reagan says Head Start is one of 7 “safety
net” programs.
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1981 – 1993. Our 4’s and 5’s.
1. With repeal of the EOA, lost the Federal
mandate. 25% cut. Laid off program
development and civil rights staff.
2. Globalization and automation outrun everybody.
3. No Federal or state plans to end poverty.
4. President Reagan: “Government IS the
problem.”
5. Boards focus on monitoring programs, many
stop doing community engagement.
6. Every CAA in trouble was replaced by a public
agency.
7. Begin collecting detailed data on participants.
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1994 – 2013. Our 1’s
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
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GPRA of 1993. MATF produces ROMA. (6) NPI’s (7)
Reauthorization of the CSBG 1998
Asset development, IDA, NEFE, homebuyer, etc.
Social enterprises peek over the horizon
CCAP
Body of Knowledge
Pathways to Excellence
Creating the 21st Century Model 2004
Summit in 2005
NCPES in Bethesda, 2007
A few state level plans to reduce poverty
Partnership trying to reconnect with CED
OCS funds Centers of Excellence for Standards, Theory
of Change, ROMA next generation. Hires UI. (8)
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1994 – 2013. Our 4’s and 5’s
1. Program development systems grind to a halt.
2. Focus mostly on services to individuals and families.
Our family development got stuck somewhere between
I&R and “social-work light”.
3. Still can’t tell the difference between anti-destitution
and anti-poverty.
4. No high-impact strategies to deal with shrinking
economic opportunity.
5. No immigration policy.
6. Late late late in picking up on the Meg Bostrum,
George Lakoff work on reframing. And now, we are
backsliding from economic security to FPL.
7. Lost connections to universities, other national orgs.
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Signs the current era is ending
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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Problems defining and measuring poverty.
Many historic strategies have lost their oomph.
We have few strategies that get people out of poverty.
Have we hit the limits of social services? “Light touch?”
From deserving poor to entitlements – and back again.
Entitlement payments/wages have not kept up with inflation.
Long, slow withdrawal of Federal government.
From: Nationwide, 500 counties, 200 EZ/EC’s,
60 Promise Neighborhoods.
From institutional change and anti-poverty
to anti-destitution = “stuff”.
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The Future?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Energy conservation.
Other environmental opportunities.
An explosion of articles and books.
Partner with other national groups; CAP; NAF, PRRAC,
EPI; CEPR.
5. Who is poor and for how long is a matter of national
choice. (Britain, Ireland, France and 50 other countries).
The Persistence of Poverty in the United States.
Garth Mangum, Stephen Mangum, Andrew Sum.
6. Human Development Capability Approach.
Amartya Sen. http://www.capabilityapproach.com
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More
7. Gar Alperovitz ‘s book: “What Then Must We
Do?”
8. UN Development Program, MDG’s. NASW.
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals
9. Jared Bernstein http://jaredbernsteinblog.com
10. Allen Stansbury
http://declineofusmiddleclass.blogspot.com
11. Social movements: Tea Party; Occupy.
12. Preschool for All.
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More
13. Gates Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative.
14. Public Service Employment.
15. High-school level skills at a minimum.
16. Minimum wage.
17. Social capital. www.circlesusa.org
18. Head Start PFCE Framework.
19. Community revitalization.
20. The New Reality Initiative at the Partnership
21. Transition Communities ww.transitionus.org
22. What else?
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The Promise of Community Action
Community Action changes people’s lives,
embodies the spirit of hope,
improves communities,
and makes America a better place to live.
We care about the entire community,
and we are dedicated to helping people help
themselves and each other.
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Community Action Code of Ethics
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Bibliography
Clark, Robert F. Maximum Feasible Success: A History of the Community Action Program. Washington, CD.
National Association of Community Action Agencies, 2000.
Community Action Code of Ethics. Washington: Community Action Partnership, 2002.
Community Services Block Grant Act. Pub. L. 105-285. 27 Oct. 1998. Stat. 112-2728.
Economic Opportunity Act. Pub. L. 88-452. 20 Aug. 1964. Stat. 78-508.
Harrington, Michael. The Other America, 1964. The New American Poverty. New York: Holt, 1984.
Masters, James I. “Advocacy.” CAA Executives’ Handbook. Washington: National Association of Community Action Agencies, 2000
.“Participation of Low-Income People.” CAA Executives’ Handbook. Washington: National Association of Community Action Agencies, 2000.
Office of Economic Opportunity and Community Services Administration Publications.
Characteristics of Eligible Activities. OEO Instruction 6001-03.May 10, 1971.
Means of Carrying Out a Community Action Program. OEO Instruction 6001-01. May 10, 1971
The Mission of the Community Action Agency. OEO Instruction 6320-1. November 16, 1970.
Participation of the Poor in the Planning, Conduct and Evaluation of Community Action Programs. OEO Instruction 6005-1. December 1, 1968.
Standards for Evaluating the Effectiveness of Community Action Programs. OEO Instruction7850-1. May 28, 1969.
The War on Poverty—A Hometown Fight. Washington, GPO, 1965.
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Past, Present and Future of Community Action
Discussion
Jim Masters, Center for Community Futures
jmasters@cencomfut.com
510.339.3801
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