In 1964 President Johnson declared the “War on Poverty” in his State of the Union address. Out of call to action came the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), and the creation of “Urban and Rural Community Action Programs.” A national network of Community Action Agencies (CAAs) used their local initiative funding to design programs at the local level. Over the years the name and nature of the original OEO has changed, as well as the funding processes for CAAs, but the concept of local control has remained at the heart of New Hampshire’s Community Action effort.

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The New Hampshire Community Action Partnership (NHCAP) is comprised of the 5 Community Action Agencies in the state: Community Action Partnership of Strafford County; Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack Counties, Inc.; Southern New Hampshire Services, Inc.; Southwestern Community Services, Inc.; and Tri-County Community Action Program, Inc.

 

We are dedicated to the principle that poverty should not be a permanent condition of people’s lives. We believe that if provided with the opportunity and appropriate resources, people can reach their goals and contribute to strengthening their local community.

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We all operate core programs such as Workforce Programs, Head Start, Fuel Assistance and homelessness prevention, but each agency also provides services and programming designed to respond to the needs of their particular communities. Working with federal, state and local partners, NHCAP strives every day to fulfill the Promise which guides our work:

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“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."