Text Box: MACA History Ever since the passage of the Economic Opportunity Act in 1964, the Missouri Community Action Agencies have organized and focused their efforts on helping individuals and communities overcome the causes as well as the effects of poverty. Shortly after the Act was passed, Community Action Agencies began to incorporate throughout the state. By late 1965, every county in Missouri had a community action outreach center. This statewide network continues today. A natural next step was the formation of an informal group composed of CAA Executive Directors and senior staff, along with representatives of the State and Regional Office of Economic Opportunity, which began to meet regularly to discuss common concerns and problems. This group, the Missouri Association of Community Action Directors, was officially organized in August of 1966. In March of 1971, it was incorporated as the Missouri Association of Community Action Agencies (MACAA). This organization became the forerunner for the current Association.  

Advocacy

  • MACA continued to promote greater understanding of poverty by conducting Community Action Poverty Simulations. Several simulations were conducted at statewide events, including CAA Legislative Day at the State Capitol, Region VII CAA Conference and the Conference on the Young Years. Through the MACA/CSBG partnership, seven CAAs and MACA conducted poverty simulations in eight Missouri communities for 463 Family Support Division staff.

  • More than 70 Poverty Simulation kits were distributed upon request to a variety of recipients, including: Community Action Associations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Ohio; the Illinois Head Start Association; Faith Beyond Walls; Northwest Mercy Ministries; Nebraska Department of Education; City of Savannah Economic Development Department; University Extension offices; and several colleges and universities.

  • In the 2005 session of the Missouri General Assembly, MACA advocated Community Action Network priorities, including health care, child care, transportation, housing and emergency assistance. 

  • May was declared Community Action Month by Gov. Matt Blunt in a ceremony involving 19 individuals from 12 CAAs and the MACA office.

  • Missouri CAA representatives met with eight members of Missouri’s Congressional delegation in Washington D.C. to advocate for the Community Services Block Grant. The final list of co-signers for the CSBG reauthorization bill included Missouri Congressmen Carnahan, Cleaver and Clay.

  • CAA representatives presented comments on the proposed State Weatherization Plan, including MACA’s role in training and technical assistance services. 

  • The Community Action Network took steps to establish closer working relationships with new leadership in the Missouri Departments of Natural Resources and Social Services.

  • Information about the Weatherization Assistance Program was prepared for Missouri’s Congressional delegation to advocate for the program during the appropriations process.

  • Two MACA staff presented the Service Integration for the Working Poor Guide to the Missouri Training and Employment Council.

  • MACA continued to promote the network’s mission through the website and bi-monthly newsletter.

  • MACA printed and distributed 37,000 calendars featuring food and nutrition artwork of children enrolled in Missouri Head Start programs.

Training & Technical Assistance

  • With a training and technical assistance grant from the Department of Natural Resources/Energy Center, MACA coordinated a certification process through the Building Performance Institute (BPI) in New York, which allowed 24 Missouri Weatherization Auditors and two Energy Center staff to be certified as Building Analysts. BPI is a national, independent organization that verifies worker skills in the weatherization and building industry.

  • Training programs were provided for CAA staff on the following subjects: Circles of Support, Results and Learning, Generational Differences in the Workplace, Succession Planning, United in Purpose, CAPS Facilitating, Case Management, Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, Building High Performance Teams and Step Up to Leadership.

  • Four CAA staff attended the Leadership Academy at the Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri-Columbia with scholarships provided by the CSBG/MACA partnership. The eight-session program was described by one participant as “extremely informational” and “easily applied to the job.”

  • Up to 10 scholarships were offered to CAA staff to attend the Excellence in Missouri Foundation’s 2005 Conference, featuring performance improvement strategies.

  • MACA continued to provide technical assistance on the development of the statewide Community Action Management Information System to capture demographic client information, track clients and document client outcomes.

  • MACA hired a second trainer through the CSBG/MACA partnership to further develop training programs for CAA staff.

  • Contracting with consultants, MACA worked closely with three Community Action Agencies to develop a succession plan for leadership of the agencies to ensure an effective transition as their executive directors retired or resigned.

Resource Development

  • The Missourians Building Assets (MBA) program was further expanded to include 88 participants enrolled through 18 agencies. 

  • The 2004-05 Housing Trust Fund report indicated that emergency housing assistance of $360,000 was allocated to the 19 CAAs, along with a carryover of the mental health grant of $8,070.  Combined, the funds assisted 904 households with 2,521 people to prevent homelessness.

Other Support

  • MACA provides staff services for the MACA Board of Directors and the Missouri Community Action Directors Association.

  • Membership networking is supported through several professional alliances, including: Energy and Housing, Information Technology, Outreach Management, Employment and Training,  Outreach Personnel, Financial, and Administrative Support.

  • MACA represents the network on several committees and task forces: Missouri Training and Employment Council (MTEC), Governor’s Homeless Task Force, MC + for KIDS Coalition, FEMA State Set-Aside Committee, Head Start State Collaboration Advisory Council, National Monitoring and Assessment Task Force, Weatherization Technical Group, Missouri Nutrition Network, the  National ROMA Peer-to-Peer Advisory Committee, and National Community Action Management Academy Board.

 

Missouri Association
for Community Action:
A network of strength

MACA Mission
To be an effective advocate in policy and program development, which impacts low-income families, and to strengthen the capacity of  the Missouri Community Action Agencies.


The Missouri Association for Community Action (MACA)  provides the network that links Missouri’s 19 Community Action Agencies in a common mission.

With an office in Jefferson City, the MACA staff works to serve the Community Action Network, according to the priorities set by MACA’s Board of Directors.  To increase its effectiveness, MACA also partners with other agencies and organizations with similar missions.