COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY
OF
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

Helping People, Changing Lives

" Helping People, Changing Lives" 

Since 1965, the Community Action Agency has served residents of the City of Annapolis and all of Anne Arundel County.  As the county’s designated anti-poverty agency, we administer programs developed to help lower-income families and individuals increase their assets and reach self-sufficiency.  With our focus on the Two-Generation Whole Family approach to providing services, we have programs that benefit household members from infancy through their senior years.

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Community Action serves over 16,000 Anne Arundel County residents each year through our six program areas:  Early Head Start, Energy Assistance, Health and Wellness Equity, Housing Assistance and Services, Returning Citizens, and Youth Development Services.  The Agency is committed to identifying gaps in programming and developing new initiatives to better serve our community.

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  • CARES- provides energy and utlitly bill asssistance to households that have experienced a loss of income due to COVID-19

  • Assists income eligible households in Anne Arundel County by providing financial assistance with home heating and electric bills

  • Coordinates and negotiates payments to fuel suppliers and utility companies on the clients behalf

Energy Assistance

  • Emergency Rental Assistance Program:

  • Assists households who experienced loss of income due to COVID-19 prevent eviction by clearing rental arrears and helping with rental payments

  • Emergency Financial Assistance:

  • -Eviction prevention

  • -First month’s rent

  • First Time Home Buyer's Class:

  • -One-on-one pre-purchase counseling to determine client’s mortgage readiness

  • -Conducts group pre-purchase education workshops

  • -FHA Certificates issued the same day

  • -Workshops held twice monthly

  • Financial Capability Workshops

Housing Assistance

  • Individualized programming for infants and toddlers (ages birth – 3) to maximize children’s development

  • High-quality child-care for working parents

  • Two-Generation Approach providing services to all members of participating families:

  • - Case management and referral services

  • - Access to all Agency programs

  • -Health and nutrition workshops

  • -Access to tutors for GED preparation

  • -Resume and Career Building

  • -ESL classes

Early Head Start

  • Comprehensive counseling

  • Crisis intervention

  • Substance Abuse/Mental Health Counseling

  • Summer Forward Success Program (16-24 years of age)

  • Project Ignite – school-based mentorship and tutoring program

  • Healing Youth Alliance Partnership

  • Eurekii Tutoring program

Youth Development Services

  • Addresses health disparities that impact impoverished communities through prevention and awareness activities

  • Supports and assists clients in accessing health and wellness resources

  • Strengthens public policy action on health access issues

  • Showcases wellness themes to build awareness of specific diseases and preventative measures

  • Provides workshops and activities to address wellness related topics.

Health & Wellness

  • Comprehensive case management services

  • Utilizes a recognized certification and career pathway program

  • Assists clients to earn industry-recognized credentials

  • Preparation for educational and vocational assessments

  • Assists with job searches and hiring strategies

Returning Citizens

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2- Generation Whole Family Approach

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Health Amb
Carlos - Outreach
Carlos - Behavior Health - Peer Support - Retuning Citizens
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Book Bag Giveaway - Aetna 09.2021
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The Community Action Agency of Anne Arundel County (AACCAA) has recently implemented the 2-Generation Whole Family Approach. The 2-Generation Whole Family Approach is designed to move families from poverty to self-sufficiency and is currently being piloted within the Early Head Start program. The Agency has designed a customized program to empower families with the tools, knowledge and resources to gain economic stability, enhance child development, and promote self-sufficiency.

 

The program focuses on an integrated approach, using an innovative and intentional framework, that will ultimately be utilized agency wide. Families will be empowered to gain economic stability, promote child development and school readiness for their children, reach self-sufficiency, and reduce the poverty levels within their community.

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Agency Events 

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Testimonials 

 People who participate in the Agency’s workshops for first-time home buyers have the opportunity to work one-on-one with our housing counselors to achieve their goals.  Recently a single woman, with grown children, contacted a housing counselor about the potential of finding a home and utilizing a down payment from the Maryland Mortgage Program.  She was living in subsidized housing and paying market rate rent of $1,300 per month.  She was encouraged to attend one of the workshops and after she did, one of our workshop facilitators helped her by providing tools to repair her credit.  Within two months, her credit score was to the point that she could proceed with getting a mortgage.  We are delighted that our customer was able to qualify for a mortgage, recently went through the settlement process, and has moved into her forever home! 

Our Early Head Start staff members are devoted to the families they serve.  Late this summer, an Early Head Start family of four was diagnosed with COVID-19.  Agency staff came together and went shopping multiple times to ensure they had the food and supplies they needed while they were in quarantine.  This help was vital to the family, as they weren’t allowed to leave their home for any reason and had no family nearby to assist them.  Community Action cares! 

While many people have been focusing on Anne Arundel County households impacted by the coronavirus, other households have been facing emergencies caused by other circumstances.  Recently, an 18 year-old young man found an eviction notice secured to the front door of his home.  The young adult had recently had one parent pass-away, while his other parent was experiencing severe mental health issues, and at the same time he was working hard to stay on top of his high school studies.  He made his way to Community Action for help clearing over $3,000 in arrears so he and his parent could remain in their home.  The Agency’s housing counselors worked with the young man and with three of our faith-based community partners to provide the matching funds necessary to keep the young man and his parent in their home.  Through the work of Community Action staff and our partners, our customer is in his home for the holidays and beyond! 

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