Community Action, Inc.
Frequently Asked Questions

How do I qualify for help?

Each program administered by Community Action, Inc. has certain qualifications. Please consult program staff for detailed information.

For Administrative Services, click on the links below or call 785-235-9561 (toll-free 866-235-9561).

Fiscal Services
Human Resources
Planning

For Community Services, click on the links below or call 785-235-9296 (toll-free 800-792-7056). Community Services programs include the following:

Back-to-School Fair
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) / Family Day Care Homes (FDCH) (Phone: 785-232-3258)
Elderly Services / Durable Medical Equipment
Family Institute
First Tee Shawnee County Home and Housing Services ( Emergency Repair Program (ERP) / Kansas Accessibility Modification Program (KAMP) / Weatherization / Winterization) (Phone: 785-235-6671)
Latino Family Development
Project Attention
Homeless Prevention / Rent/Utility Assistance
Safe Kids Shawnee County
Tax Preparation and Counseling

For Early Head Start and/or Head Start services, please click on this link Head Start or call 785-266-0245 (toll-free 800-792-8039).

Do you provide rental and/or utility assistance?

Community Action, Inc. does offer limited assistance with rent and utilities, subject to funding availability and whether applicants meet program guidelines. Please contact Community Services at this link Homeless Prevention or call 785-235-9296 (toll-free 800-792-7056).

Do you provide free tax preparation/counseling/e-filing services?

During the tax season Community Action, Inc., in cooperation with AARP Tax Aide, prepares free of charge state and federal tax returns, and responds throughout the year to questions about tax returns, credits and exemptions. For more information about Tax Preparation and Counseling, please contact the Community Services department at this link Tax Preparation or call 785-235-9296 (toll-free 800-792-7056).

Does Community Action provide free school supplies to children?

Each August Community Action, Inc. holds Back-to-School Fairs to usher in the new school year. At the fairs, which are held in several communities within the agency’s service area, family- focused exhibitors provide fun activities and information for school-aged children and their families. Starter sets of grade-appropriate school supplies are given to families that meet income-eligibility requirements and pre-apply for the supplies. For more information about the Back-to-School Fairs, please contact the Community Services department at this link Back-to-School Fair or call 785-235-9296 (toll-free 800-792-7056).

Do you work with individuals and families with limited English proficiency?

Community Action’s Latino Family Development program provides services that promote school achievement, family stability and self-sufficiency for low-income, limited English proficient individuals and families. For more information about Latino Family Development, please contact the Community Services department at this link Latino Family Development or call 785-235-9296 (toll-free 800-792-7056).

Do you provide homeless prevention services to individuals and families?

Community Action’s Homeless Prevention program promotes self-sufficiency and transitions homeless persons into permanent housing by providing assistance with rent and utility deposits. Assistance is also available when the disconnection of utilities will result in eviction and homelessness. For more information about Homeless Prevention, please contact the Community Services department at this link Homeless Prevention or call 785-235-9296 (toll-free 800-792-7056).

Do you provide child car safety seats and conduct installation clinics?

Community Action, in conjunction with Safe Kids Shawnee County, provides child car safety seats and holds frequent clinics across Topeka on how to install them. For more information about Safe Kids Shawnee County, please contact the Community Services department at this link Safe Kids Shawnee County or call 785-235-9296 (toll-free 800-792-7056).

Do you provide canes, walkers, shower stools and other medical equipment?

Community Action does provide durable medical equipment as it is donated to the agency. For more information about Durable Medical Equipment, please contact the Community Services department at this link Elderly Services or call 785-235-9296 (toll-free 800-792-7056).

Do you provide plastic and caulking for windows and doors to winterize homes?

Community Action does provide winterization kits that contain those items, as well as other things to make homes more comfortable and help reduce energy costs during winter. For more information about Winterization Kits, please contact the Home/Housing department at this link Winterization or call 785-235-6671 (toll-free 800-792-7056).

Do you manage affordable housing complexes in the Topeka area?

Community Action manages three apartment complexes in the Topeka area: the McKinley Apartments in Clay Center, KS; the Swingle House Apartments in Leonardville, KS; and the Tanglewood Apartments in Topeka, KS (Tanglewood is specifically geared to people with severe and persistent mental illness). The agency also is the general partner of the Meriden Heights complex of duplexes in Meriden, KS. For more information about affordable housing, please contact the Home/Housing department at this link Apartments or call 785-235-6671 (toll-free 800-792-7056).

Are Early Head Start/Head Start services available through Community Action?

Community Action is a grantee for Early Head Start/Head Start programs in Shawnee and Wabaunsee Counties and offers services for families from the time they learn of a pregnancy until the child is of school age.

Community Action Head Start operates multiple program options that include comprehensive preschool, full-day/full-year child care for qualified families, and home visitation for children younger than three years. All families participating in Head Start receive health and social services, information to enhance their child’s development and opportunities to participate in program activities. For more information on Early Head Start/Head Start, including enrollment, please contact the Head Start department at this link Head Start or call 785-266-0245 (toll-free 800-792-8039).

Can daycare providers find support at your agency?

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides licensed daycare providers and Community Action Head Start centers with education and technical assistance related to food services. Reimbursement is provided to participating providers for meals and snacks that meet Federal nutritional requirements. For more information on CACFP, please contact the Child and Adult Care Food Program at this link Child and Adult Care Food or call 785-232-3258 (toll-free 800-792-7056).

What is Community Action?

Community Action, Inc. is a proud part of a nationwide network of approximately 1,100 local private and public Community Action Agencies (CAAs) that serve 17 million low-income people annually in 96 percent of the nation’s counties.

Federal Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funds are received by Community Action, Inc. and are an essential resource even though they represent only nine percent (October 2008) of the agency’s budget. Those funds enable Community Action, Inc. to leverage more than $12 for each dollar in CSBG funds it receives. Those funds are directed to the agency’s mission, which is:

To alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty through the promotion of public policy that helps those in poverty move to greater self-reliance, AND by providing services and resources that meet basic needs, promote self-reliance and enhance the quality of life for individuals and families.

Community Action, Inc. has a budget of more than $7 million, including housing grants and funds from the 2009 – 2010 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and administers 25 program grants on 8 different fiscal years. The agency employs 79 associates and has program facilities at 3 locations in Shawnee County and 1 in Wabaunsee County. It owns and/or operates affordable housing projects in Clay, Jefferson, Riley and Shawnee Counties.

How and why did Community Action Agencies (CAAs) form?

Community Action, Inc. is a private non-profit organization that has its roots in President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, which was launched with Johnson’s special message to Congress on March 16, 1964. In that speech Johnson said :

Today, for the first time in our history, we have the power to strike away the barriers to full participation in our society. Having the power, we have the duty.

That day Johnson proposed to Congress the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. The proposal created the Office of Economic Opportunity -- a cabinet-level agency -- and would be led by Johnson’s Chief of Staff, Sargent Shriver. Shriver had successfully led President John Kennedy’s Peace Corps since its inception in 1961 before accepting Johnson’s offer to lead his War on Poverty. Johnson said his proposal would

Strike at the causes, not just the consequences, of poverty.

Johnson proposal contained five components, including the creation of a new Community Action program...to strike at poverty at its source

In the streets of our cities and on the farms of our countryside among the very young and the impoverished old.

What is Community Action month?

Each May Community Action Agencies from around the nation celebrate Community Action Month. National Community Action Month was created to reinforce Community Action Agencies (CAAs) role in helping low-income families achieve economic stability, according to the Community Action Partnership’s website www.communityactionpartnership.com.

This year’s National Community Action Month theme is also the 2011 Annual Convention theme: Community Action 2011: Working for Opportunity and Economic Security in America. This theme was selected prior to Community Action being the sole program singled out for budget cuts during the January 25 State of the Union address.

Given the rapidly-changing events that now threaten Community Action’s survival, it’s appropriate that we are focusing on “Community Action’s New Realities.” During National Community Action Month in May, at the Annual Convention in August, and throughout the year—Community Action Agencies will work, strategize, and advocate for the communities and people we proudly and conscientiously serve while also celebrating our illustrious 47-year legacy.