COMMUNITY ACTION ORGANIZATION
of Scioto County, Inc.

Helping People. Changing Lives.

This information below provides an overview of the many economic and social benefits the Community Action Organization of Scioto County (CAO) provides for our area.

• Payroll
  CAO staff consists of 202 of your local neighbors and last summer employed 254 disadvantaged youth in its summer employment program. The gross payroll for 2010 was $6,399,928. Our employees paid $81,297 in local income taxes and spend their earnings throughout the local community, supporting jobs in a wide sector of our economy.

• Support for Local Businesses
  During the last two-year period, CAO purchases from local vendors totaled $20,858,165. That is in keeping with our philosophy of always looking first to local providers for goods and services. Those businesses depend on local purchasing power to remain viable and continue to provide their own employment opportunities, and CAO is happy to contribute to that.

• Client Profile
  A minimum of 14,000 eligible Scioto County residents received one or more services from CAO in 2010. With the spike in unemployment due to the 2009-2010 recession, the agency witnessed an influx of residents who had previously never needed assistance. A review of client characteristics shows that a majority of our families have one or more members who are employed, yet their low earnings qualify them for CAO services.

• Services to Children
  CAO worked with 5,818 children during the past year. Activities for children include Head Start, Early Head Start, Summer Feeding, Summer Youth Employment, Summer School makeup classes, In-School Youth activities, Dental Care and Nutrition services.

• Heating Assistance
  During 2010 CAO assisted 4,479 households with heating bill assistance through the Home Energy Assistance Program. This assistance enabled families to avoid shutoff of service and meet heating needs, and was a significant source of income for local fuel oil and propane vendors.

• Energy
  A total of 532 families had their homes made safer and more energy efficient due to work performed by the Home Weatherization Assistance Program last year. The program seals and insulates dwellings and repairs or replaces unsafe, inefficient heating units. It also provides comprehensive energy audits to determine other ways clients can lower fuel costs.

• Health Care
  6,129 patients received care from either the CAO Primary Health Care Clinic or the Center for Dental Wellness. The Health Clinic provided comprehensive health care to 3,101 patients while the Dental Wellness Center served 3,028. Medical services included primary care for adults, a maternity clinic whose patients account for more than 30% of the deliveries at our local hospital, ob-gyn clinics and immunizations. The Dental Center offered services matching the entire scope of procedures available at local private practices. Patients of both clinics are working households with no insurance, senior citizens, or those covered by Medicaid whose cards are not accepted by local private practitioners.

• Emergency Services
  1,196 local households had emergency situations resolved in 2010. Problems addressed included emergencies in the areas of housing, food and transportation. Those families also had access to the agency’s referral network that serves as a one-stop clearinghouse for all local service providers, including those opportunities offered by other CAO programs.

• Senior Citizens
  A total of 552 seniors received a daily hot, nutritionally balanced meal through the CAO Senior Nutrition and Passport Programs. 410 of those individuals were homebound elderly whose meals were delivered to their residences. Seniors also benefited, in large numbers, from the range of other services provided by the agency, most often heating assistance, weatherization and health care.

• Employment and Training
  2,425 local individuals utilized CAO’s Workforce Connections service to find employment or acquire new vocational skills in 2010. Those who are considered job ready take part in intensive job search activities matching their skills to employers while those requiring skills upgrades are enrolled in training, ranging from Basic Education to specific, employer driven training at local post-secondary institutions.

• Collaboration
  Much of CAO’s success stems from the large number of community institutions and organizations that make up the collaborative network we have developed over the years. These partners are crucial to insuring that the area safety net is as efficient as possible. They range from other social service providers to units of government, business associations, faith-based organizations and the medical community.

One of the more important examples is the relationship between the agency and the Southern Ohio Port Authority (SOPA). The central administrative unit of CAO provides all the staff support for SOPA, the economic development entity for the County. This partnership has been responsible for reclaiming over 100 acres of the abandoned Detroit Steel Brownfield. Today, that cleaned up site is home to three successful manufacturing plants that employ more than 300 workers at a living wage with benefits. Ground will be broken in the very near future for a fourth manufacturer who will employ an additional 75 workers. The eastern portion of the site is now a large retail mall generating millions in revenue and employing hundreds of additional local residents. SOPA also brokered the huge investment by Sun Coke resulting in the construction of a state of the art facility in eastern Scioto County. That facility employs 162 workers at a living wage with benefits.

Community Action is a vital asset for our area. It provides necessary services to the most vulnerable of our neighbors and makes a significant contribution to the local economy. Please use the program contact links, found under each heading above, for additional information on CAO services or activities. Back to Top