The Latest News

Explore breaking news and recent commentary from the National Community Action Foundation and Community Action Agencies across the country.

Community Action Agencies unite to help flood victims recover

*July 16, 2025*
*Seguin Today* featuring **Community Council of South-Central Texas**
“Local residents have a new way to support those devastated by floodwaters throughout the Texas Hill Country. The Community Council of South-Central Texas (CCSCT) has launched an emergency relief effort to assist impacted residents in Kerr, Kendall, and portions of Guadalupe Counties.
Backed by funding from the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and additional support from Vistra Corp., CCSCT Executive Director Bobby Deike says the group is offering direct assistance to flood victims to address urgent needs ranging from shelter to basic necessities.”

Summer jazz series highlights need to protect federal community service block grant funding

*July 14, 2025*
*WCBB Charlotte* featuring Charlotte Area Fund CEO **Nicholas Wharton**
“Not only does it [CSBG] provide direct services like food, nutrition, workforce development programs, helping families to become economically self-sufficient, without those programs, it would be devastating for families,” Wharton said.”

Audubon Area CEO warns proposed federal cuts could dismantle lifelines for low-income families

*July 12, 2025*
*Owensboro Times* featuring **Brandon Harley,** Audubon Area Community Services
“Brandon Harley, CEO of Audubon Area Community Services, is urging local leaders and residents to speak out against proposed federal budget cuts that he says could dismantle critical safety net programs for thousands of families across northwestern Kentucky.”

Bulloch County seniors face challenges with proposed federal budget cuts

*July 11, 2025*
*Grice Connect* featuring **Diane Rogers**, Executive Director of Action Pact
“Local senior citizens and medically homebound residents in Bulloch County could face significant challenges if proposed federal budget cuts are enacted. action pact, the community action agency serving the area, is raising concerns over the potential loss of funding for two crucial programs: the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG).”

Support Community Services Block Grant

*July 10, 2025*
**Adrian Fassett***, Massapequa Post*
“On Long Island, earning a paycheck doesn’t always mean making ends meet. That’s why it’s worth recognizing when a member of Congress — like Rep. Andrew Garbarino — takes a stand for working families by supporting the Community Services Block Grant.”

Op-Ed: Community Services Block Grant funding in jeopardy

*July 8, 2025*
**Debbie Cabebe**, CEO of Maui Economic Opportunity, *Maui Now*
“Federal budget reductions, especially in human services, has been well publicized. Maui Economic Opportunity, Maui County’s Community Action Agency fighting poverty in our communities, has not been spared.”

What happened at MCOP’s 60th gala — and why it matters now

*July 8, 2025*
*The Monroe News* featuring the **Monroe County Opportunity Program**
“The main funding for Community Action Agencies, the Community Services Block Grant, is zeroed out in the federal administration's 2026 budget. Participants signed a letter in support of the grant, asking Congressman Tim Walberg to keep it in the budget. More than 180 letters were sent to his offices.”

Coastal Georgia Area Community Action Authority worried about funding cuts

*July 5, 2025*
**Coastal Georgia Area Community Action Authority**, *The New Brunswick News*
“We work with stabilizing families that find themselves in crisis, and we do it in a way that they don’t find themselves in crisis again and put them on the pathway to stability,” Hamilton said. “… Right now, in my opinion, the services that could be discontinued, the impact will be felt far and wide. We know our local governments will not be able to take on these types of things in the area our services support. It’s important for people to know what could happen if Coastal is no longer here. Food and housing security is not a political issue.”

Letter: CSBG is a lifeline for our community

*July 5, 2025*
**Renee Hungerford**, *The Daily News*
“With poverty rates at 13% in Orleans County and 10.6% in Genesee County, and with both counties facing population decline and healthcare shortages, the need for locally tailored support is urgent. CSBG allows us to respond directly to these challenges through community-driven planning and services.”

Congress: Pass H.R. 3131

July 3, 2025
**Adrian Fassett***, Islip Messenger*, *Brookhaven Messenger, and Smithtown Messenger*
“CSBG is a uniquely effective program. Community Action Agencies like ours understand their communities and can deliver customized solutions. Here at EOC of Suffolk, CSBG supports everything from helping youth at risk of gun violence, to fighting homelessness, to connecting seniors with life-saving services, and more.”

Keep CSBG working

*July 2, 2025*
**Rena Shawver**, *Methow Valley News*
“Claims that CSBG advances partisan agendas couldn’t be further from the truth. Our community — not Washington, D.C. — sets the priorities. We’re too busy delivering results to play politics. When a family is in crisis, they don’t ask who’s in power — they ask who can help.
Every year, OCCAC supports more than 15,000 people — over one-third of our county residents. That support isn’t a handout; it’s a hand up, helping people recover, rebuild, and regain independence.”

Georgia Community Action Association Urges Georgia Lawmakers to Protect Vital Programs: LIHEAP and CSBG Critical to Georgia Families

*July 2, 2025*
**The Georgia Community Action Association (GCAA)**, *The Citizen*
“The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) empowers Community Action Agencies, such as GCAA, to provide tailored, local solutions to economic sustainability. From job readiness programs and youth mentoring to emergency housing and food assistance, CSBG-funded initiatives reach families where they are and help them move forward.”

**CSBG cuts would cost our communities**

*July 2, 2025*
**Michelle Stiner**, *Centre Daily Times*
“As executive director of Central Pennsylvania Community Action, I want to thank Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson for his strong support of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), which is essential to our work helping individuals and families achieve stability across Centre and Clearfield counties.
I was surprised and disappointed to see that the President’s recent budget proposal includes the elimination of CSBG. This is the only federal funding stream dedicated to supporting local agencies that help households meet basic needs — housing, food, transportation and employment — and create long-term opportunity.”

Letter to the editor

*July 1, 2025*
**Trisha Wilkins**, *The Union*
“Poverty doesn’t care about political parties, but how we fight it must be smart, effective, and fiscally responsible. That’s why it’s so concerning that Congress is considering cuts endorsed by the current administration that would gut programs proven to help families help themselves.”

Jaime Longoria Urges Action as Key Support Programs Face Elimination

*July 1, 2025*
*Texas Border Business* featuring **Jamie Longoria, Executive Director of the Hidalgo County Community Service Agency**
“According to Longoria, Hidalgo County receives $2 million each year through CSBG funding. These funds support a wide range of services, including emergency response to natural disasters, support for victims of domestic violence, and immediate aid during events like the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that similar cuts would impact surrounding counties, including about $1 million in Cameron County and $700,000 in Starr County.
Longoria also noted that CSBG funds help address educational needs in the region. He cited an estimated 25,000 people between the ages of 16 and 24 in Hidalgo County who do not have a high school diploma. Programs that help these individuals earn diplomas would be affected by the proposed funding cuts.”

**Budget cuts could hit Berkshire programs and families hard this winter**

*July 1, 2025*
**Deborah Leonczyk**, *The Berkshire Eagle*
“In the Berkshires, we are fortunate to live in a place where neighbors help neighbors and community still matters. But even in this tight-knit region, thousands of families quietly struggle each day to make ends meet. For them, federal programs like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Community Services Block Grant are not extras — they are lifelines.”

**Letter to the Editor: Potential funding cut has gone largely unnoticed**

*June 30, 2025*
**Tai Blythe**, *Washington Times Herald*
“Thankfully, Congressman Messmer recently voiced his support for CSBG. He understands what makes it effective: local control. How to use the funds is decided on a community level, not by Washington.
In Southwestern Indiana, for example, CSBG funding supports programs that connect residents with healthcare and enable them to start savings accounts. We run unique programs that you won’t find in other places, like Boys and Beyond, which teaches 4th and 5th-grade boys skills ranging from financial literacy to how to tie a tie and how to change a tire.“

Community Action leader says loss of federal funding would harm vulnerable residents

June 30, 2025

Renee Hungerford, Orleans Hub

“Poverty exists in every corner of the United States, but the needs of our rural counties differ greatly from those of urban centers like New York City. Local control is essential. Through a comprehensive community needs assessment conducted every three years, we tailor our programs to meet the specific needs of our residents.

This is why CSBG is so vital.”

Threats to Pittsburgh’s nonprofits

*June 29, 2025*
***PIttsburgh Post-Gazette***
“The work of several local nonprofits is threatened by the proposed 2026 federal budget that has been endorsed by the U.S. House of Representatives and President Donald Trump. This budget proposal eliminates the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), the only federal grant program specifically focused on addressing the causes and conditions of poverty, through the work of a network of local community action organizations.”

Letter to the editor: CSBG makes a difference in our community

*June 28, 2025*
**Tai Blythe**, *Vincennes Sun-Commercial*
“Amid all the headlines from Washington, one potential funding cut that could affect thousands of Hoosiers has gone largely unnoticed.
Pace Community Action, the organization I lead, helps hardworking families in Southwestern Indiana thrive and gain economic independence. We rely on the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), a popular, bipartisan program that supports local anti-poverty efforts, and to my surprise, the president’s recent proposed budget calls for eliminating it.”

I fight poverty in California. Trump wants to cut our funding over a blog post

June 27, 2025

David Knight, San Francisco Chronicle

“The Community Services Block Grant delivers federal funds to states that are then distributed to locally run Community Action Agencies. These organizations, led by boards that include faith leaders, business owners, local elected officials and community members, design solutions based on the most urgent local priorities. For example, Community Action Agencies in California often manage energy assistance programs and are some of the first boots on the ground to administer disaster relief.”

'A hand up': COCAA serves Stillwater residents most in need

*June 26, 2025*
***Featuring*** ***Central Oklahoma Community Action Agency,*** *Sillwater News Press*
“‘We help low-income individuals and families avoid crisis situations by meeting emergency needs, and then we move to case management to help our clients gain self-sufficiency,’ said Mandi Quade, community resource and development coordinator for COCAA, also known as Community Action…
The ultimate goal is that clients eventually don’t need COCAA’s services anymore, Quade said. That includes giving clients resources on how to fight poverty moving forward.”

Op-ed: Trump budget would eliminate community service funding

June 26, 2025
**Carl Howell**, *Sentinel & Enterprise*
“Beyond human services, Community Action Agencies are powerful economic engines. Each year, Community Teamwork alone channels millions of federal and state dollars directly into our local economy — supporting small businesses like fuel providers, general contractors, childcare centers, and property owners. These investments don’t just stabilize families — they sustain local jobs and strengthen the economic infrastructure of entire communities.”

Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency still facing funding uncertainty

June 25, 2025

Featuring Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency, 99.9Y Country

“Agency Director Kim Smith Oldham tells us federal Community Services Block Grants are the backbone of the organization’s budget.”

Arkansas Needs CSBG

*June 21, 2025*
**Tomekia Moore**, *Arkansas Democrat Gazette*
“Across Arkansas, community action is more than just a concept — it’s a lifeline. Every year, thousands of families rely on the critical services made possible by the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)…”

**‘It gets back to us’: Federal funding’s potential impact on rural programs**

*June 20, 2025*
**Featuring** **South Plains Community Action Association**, *KTTZ NPR*
“Samantha Mendoza is the communications director for SPCAA. She said that when it comes to nonprofits and their programs, a lot of people don’t know where the funding comes from.
“For the most part, it starts at the very top of the Congressional Budget and gets filtered down to government agencies and then down to the states,” Mendoza explained. “But eventually it gets back to us.”

**Responding to the FY2026 Budget Request**

*June 3, 2025*
**Press Release**
Statement from National Community Action Foundation CEO David Bradley in response to the release of the president’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget request.
“The news that CSBG has been targeted for elimination is blindsiding state and local governments, and organizations across the country, who never thought such a popular program could be targeted for elimination…”

LTE: Support the Community Services Block Grant

May 30, 2025

Sonny Giroux, The Sun

“As a vital tool in the fight against poverty, CSBG supports community-based programs that provide critical services to low-income individuals and families—right here in our own community. These individuals are your friends, family and neighbors.
Let's make one thing very clear, these funds are not handouts—they are lifelines that are in jeopardy under the current administration. They empower individuals to build better futures for themselves and their families.”