MAIN OFFICE:

Address:
1574 E. Washington Rd.
P.O. Box 768
Farwell, MI 48622

Phone:
989-386-3805

e-Mail:
contactus@mmcaa.org

• BOARD STRUCTURE - CAAs are required to have a tripartite board consisting of equal parts of local private sector, public sector and low-income community representatives. This structure brings together community leaders from each of these groups to collaborate on developing responses to local needs.
• VOLUNTEER SUPPORT - The CAA network is one of the largest users of volunteer services in the country. In FY 1998, CAAs reported that volunteers contributed more than 27 million hours of service, equivalent to more than 13,000 full time employees.
• LEVERAGE FOR OTHER RESOURCES - Every Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) dollar spent leverages nearly $4 of state, local and private contributions combined. The CAA network administers a total of nearly $5.6 billion in federal, state, local and private resources.
• INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS - CSBG funds give CAAs the flexibility to design programs that address needs specific to individuals and the local community and to identify specialized resources that fit these needs.
• LOW ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS - CAAs have very low administrative overhead costs (on average, between 7 and 12 percent). Resources are invested directly in the community and families, not the bureaucracy.
• COMPREHENSIVE AND RESPONSIVE - CAAs respond quickly when a family or individual is in crisis to avoid costly long-term problems. The highest priority is placed on a major portion of CSBG expenditures is for coordination among various programs. Integrated service delivery is tailored to individual circumstances.
• COMMUNITY AND FAMILY PROGRAMS - CAAs provide services that address the full range of family needs -- from Head Start and other education and child development programs, to youth and adult employment and training., to services for seniors and the frail elderly. Services are generally coordinated through a case manager or family development specialist. Other CAA programs are designed to strengthen the local economy and develop the community's infrastructure under the guidance of community leaders.
• REACHING MILLIONS OF AMERICANS - CAAs provide services to more than a quarter of all Americans living in poverty and to several million more families with incomes only slightly higher than the poverty threshold every year. 2.8 million low-income children are among those served.

Data Source: The National Association for State Community Services Programs, Community Services Block Grant Statistical Report: FY 1998 (View the report on NASCSP's website.)