Child & Family Development
"Helping Others Help Themselves..."
Opportunities for Chenango, Inc. (OFC, Inc.) is a community action agency, serving the citizens of Chenango County, NY. We are committed to helping families and individuals recognize their strengths, set realistic goals, make responsible choices, and become successful, self-sufficient members of the community.
OFC, Inc. programs focus on child and family development, housing security, life-skills training, education, literacy, health and nutrition, community, employment and economic development.
OFC, Inc. follows a family development services system, a way of working with families and empowering them to move out of poverty. The goal is to support families in their efforts to move from crisis situations, economic dependency and vulnerability, to an increasingly stable and economically self-supporting situation. Families are full partners in identifying their strengths, needs and with staff guidance, put together steps to attain self-sufficiency.
Click on the links to the left to learn more about the various services OFC, Inc. provides to the Chenango County community.
Community Action Works! The Economic Impact of Community Action in Chenango County
Click on a picture below to watch portions of our Community Action Works presentation held at SUNY Morrisville's Norwich campus. These videos tell about the impact that our various programs have on our community. Spread the word!
NEW! Our first informational video, featuring our Manufactured Home Rehabilitation Initiative program, is now in the rotation of videos. Check it out!
The History of Community Action
Community Action Agencies (CAAs) are nonprofit private and public organizations established under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to fight America's War on Poverty. Community Action Agencies help people to help themselves in achieving self-sufficiency. Today there are approximately 1,000 Community Action Agencies serving the poor in every state as well as Puerto Rico and the Trust Territories.
The service areas of Community Action Agencies (CAAs) cover 96 percent of the nation's counties. Agencies are connected by a national network that includes the Community Action Partnership national association, regional associations, state associations, a national lobbying organization, and a national association of Community Service Block Grant administrators.
CAAs are a primary source of direct support for the more than 34.5 million people who live in poverty in the United States. The majority of CAA program participants are extremely poor, with incomes below 75 percent of the federal poverty threshold, or $9,735 for a family of three (the average family size for the client population).
The Community Action network serves approximately:
- 11 million individuals per year
- 3.3 million families per year
CAAs serve all regions and populations:
- 54% of CAAs serve rural areas.
- 36% of CAAs serve areas considered both urban and rural.
- 10% of CAAs serve urban areas.
The average population a CAA serves is approximately 300,000 people. The average number of low-income people within each service area is 37,600.
