Agency Profile
download the 2006 agency
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CAP Employee Handbook
The Employee Handbook is currently undergoing revisions.

CAP Webmail
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Board Officers 2007-2008

President:  Isabel Lark

First Vice President:  Al Granger

Second Vice President:  Mary Loreto

Secretary:  Carole Beech

Treasurer: 

Chief Executive Officer: 

Agency Background

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act.  This act provided for the creation of Community Action Agencies across the country whose purpose was to serve as a focal point for the elimination of poverty in local communities. In addition, the act created such other programs as Head Start, Job Corps and VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). For a complete history of Community Action in the United States, click here.

The Community Action Program of Lancaster County was founded and  incorporated in 1966 as a non-profit organization by a group of community leaders chaired by the late Richard Oblender.  CAP was started in cooperation with the Lancaster County Community Council, a predecessor to the United Way.   The initial focus of the organization was to educate local business and community leaders of the nature of poverty in Lancaster County.  In addition, our founders felt it was important to move beyond the provision of public assistance and to develop a new community mechanism to help low income families become self-sufficient and move out of poverty. [picture at right shows former board member and County Commissioner Ron Ford at the CAP Queen Street building dedication]

Agency Goals

The goals of the Community Action Program are fourfold.  First, CAP is to be an organization which mobilizes resources, both public and private, to deal with the causes of poverty, not merely it's effects.  It is not the Community Action Program's role to simply provide financial assistance to the poor, but to enable the poor to become self-sufficient. [picture at right shows former Commissioner Ron Ford at the Queen Street building dedication in May, 2004]

Second, the Community Action Program is to be a program which provides services, assistance and other activities of sufficient size and scope to give the promise of progress to the elimination of poverty. This may happen at an individual, family or neighborhood level and is accomplished through the development of employment opportunities, the improvement of human performance, productivity and motivation and the bettering of conditions under which low income families live, learn and work. [picture at left shows board member Ted Darcus sharing a Thanksgiving dinner with a parent and child of the agency's Head Start program  Ted is the Chair of the Lancaster Convention Authority.]

Third, Community Action seeks to strengthen the community's capabilities for planning and coordinating federal, state and private sector resources related to the elimination of poverty. CAP seeks to work in partnership with elected officials, other non-profits,  governmental agencies, community groups churches and the private sector to accomplish it's mission.

Finally, Community Action is to be developed,   conducted and administered with the "maximum feasible participation of the poor".  Participation means both the training and employment of the poor in service delivery jobs as well as their participation on policy making groups, including the CAP Board of Directors.  Through this participation, it is believed that low income persons can encourage their involvement in other community policy making groups, including elective offices.

Poverty in Lancaster County information has been moved to its own page.  Click here to go to it.

Agency Accomplishments

In Lancaster County, CAP served as the organization which initiated such projects as Head Start, the Shelter for Abused Women, the Housing Development Corporation, legal services for the poor and the Welsh Mountain Medical Center.  CAP also established the first rural human services transportation system in Lancaster County, which, for the first time, connected low income people with much needed human services located in the City of Lancaster. 

In 1970, CAP worked with the Governor of Pennsylvania to encourage the County government to establish the first County Housing Authority.  In 1976, CAP also started the Commonwealth's first home weatherization service for low income families when energy prices rose beyond the ability of low income families to afford them.  In the early 1980's, the agency was awarded a contract from the federal government to experiment with the use of solar energy to reduce the energy bills of low income families.  CAP worked with utility company PPL to test the use of solar hot water and solar photovoltaic systems in the homes of low income families.  The Energy Conservation Center continues to install such units under private contracts with local housing authorities.

In the mid-1970's, CAP worked with the Lancaster County Commissioners to staff the first Office of Aging.  This is now a part of County government and offers a wide variety of services to seniors throughout Lancaster City and County.  CAP also started Senior Citizen centers in Columbia, Lancaster, Lititz and Elizabethtown.  Currently, CAP still operates the centers in Lancaster and Columbia.

In 1976, using funds from the Office of Community Services, CAP began the first Shelter for Abused Women at the YWCA in Lancaster.  The program provided counseling and emergency shelter to domestic violence victims.  The Shelter purchased a large facility in downtown Lancaster and moved into it in 1982. Later, a Domestic Violence Legal Clinic and Bridge Housing for victims of domestic violence were also started.

In the area of affordable housing, CAP developed 4 units of housing at the Loreto building in Columbia (formerly the Columbia Trust Company), and served as Managing General Partner for development of 28 units of senior citizen housing at Nissly Chocolate Factory Apartments in Mount Joy. CAP also  converted a vacant industrial building in the City of Lancaster into a 10 unit Bridge Housing facility for victims of domestic violence and completed 11 units of affordable family housing in the Borough of Ephrata.  This project is known as Old Market Apartments. CAP continues to seek out new opportunities for the development of affordable rental housing for low income families. 

CAP also purchases and renovates single family homes in the City of Lancaster. The homes (one of which is shown at left) are then sold to first time home buyers.

A recent effort to develop multi-family rental housing in Manheim was met with strong citizen resistance due to opposition to affordable housing in the borough.  Despite efforts to have a local court reverse an unfavorable zoning decision, the agency was unable to proceed with the project when the court found in favor of the borough.  Despite fear-mongering and the spreading of falsehoods and myths about affordable housing by "citizen groups", CAP will continue to press local municipalities to provide opportunities for housing for its needy families.

In mid-2005, CAP, along with Community Basics, completed construction in the conversion of a former industrial building in downtown Lititz into 18 units of multi-family rental housing.

CAP established the Lancaster Family Center in collaboration with the School District of Lancaster and the County of Lancaster in 1994.  The Family Center operates the Parents as Teachers program that provides early childhood development services to low income families with children ages 0 to 3.  In addition, the Family Center provides case management services to several elementary schools.  The county's first Fatherhood program was also founded through the Lancaster Family Center.  Also recently added programs include a Nutrition Education Program and a Parent Child Home Visitation Program.

A grant from the Eisenhower Foundation enables CAP and the Lancaster School District to expand their collaborative efforts to provide for a "full-service community school" at the Lincoln Middle School.

Board of Directors

The CAP Board of Directors is comprised of one third representatives of elected and appointed officials and one third representatives of the poor and organizations representing the poor.  The remaining third is comprised of representatives of other community interest groups such as the League of Women Voters, the private sector and others.

Volunteer and Contribution Opportunities

CAP uses hundreds of volunteers in various capacities, from classroom volunteers in our child care and Head Start programs, college interns in our various program and legal advocates for victims of domestic violence.  If you would like to become involved as a volunteer in any of CAP's programs, or wish to donate money, goods or services, contact us at 717 299-7301.  You can also see the latest volunteer opportunities listed on the local United Way website.

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