About

OVERVIEW
Community Action Council of Howard County (CAC), a 501c3, non-profit organization, was founded in 1964, with a mission to diminish poverty, enable self-sufficiency and advocate for low-income families and individuals. CAC is the designated antipoverty organization in Howard County and operates four anchor programs for low income citizens. The programs include but are not limited to Food, Housing, and Energy assistance as well as Early Childhood Education. Through the years, CAC has delivered a wide range of services including homeless shelter, homelessness prevention, emergency food, substance abuse prevention, early childhood education (Head Start), emergency assistance, crisis intervention, Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening, financial literacy, tax preparation assistance, and outreach and mentoring.  CAC has demonstrated a commitment to serving low-income individuals in Howard County.


ANCHOR PROGRAMS

Howard County Food Bank:
- Grocery store model facility serving 27,000 residents annually
- Open 3 days per week, serving 30-40 families per day
- Distributes 687,000 pounds of food each year
- Staff of 4, plus volunteers

Early Childhood Education:
- Four centers with an enrollment of 284 three and four year olds
- Programs provide family engagement services, speech & language therapy, mental health consulting, hearing & vision screening, nutritional counseling, and limited transportation

Energy Assistance:
- Utility assistance to households in imminent danger of utility cut-off
- Assistance to low-moderate income homeowners and renters with reducing their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient
- 6,000 households supported

Housing Assistance:
- One Month’s Rent program for families facing eviction - provides individuals and families with one-time financial grants
- 311 evictions prevented in 2015