For decades, community action agencies have continued to uplift families across the U.S. by strategically using federal resources to meet local needs, and our ability to adapt to changing times over the past 60 years has made us one of the most valuable service networks across the nation.
Here in Southwest Michigan, we see the impact community action has had in the lives of countless families, especially in our tri-county area of Berrien, Van Buren and Cass counties, a section of Michigan that often gets overlooked. Like our sister organizations around the state, the Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency (SMCAA) has a mission: to work as a hand up, not a handout, to our community members in need.
SMCAA’s programs are often the lifeline required to keep a family from going hungry, losing their home, or not having heat in the dead of winter. Many members of the community – your friends, family members, or neighbors – are often one emergency away from tragedy. SMCAA exists to assist low-income individuals and families in their moments of biggest need.
For example, when it was discovered that the city of Benton Harbor had elevated lead levels in their water in 2021, the state of Michigan contacted SMCAA to take action. State departments assisted SMCAA in setting up water distribution sites, meeting with local partners and triaging logistics for water delivery. SMCAA distributed more than 600,000 bottles of water for almost two and a half years.
When families can count on safe water, help with utilities, or rent support, they can focus their limited resources on medications, car repairs and other critical needs. Our programs are designed to help those struggling from falling into further financial distress or to provide a necessary bridge out of the cycle of poverty. In 2024 alone, SMCAA distributed nearly 49,000 USDA food boxes, served more than 5,100 food pantry clients, helped 543 households with utility and water bills, supported 254 households with rent, and sheltered 45 families experiencing homelessness.
SMCAA also provides stability and hope for thousands of senior citizens living on the brink of poverty. These core programs are designed to assist low-income adults over 65 with alleviating the financial strain of making ends meet, like providing options to weatherize homes so that utilities operate more efficiently in Michigan winters or receiving a monthly CSFP food box to help with food insecurities. When elderly citizens are dependent on monthly support from Social Security checks to survive, these offerings can make all the difference.
Despite budget cuts and shrinking resources competing with increased demand and higher need, SMCAA has been successful in serving the citizens of Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties. But SMCAA, like the other 27 CAAs across Michigan, faces real threats. The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), a core funder of CAAs, is at risk of elimination. CSBG is the most accountable, performance-driven block grant in existence. Community action agencies can leverage approximately $17 for every $1 provided from CSBG funding – difficult work that is rigorously audited by the government to ensure agencies are operating with efficiency and transparency.
For SMCAA in particular, federal funding supports our programs and allows us to maintain a family homeless shelter, a food pantry and to employ 20 staff members to meet the needs of those who use our services in all three of our counties. Already in 2025, SMCAA is on track to double food assistance from 2024, which speaks to the high volume of need in Southwest Michigan.
If this funding disappears, permanently reducing the capability of SMCAA and CAAs everywhere, thousands will feel the loss. The result would be fewer services, staff and lifelines for families facing hardship.
As residents struggle with rising costs, shrinking resources and increased demand, the need for SMCAA and our sister agencies across the state and nation has never been greater. We hope our fellow Southwest Michiganders will join us in calling upon federal colleagues to support these valuable services.
SMCAA staff is committed to the tri-county community and we will carry on serving as long as we are able. Our vision is to be a beacon of support in a strong, thriving community by helping people and changing lives. We know in our hearts and minds that to love and aid our neighbors is right, wise and valuable, and we are proud to assist those in need with respect and grace.
Kim Smith Oldham is Executive Director of the Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency, which was established in 1982 and has been serving Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties since 1992. Learn more about SMCAA at www.smcaa.com.
