Working in Partnership with our Community
East Central Illinois Community Action Agency has a long history of helping stimulate community and neighborhood economic development. Our belief in the power of neighborhoods to effect positive change in the quality of life drives our commitment to helping communities grow.
In 1998, we constructed a 1.5 million dollar Family and Community Development Center in an older residential neighborhood which had begun to show indicators of decline and was often overlooked by public and private development initiatives. Following construction of this state-of-the art facility for early childhood education and other services, we brought nearly $200,000 in home rehabilitation funds for the area immediately surrounding the facility. The change is immediately noticeable today, and the neighborhood continues to develop and improve on its own.
Our Small Business Loan program provides capital to small businesses at less than prime rates to stimulate development and growth. Loans are made to businesses who agree to hire workers with low income in exchange for the competitive rate loans.
Over the years, we have served as an "incubator" for several neighborhood and community development initiatives, including operation of a food pantry (which is now an independent entity), start-up funds for the Vermilion Area Community Health Center, and other unique services.