Public Policy & Advocacy
What We Stand For
CAFCA and Connecticut’s Community Action Agency (CAA) Network is committed to advocating for public policies that advance social justice and economic opportunity for all.
We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to realize their potential and fully participate in society, the economy, and their community.
The Promise of Community Action:
“Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.”
CAFCA collaborates with local, state, and federal community partners to help address the causes and conditions of poverty. We advocate for and support the following :
Empowering Children to Reach their Potential
Providing support for both children and their families as a whole is key in helping to ensure positive and improved mental, social, emotional, educational, and developmental outcomes, and in reducing the achievement gap.
Access to high-quality, early childhood care and education programs like Head Start and school readiness is essential in helping to break the cycle of poverty .
Strengthening Connecticut’s Workforce for Today and Tomorrow
Employment and training programs and services are a driving force in enabling people reach their full potential, and to become economically self-sufficient.
Helping Working Families Build Assets
No family is free from poverty if financial ruin is just one missed paycheck or unexpected medical bill away.
Initiatives that help families build assets like financial counseling, a state earned income tax credit, and free income tax preparation set up families for future success.
Keeping Families Safe and Healthy
High energy costs can put families in crisis mode and threaten their ability to pay for other essential basic needs, forcing them to choose between heating their homes and things like food and medicine.
Programs and services like home heating assistance (through the CT Energy Assistance Program, or CEAP, and assistance with Matching Payment Plans), increasing home energy efficiency (through the Weatherization Assistance Program, or WAP), Meals on Wheels, food pantries, and more are crucial to keeping the people we serve safe and healthy.
Maintaining an Effective Poverty-Fighting Network
Serving every city and town in our state, Connecticut’s CAAs are foundational partners in the state’s Human Services Infrastructure (HSI), a customer-focused, multigenerational human services delivery system.
Through this approach, anyone can enter a CAA for any reason and get connected to programs, services, and resources to help meet their short and long-term needs—leading them on a path to economic independence.
Positions & Priorities
National Partners
Legislative Testimony
2021 Legislative Testimony
- Senate Bill 1100: An Act Concerning the Failure to File for Certain Grand List Exemptions – April 20, 2021
- House Bill 6666: An Act Concerning the Department of Public Health’s Recommendations Regarding Various Revisions to the Public Health Statutes – March 29, 2021
- House Bill 6662: An Act Declaring Racism as a Public Health Crisis and Establishing the Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health – March 26, 2021
- Senate Bill 340: An Act Concerning Funding for Housing Services – March 26, 2021
- Senate Bill 178: An Act Increasing the Applicable Percentage of The Earned Income Tax Credit – March 17, 2021
- Senate Bill 1024: An Act Concerning Zoning Authority, Certain Design Guidelines, Qualifications of Certain Land Use Officials and Certain Sewage Disposal Systems – March 15, 2021
- House Bill 6227: An Act Establishing a Task Force to Study Work-Based Learning Opportunities in Industries with a Hiring Need in the State – March 9, 2021
- House Bill 6442: An Act Concerning Equitable Access to Broadband – March 9, 2021
- Senate Bill 958: An Act Allowing Certain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Beneficiaries to Use Electronic Benefit Transfer Cards at Participating Restaurants – March 4, 2021
- House Bill 6519: An Act Concerning Data Collection to Prevent Malnutrition Among Senior Citizens – March 4, 2021
- Appropriations Testimony on Governor’s Proposed FY 2022-2023 Budget for Human Services Agencies – March 3, 2021
- Senate Bill 881: An Act Concerning Workforce Development – March 2, 2021
- House Bill 6471: An Act Establishing a Public-Private Partnership to Deliver Cost-Effective Human Services and Deter Fraud – February 23, 2021
- Senate Bill 912: An Act Concerning Funding and Oversight of Fatherhood Initiatives – February 23, 2021
- Senate Bill 86: An Act Appropriating Funds for Housing Resources for the Homeless and to Prevent Homelessness – February 18, 2021
- Senate Bill 804: An Act Concerning Inclusion in Certain Communities – February 18, 2021
- House Bill 5681: An Act Concerning Municipal Opportunity Reimbursement and Educational Equity – February 18, 2021
- Senate Bill 764: An Act Concerning Medicaid Providers – February 16, 2021
- Senate Bill 873 – An Act Mitigating Adverse Tax Consequences Resulting from Employees Working Remotely During Covid-19, and Concerning the Removal of Liens on the Property of Public Assistance Beneficiaries and a Three-Tiered Grants In Lieu Of Taxes Program – February 16, 2021
- House Bill 6416-An Act Concerning the Removal of Liens on the Property of Public Assistance Beneficiaries – February 16, 2021
- House Bill 6103-An Act Concerning Property Tax Exemptions for Property Used for Charitable Purposes – February 3, 2021
2020 Legislative Testimony
- Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Allocation Plan for 2020-2021 & CSBG CARES Act Supplemental – August 26, 2020
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Allocation Plan for 2020-2021 – August 26, 2020
- Senate Bill 346: An Act Concerning Public Options for Health Care in Connecticut – March 5, 2020
- Senate Bill 248: An Act Concerning Access to Identity Documents by Homeless Youth and Young Adults – March 6, 2020
- House Bill 5220: An Act Expanding Eligibility in the Care4Kids Program to Parents Participating In an Even Start Program or Enrolled in Certain Secondary Education Programs – March 6, 2020
- House Bill 5222: An Act Expanding Eligibility in the Care4Kids Program for Homeless Families – March 6, 2020
- Senate Bill 273: An Act Creating a Task Force to Consider Dual Delivery of State-Administered Human Services by Community Nonprofit Agencies – March 5, 2020
- House Bill 5308, An Act Requiring the Department of Social Services to Work With the United States Department of Agriculture to Explore Certain Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Options – March 5, 2020
- Senate Bill 175, An Act Concerning Electricity Shut Off Notifications – February 27, 2020
- Governor’s Proposed Midterm Budget Adjustments: Human Services – February 19, 2020
- Governor’s Proposed Midterm Budget Adjustments: Office of Early Childhood – February 13, 2020
- Governor’s Proposed Midterm Budget Adjustments: Department of Housing – February 11, 2020