After 40 years serving poverty fighting organizations throughout Ohio, the Ohio Urban Resources System announces a new brand and vision for its network.
“Today, OURS becomes OUCAN: Ohio Urban Community Action Network. Because, together, we can,” said CEO Yvonne Cherell in announcing the change.
The mission of OUCAN is to connect and advocate for Ohio’s urban Community Action Agencies to help provide resources, networking opportunities, policy support and education empowerment. These activities will enable the network to further alleviate poverty and promote self-sufficiency in urban communities. OUCAN includes nine urban CAAs which serve more than 56 percent of Ohio’s low-to-moderate income families.
“Our approach is driven by three key values,” Cherell said, “compassion, community and advocacy.”
OUCAN members have worked to assist families with immediate emergency needs this year and with the longer-term task of putting lives and households back together in the coming years. Amid the unceasing pandemic, housing crisis and a deepening division in economic gains for underserved households, OUCAN agencies continue to connect with communities to create and implement solutions.
During the pandemic, OUCAN members saved more than 40,000 homes by administering relief programs. These locally-based agencies have been part of the communities they serve for decades and continue to find unique ways to make a difference every day.
In the long-term, OUCAN is committed to creating affordable and safe housing options, access to quality early childhood education, and economic security through career exploration and coaching.
“We are excited about reimagining services to Ohio’s urban communities by ensuring residents are treated with dignity and have the resources to prosper in their everyday lives,” Cherell said.
