The year 2025 marks the 40th year since the Ohio Urban Community Action Network (OUCAN) was established to provide a voice for urban residents struggling in poverty who didn't feel heard by authorities across the state.
Our founders saw a need to support the agencies in the state who serve communities facing deep, generational and systemic issues. Daily, OUCAN member agencies serve everyone with dignity and respect using a holistic, whole family approach. They serve the whole community from Head Start children to seniors on fixed incomes. And the agencies don’t just serve the community, they are a part of it and have been for decades.
“Our unique connections provide the secret sauce that drives us to create successful opportunities for all Ohioans,” said OUCAN CEO Yvonne Cherell. “Poverty is a policy choice. No one deserves to be in poverty.”
Cherell added that no one thinks poverty is going to happen to them. However, for many people working in Community Action, poverty is part of their lived experience allowing them to connect to clients on a deeper level.”
“People who work in our agencies have very often been in the client’s shoes,” said Board Chairwoman Dr. Jacklyn Chisholm, CEO of Step Forward, the community action agency serving Cuyahoga County. “They have personally dealt with poverty or have a close friend or family member who has. This is not just a job, it’s a calling. It’s a heart issue for all of us.”
OUCAN member agencies serve 56% of the state’s total population and 62 percent of those households are living at or below the Federal Poverty Level.
Stay tuned for information about 2025 events that will celebrate the success of OUCAN and its member agencies while breaking the cycle of poverty in urban Ohio.
