South Central Missouri Community Action Agency is a private, not-for-profit organization working to help people, change lives and end poverty in a seven-county area of south central Missouri. The counties we serve are Butler, Carter, Dent, Reynolds, Ripley, Shannon and Wayne.

Community Action Agencies (CAAs) were established under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to fight America's War on Poverty. Today there are approximately 1,000 Community Action Agencies in the United States covering 96 percent of the nation's counties.

“…it is therefore the policy of the United States to eliminate the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty in this nation by opening to everyone, the opportunity for education and training, the opportunity to work, and the opportunity to live in decency and dignity.”

Our MISSION is to assist low-income families in their efforts to become self-sufficient by providing programs and services to improve the quality of their lives and the opportunity to eliminate the cause of poverty.