Alabama's Poverty Fighting Network
Policy & Legislative Center
CAAA's statewide policy priorities, briefs, district data and advocacy tools for engaging Alabama decision-makers on poverty, energy, housing and workforce.
CAAA is the statewide membership association for Alabama's Community Action Agencies. We do not deliver direct services ourselves — we strengthen the local agencies that do, so that every Alabamian has a path out of poverty. Part of that work is making sure the people who write budgets and laws understand what poverty looks like county by county — and what already works.
CAAA's advocacy is nonpartisan and educational. We do not endorse candidates. We translate Community Needs Assessments, Census indicators and agency outcomes into plain-language briefings for state and federal decision-makers, and we equip member agencies to speak for the communities they serve.
Counties covered
67 of 67
Every Alabama county is served by a Community Action Agency.
Core federal programs
CSBG · LIHEAP · WAP
The funding streams most affected by state and federal action.
Legislative priorities
The association's standing policy platform, developed with member agency leadership and grounded in statewide Community Needs Assessment findings.
The Community Services Block Grant is the flexible foundation that lets each of Alabama's Community Action Agencies respond to local conditions. CAAA advocates for sustained federal appropriations and a state allocation process that keeps rural counties whole.
Low-income Alabama households spend a disproportionate share of income on utilities. We support full LIHEAP funding, expanded Weatherization Assistance Program throughput, and utility policies that pair crisis help with permanent efficiency upgrades.
Aging housing stock, rising rents and limited rural supply drive instability. CAAA backs housing rehabilitation investment, eviction-prevention resources and coordination between agencies, continuums of care and state housing programs.
Childcare supply gaps keep parents out of the labor force in much of the state. We advocate for childcare subsidy investment and Head Start partnerships that treat care capacity as economic infrastructure.
Employment alone does not end poverty. CAAA supports funding for skills training, transportation supports, financial coaching and asset-building programs that help families move from crisis to stability to thriving.
Community Needs Assessments and county-level Census indicators should shape how the state targets anti-poverty dollars. We publish the underlying data so legislators can see need and Community Action response side by side.
Advocacy toolkit
A repeatable approach for agency staff, board members and partners preparing for a legislative visit.
01
Pull the county indicators for the counties in your district from the Community Action Dashboard — poverty rate, energy burden, housing cost burden and childcare access.
Open the dashboard02
Every Alabama county is served by one of 18 Community Action Agencies. Use the Agency Locator to find the executive director and service territory for the counties you cover.
Find the agency03
Pair one household outcome with one county statistic. Agencies can supply de-identified case narratives that show what a funding line does in practice.
Agency & legislator directory04
Send a short thank-you with the data packet attached, then subscribe to CAAA policy alerts so you know when a bill or appropriation moves.
Contact the state officeBriefs & district data
Briefings and datasets maintained for legislative offices, state agencies and funders.
County and district summaries of need alongside Community Action response, built from Census ACS data.
PDF · Updated March 2026
OpenWhere burden concentrates, what assistance and weatherization change, and funding implications.
PDF · Updated February 2026
Childcare supply gaps as a workforce constraint, county by county.
PDF · Updated January 2026
How local agencies, CAAA and federal programmes fit together, with statewide totals.
Web page · Updated March 2026
OpenSource: County indicators behind these materials are U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates; program figures come from member agency reporting.
Advocacy calendar
Key moments in the state and federal cycle where the Community Action network shows up together.
January – April
Bill tracking, committee testimony and rapid-response alerts to member agencies as budgets move.
February
Agency staff, board members and participants meet legislators in Montgomery with district data packets in hand.
March
Alabama delegation joins the national network in Washington, D.C. to advocate on CSBG, LIHEAP and WAP appropriations.
Year-round
CAAA coordinates network comment on federal and state program rules affecting Community Action services.
Work with us
Legislative offices, state agencies and partners can request a tailored briefing on need and Community Action response in specific counties or districts.
Community Action Association of Alabama · 505 20th N, Suite 1525, Birmingham, AL 35203 · (205) 227-7688
