Guided by our belief that no one should live in poverty, Wayne Metro empowers people and communities to be strong, healthy and thriving.
VISION
Through our work to diminish poverty, we envision communities where all people have hope and opportunities to realize their full potential.
STRATEGIC RESULT
Deliver a collective impact to create social and economic mobility for people and communities through advocacy, resources and collaborations.
OUR STORY
Founded in 1971, Wayne Metro Community Action Agency (Wayne Metro) provides essential services, diversified programming, and community resources to low- and moderate-income individuals and families throughout all of Wayne County. Over the last four decades, the Agency’s budget has grown from $100,000 to over $30 million while continuing to maintain a low administrative rate (8%) that allows $.92 of every funded or donated dollar to be utilized for direct client services.
As a result of this outstanding programmatic and fiscal track record serving Out-Wayne County, the State of Michigan named Wayne Metro the Interim Community Action Agency for the City of Detroit in Spring 2013, with the designation becoming permanent in 2015. Today, Wayne Metro supports all of Wayne County with more than 50 programs with over 300 employees, and is proud to be one of the most innovative Community Action Agencies in the entire country.
ABOUT COMMUNITY ACTION
The concept of Community Action was initially pioneered in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy through a new initiative that brought together local officials, service providers, and neighbors to address juvenile delinquency in the United States. Building on the success of JFK’s program, activists began recruiting people from all community sectors to plan and implement programs that would help people grow out of a life in poverty. The core principle behind these projects focused on entire communities working together to improve conditions for the disenfranchised.
After becoming President in 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson further expanded on those ideas. In his State of the Union message to Congress in January, 1964, President Johnson declared: “Let us carry forward the plans and programs of John F. Kennedy, not because of our sorrow or sympathy, but because they are right…This administration today, here and now, declares an unconditional War on Poverty in America.”
From the “War of Poverty” came the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, which was designed to eliminate poverty by providing opportunities for education, training, and employment for all United States Citizens. Many initiatives developed through the Economic Opportunity Act are still in place today, including Community Action Agencies like Wayne Metro.
