Community Action Organization of Western New York Email Format
Non-profit OrganizationsNew York, United States51-200 Employees
The Community Action Organization of Western New York is a Buffalo-based nonprofit established in 1965 as part of the nation’s war on poverty, and it operates as a 501(c)(3) organization. It serves Erie County through a network of more than 50 locations, providing health and human services along with educational and training programs for low-income residents. The organization administers a broad portfolio of programs spanning children and family services, crisis and emergency assistance, neighborhood development, employment and training, housing and development, and community technology. Its mission is to promote opportunities for low-income families and individuals to achieve and sustain self-sufficiency through advocacy, partnerships, and services, with a reach that helps thousands annually. CAO maintains four resource centers in Buffalo and a center in Angola, operates St. Martin Village, a 60-unit low-income housing complex opened in 2012, and launched the Home Improvement Resource Program in 2012, with Head Start expanded to Niagara County in 2016; in 2026 it partnered with the Erie County Department of Social Services to bring the HOPE Initiative to Buffalo.