Serving the many faces of our community for 40 years.

In the spring of 1964, before Congress passed the Economic Opportunity Act, a group of motivated central area residents and friends began developing an anti-poverty proposal. The Seattle Urban League and the Central Area Community Council called a meeting in the autumn of 1964, resulting in the formation of the Central Area Citizens Committee (CACC).

CACC became the vehicle for steering the anti-poverty proposal through local and federal bureaucracies. Many civil rights leaders were pessimistic about government dollars funding any “serious” social change, and many social-service administrators were skeptical about grass roots involvement. Once War-On-Poverty legislation was actually passed, interest in this action-plan intensified and the Central Area Motivation Program (CAMP) began. In August of 1965, the first three staff members were hired with anticipation of the arrival of federal dollars.

Through the efforts of many, CAMP became the service arm of the Seattle Civil Rights Movement during those first prolific years. The Agency grew to over 300 employees in the summer of 1967, and encompassed a huge corps of volunteers. Soon, CAMP had 25 pioneering programs that involved an extension of participants and beneficiaries; and the development of a broad network of cooperative community groups was underway. Today, 40 years later and with approximately 30 staff members, CAMP is still combating poverty by carrying on the tradition for social change and self-sufficiency.