Breaking the generational cycle of poverty requires changes in attitude, living conditions, education, and aspirations of its victims - and that is a primary aim of the Community Services Agency (CSA).

Working with nonprofit organizations, other branches of government, other governmental agencies, and citizen committees, the agency plans and carries out programs for low-income residents. These programs emphasize self-help.

Services
Every year this department serves about 2,000 homeless persons, helps 1,650 households cool their homes in summer, and assists another 13,000 households keep warm in the winter. The county commodities and weatherization programs for low-income persons are services of this department. These programs quickly became a model for the nation for their efficiency in annually distributing $2.5 million worth of federal commodities - such as butter, cheese, corn meal, flour, and rice - to 95,000 households each month.

The weatherization program provides free minor home repairs, such as fixing broken windowpanes and rotted windowsills, which lower energy costs.