Vision
NWICA envisions the people of Northwest Indiana flourishing regardless of income, ability, or age.
Mission
People experiencing financial hardship find opportunities, resources, and respect at NWICA.
Values
We care about everybody.
We keep our commitments.
We believe people act with positive intentions.
We are committed to helping others succeed.
History
Northwest Indiana Community Action (NWICA) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1965, with a mission to help people to be independent and to advocate for those who can’t. As the designated Community Action Agency, the designated Area Agency on Aging, the designated ADRC, and the local WIC sponsor, NWICA assists approximately 50,000 individuals annually.
NWICA was incorporated as a Community Action Agency, a 501-C-3 private not-for-profit, in February, 1965.
As a Community Action Agency, NWICA plans and carries out a variety of programs that serve the unique needs of low-income families and disabled individuals in the Northwest Indiana counties of Jasper, Lake, Newton and Porter. Services through the Community Action Agency support households with incomes at or below 125% of Federal Poverty Guideline. Services include utility assistance, Housing Choice Voucher Program, Asset Building and Financial Literacy, Family Self-Sufficiency Program, Individual Development Accounts, Weatherization (Lake Co.), Information and Referral Services.
The agency was designated as the Area I Agency on Aging in May, 1974, by the Indiana Commission on Aged and Aging to carry out a Federal and State mandate for planning, development and coordination of a network of services that benefit older adults and persons of all ages with disabilities that are at risk of institutionalization in the Northwest Indiana counties of Lake, Porter, Pulaski, Jasper, Newton and Starke. The purpose of the service network was to provide supportive services that help older adults and individuals with disabilities maintain independence and dignity in a home environment and to remove barriers to independence.
Services through the Area Agency on Aging may include Care Management, Nutrition and Meal Services, Preventative Health and Wellness initiatives, Caregiver Support, Ombudsman and Advocate services.
Although eventually the State of Indiana would centralize the 2-1-1 Program, NWICA was the Northwest Indiana 2-1-1 call center beginning in 2006. From any phone, callers who dialed 2-1-1 were connected to Information and Referral Specialists at Northwest Indiana Community Action for local and trusted information.
In October 2015, NWICA was designated to serve as the Sponsor for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in Jasper, Lake, LaPorte, Newton, Porter and Pulaski Counties. The WIC Program is a federally funded program through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) with oversight through the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH). WIC is nationally recognized as an effective means for improving access to nutritious foods and promoting healthier eating and lifestyles.
On July 25, 2023, NWICA joined forces with Housing Opportunities, merging to become a combined organization. The merger expanded services to address all of the financial and housing stability needs that clients face, offering them a more streamlined experience to overcome the barriers they are experiencing. The combined organization created opportunities to serve Northwest Indiana more efficiently, directing more of our resources to serving our neighbors in need.