About Us

Mission

 “To help people to be independent and advocate for those who can’t”

Vision

We are the industry leader and respected voice for our constituents through demonstrated expertise and outstanding community service in a competitive environment.

Values

Northwest Indiana Community Action Corporation has a set of core beliefs for the service we provide to our constituents.

Northwest Indiana Community Action Corporation values: delivery, processes, and operations.

Integrity. We employ the highest ethical standards, acting with honesty and fairness in every action that we take. We do not compromise the truth.

Accountability. We accept responsibility for our decisions, performance, services and actions. We make and support choices made with experience and good judgment.

Collaboration. We believe in an expansive, collective, determined effort to reach shared objectives. We will obtain the highest achievements when we share knowledge, learn and build consensus.

Compassion. We are supportive, loyal and care about each other and those we serve; both professionally and personally.

Innovation. We anticipate change and capitalize on the opportunities that arise. From services provided to processes made, we actively search for creative but prudent solutions.

Quality. We are committed to best practices since quality is fundamental to our capacity and performance. Quality is evaluated continuously and honestly as we excel in the execution of our service delivery, processes, and operations.

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, and the designated ADRC and 211 Call Center for information and referrals, 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 with policies for the agency set by the Board of Directors.

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 150% of Federal Poverty Guidelines. 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 develop cooperative arrangements and advocate reorganizing or reassigning functions in order to secure and maintain independence and dignity in a home environment for older persons who are capable of self-care with appropriate supportive services and, remove individual and social barriers to economic and personal independence for older persons.

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.