About

'Helping People. Changing Lives Since 1965' Regional Economic Community Action Program or RECAP is a private not for profit established in 1965 and is the designated anti-poverty agency in Orange County. RECAP has been serving Orange County’s most vulnerable residents for over 50 years. RECAP provides programs and services to help people who live in poverty in Orange County New York and the surrounding areas. RECAP works with our community’s most vulnerable populations including seniors, children, veterans, the homeless and the hungry, those living with HIV/AIDS, victims of domestic violence, people battling substance use disorder and anyone struggling to make ends meet. RECAP provides housing, Head Start, Energy Services, Workforce Development and Training, Residential and Non-Residential Addiction Support Services, Fresh Start Cafe and Parole Re-Entry. As a multi-service agency our programs offer a variety of options for residents who need help. Like many Community Action Agencies, RECAP traces its roots to Lyndon Johnson’s presidency. When President Johnson took office in 1963, he proclaimed that all Americans could live in prosperity and thought to accomplish this through reform. In his 1964 State of the Union Address, Johnson declared an unconditional war on America’s poverty and challenged citizens to build a “Great Society.” Organizations were established and they developed a model, the Community Action Program, that could eradicate poverty from the ground up. This model gave people the power to identify problems affecting their own communities and the resources to bring change. In 1965 poverty levels reached a national high and effects were felt in Orange County. A panel of local activists decided to put Johnson’s words into action and they formed the Regional Economic Community Action Program. Over a half century later we’re still as dedicated to eradicating poverty as our founders were. We’ve grown to include innovative programs in the fields of addiction treatment, job training, energy conservation, nutrition and more.