Main Office

Our main office is located at Fernando A. Salinas Community Center, 520 Reynolds Street , 2nd floor Laredo, Texas 78040. Office hours are from 8am to 5pm, Mondays thru Fridays. Management functions, support services and agency referrals are some of the services provided at the main office. An applicant may either call or walk into our main office requesting utility or rental assistance. The receptionist will then refer them to their designated center area where they can obtain a written appointment from one of our caseworkers.

The main office staff located at the  Fernando A. Salinas Community Center consist of: Mr. Javier Ramirez - Executive Director, Maricela Benavides – Executive Administrative Assistant, Sandra Perez - Case Worker, Maria G. Silva - Community Social Services Manager, Monica Chavez - Case Management Specialist, Cecy Bernal – Receptionist/Clerk.

Neighborhood Centers/Concilios

At the present time Webb County Community Action Agency has two (2) Neighborhood Service Centers/Concilios within the County. Office hours are from 8am to 5pm, Mondays thru Fridays. Some of the services provided at these centers are intakes for utility assistance, meals, grocery bags and bread for distribution to pre-qualified clients and social interaction activities for our neighborhood participants. Each caseworker is assigned to one of the six community centers. These caseworkers are responsible for providing and coordinating services and intakes for their clients in their designated boundaries. These caseworkers are also responsible for the collection of data and submission of reports to the CSBG Program Coordinator located at the main office. As needed, caseworkers will conduct home visits to families in need of assistance, primarily to elderly and disabled and those who do not have means of transportation and will also travel to outlying areas to conduct outreach services, distribute agency brochures, enroll clients and offer other available services. The centers are listed below with the assigned Case Workers name, phone number and address:

Lilia Perez Community Center
4420 Old Santa Maria
Rosie Guajardo - Caseworker | Sylvia Leal - Caseworker
(956)724-7050

Larga Vista Community Center
5401 Cisneros
Josie Acevedo - Caseworker | Toni Guerra - Caseworker
(956)724-4058

Webb County CAA Main Office
Fernando A. Salinas Community Center
520 Reynolds Street , 2nd floor
(956) 523-4182

City Areas of Rio Bravo, El Cenizo, Mirando, Bruni,
Santa Teresita Community Centers
Please contact Case Worker to set up an appointment at (956) 523-4182.

Intake/Pre-Assessment/Case Management

To fulfill requirements, Webb County CSBG sub-recipients must complete an intake form which will include demographic and household characteristic data required for monthly performance and expenditure reports for all households receiving assistance from Webb County Community Action Agency. A new CSBG intake form must be completed on an annual basis to coincide with the CSBG program year of January 1st through December 31st.

As part of the intake process a pre-assessment allows the Caseworker to identify, gather, compare and evaluate information and data about client household to determine the nature of issues or problems involved the capacities and resources of the client household and the services needed to assist the client household. Case Workers provide, case manages most clients to some degree but not all clients will have the desire to transition out of poverty. Clients must have the desire and drive to take the necessary steps to change their economic situation. Transitioning out of poverty occurs after clients have gone through the process of case management, met their goals, and a change in income has occurred to bring the household income 10 125% (or more) of the poverty income guidelines.

Case Management is the process of identifying needs, providing services and/or referring clients to social, legal, health and emergency services. Webb County CAA provides Case Management services to assess the clients overall needs and develop a plan for addressing their needs. It also works with clients to develop solutions to problems and coordinating and monitoring progress made towards resolution of problem(s). Caseworkers also assist in representation on behalf of clients with other service providers to assure that needed services are provided.

National Goals of the Community Action Agency

Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs requires CSBG sub-recipients to address the national goals. Utilizing the National Performance Indicators, not only all goals are being addressed but additional Community Action activities may also be reported.

1) Low income people become more self-sufficient.

2) The condition in which low-income live are improved.

3) Low-income own a stake in their community.

4) Partnerships among supporters of service to low income people are achieved.

5) Agencies increase their capacity to achieve results.

6) Low-income people, especially vulnerable populations, achieve their potential by strengthening family and other supportive systems.

Linkages and Funding Coordination's

Webb County CAA has established linkages with important service providers in our CSBG area. Linkages have been established over the years by contacting other key service providers on a regular basis, however, the majority of the coordination takes place through our CSBG Caseworkers who work closely with other caseworkers of other organizations with whom we coordinate other services.

Webb County CAA is a department of Webb County and has inter-agency access to Social Services provided by the Webb County Indigent Department, as well as verbal and more formal agreement with service providers in our Country.

Mode of Operation (CAP Plan)

In order to operate efficiently, Webb County CAA carries out its mission through a variety of means including: a community wide assessment of needs and strengths, comprehensive anti-poverty plans and strategies, provision of a broad range of direct services, mobilization of financial and non-financial resources, advocacy on behalf of low-income people, and partnerships with other network organizations within the community in order to eliminate poverty or address specific needs of the community.

The federal Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) helps fund the operations of a state administered network of local agencies that combat poverty. These networks of nationwide agencies create, coordinate and deliver programs and services to low income Americans in 99 percent of the nation's counties. Community representation and accountability are hallmarks of the (CSBG) network. Because the CSBG funds the central management and core activities of these agencies, the CSBG network is able to mobilize additional resources to combat the central causes of poverty. In Texas, CSBG funds are administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The state of Texas has 45 CSBG eligible entities that cover all Texas Counties.