In January 1964, President Lyndon Baines Johnson declared an “unconditional war on poverty” in his first State of the Union address, just a few weeks after becoming the 36th president of the United States. (click for speech)
Johnson taught school in very poor communities when he was a young man in his home state of Texas. Most Americans were enjoying upward mobility in a growing post-World War II economy, unaware of the deep poverty that existed in many inner cities and rural communities. When these facts were exposed by reformers and journalists, mainstream Americans were shocked.

“War on Poverty” became the umbrella name for the numerous programs that were created in the early 1960s to fulfill Johnson's pledge to end poverty, including food stamps, Head Start, Medicare, Medicaid, Work Study, Job Corps, and Community Action Programs (CAPS). "Great Society" is another term often used to describe Johnson's legislative program.

In 1966, ‘ground level’ Community Action Programs were created and given grant money from the federal government to fund efforts mobilizing local resources and involving disenfranchised residents of the community in the decision making process.

Under this mandate, Westbay Community Action opened in June 1966. In the beginning, we organized neighborhoods around local issues and needs, and devised solutions to meet and resolve those needs.

Forty-four years later, Westbay is still community based, and over time, has created new programs and services to meet the changing needs of its clients, always guided by its core purpose.

Today, we are a staff of 80, plus many dedicated volunteers, located in three large buildings on one block, with two satellite offices.