The Empowerment Center of Greater Cleveland is a non-profit 501(c) (3) tax-exempt organization. The organization was founded in 1966 and incorporated on November 11, 1970 as a grassroots movement serving low-income people of diverse ethnic backgrounds. The organization was started in Cleveland, Ohio by a small group of welfare recipients participating in a walk from Cleveland to Columbus to dramatize the conditions of low-income people and to demand that all persons in need of assistance would have their basic needs met and human dignity upheld in the process.
The march was more than successful. Soon, other counties began organizing groups, which culminated with a meeting in Columbus and the formation of the Ohio Steering Committee (OSCAW), later changed to the Ohio Welfare Rights Organization. The momentum that began in Ohio continued to spread and other States started organizing. Eventually, the National Welfare Rights Organization was established under the leadership of George Riley. The symbol at the top of this page represents the missing link of understanding between people. Until our collective actions are guided by love, care, and trust as a means to equally share power and resources among each other, this is the missing link.
In 1994, the board of trustees changed the name of the organization. The change of name to the Empowerment Center of Greater Cleveland was a decision that reflected both responses to change, which have occurred in the political climate as well as a renewed emphasis on the personal development aspects of the program. Empowerment is defined as an intentional, ongoing process centered in the local community, involving mutual respect, critical reflection, caring, and group participation through which people lacking an equal share of valued resources, gain greater access to and control over those resources.
With all that has changed in the past thirty-eight years, what has not changed very much are the educational, economic, health, and social conditions, which produce the type of poverty that create and sustain a need for some form of assistance. Low-income people still need real opportunities to participate in society with dignity and effectiveness. It is with confidence and determination that we face the future and its challenges. ECGC is committed to serving as a vital link towards the elimination of inequality and ensuring that low-income people of Greater Cleveland have an active voice in shaping policies that impact their day-to-day lives.
Today, the agency is still a vanguard for educating and informing the public about laws and regulations that impact low-income people. The agency promotes individual and collective responsibility of its participants. The Empowerment Center of Greater Cleveland holds firmly to the principle that all people, regardless of their circumstances, are entitled to the access of resources, opportunities to secure their basic human needs, and to affirm their human dignity.
To learn more about how ECGC empowers the community, contact us or browse our programs page.
