Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
From Sunshine Review
| Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now | |
| Non-governmental organization | |
 | |
| Leadership: | Bertha Lewis |
| Political party | Nonpartisan |
| Website | ACORN |
| Social justice | |
Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is a progressive grassroots community organization, the nation’s largest grassroots community organization of those with low- and moderate-income. ACORN has over 400,000 member families and more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in about 75 cities nation-wide.
Drummond Pike founded ACORN in 1970 and the organization has been utilizing direct action, negotiation, legislative advocacy and voter participation. It has also been involved in many scandals and controversies.
[edit] Mission
The 1,200 local ACORN chapters in 40 states launch multiple issue campaigns to try to raise the minimum wage or enact living wage policies, to eliminate predatory financial practices by mortgage lenders, payday lenders, and tax preparation companies, to win the development of affordable housing and community benefits agreements, to "improve the quality of and funding" for urban public schools, to rebuild New Orleans, Louisiana, and to pass a federal and state "ACORN Working Families Agenda," that would include paid sick leave for all full-time workers.
ACORN and its allied organizations provide free tax preparation focusing on the Earned Income Tax Credit, screening for eligibility for federal and state benefit programs, and, through the ACORN Housing Corporation, first time homeowner mortgage counseling and foreclosure prevention assistance, and low income housing development.
ACORN efforts in 2006 pushed for the raise in minimum wage in Ohio, Arizona, Missouri and Colorado. ACORN works with community-faith-labor coalitions on successful campaigns in every state.
Since 2004, ACORN registered about 1.7 million low- and moderate-income and minority citizens.[1]
[edit] Controversy
There have been many criticisms of ACORN and controversies involving ACORN.
[edit] Undercover 2009 videos
Two undercover journalists, Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe, went undercover with a hidden video in August 2009, releasing videos of ACORN employees giving tax evasion advice and advice for running an illegal immigrant, underage prostitution ring.
- See also ACORN involved in anti-coal movement
[edit] External links
- Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now website
- ACORN
- National offices
- Muckety map of ACORN
