The Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO) provides leadership on issues of economic justice by advancing racial equity and inclusive growth to ensure that all Philadelphians share in the city’s prosperous future and by alleviating the immediate impact of poverty on individuals, families and communities.  CEO is Philadelphia’s Community Action Agency (CAA); CAAs are private or public agencies created by the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act and federally designated to receive Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funding. Guiding Principles (We believe…)  The people of Philadelphia deserve the opportunity to live happy, healthy, full lives.  City Government should both recognize its culpability in creating and sustaining inequity and aspire to its responsibility to provide opportunities, represent the best interests, and promote the well-being of all residents.  People can offer meaningful insights into both personal experiences and how systems around them function.  Poverty is a deliberately created systemic issue and city government can lead in calling for justice and dismantling the barriers that often prevent opportunities.  Values (How we work)  Dignity: We actively respect our individual colleagues and people in the community.  Inclusivity: Our work is more beneficial, valuable, and valid when our full range of experiences, knowledge, and skills can contribute.  Persistence: We recognize the challenges inherent in this work, and when we get discouraged, we find ways to be resilient, lift each other up, and push forward.  Accountability: We are transparent and honest about our plans, our actions, and our results.  Honesty: We create a space to have healthy, honest dialogues about systems, people, and misconceptions and then communicate truthfully.  
