Operation Breakthrough, Inc.

A proposal was submitted to the North Carolina Fund to establish an agency whose purpose was to find ways of breaking the cycle of poverty in Durham County. This agency was incorporated and named Operation Breakthrough, Inc. Funding for the new agency came upon incorporation.

The first acting Steering Committee was composed of Mr. E.H. Hopkins - Chairman, Mrs. Lou McCutcheon, Mr. Carlie Sessoms, Mr. Kenneth Royal, Dr. Jim Semans, Dr. Marion Thorpe, and Mr. Victor S. Bryant Jr. Mr. Robert L. Foust was the acting Secretary and eventually the first Executive Director of OBT. Mr. R. Wense Grabarek, Mayor, was the eighth and also one of the original incorporators.

The first project for the agency was the establishment of the Neighborhood Youth Corps (NYC). The program provided an opportunity for youth to complete their high school education while acquiring work experience and  skills. With the first grant from the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) and additional monies from the NC Fund, programs like this were initiated.

Funding was received from Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) to finance a Head Start Summer Program (originally delegated to the Durham County School system), and later, a Full Year Head Start Program. Additional financial support was received from OEO for adult education, recruitment, day care, volunteer support services and a central administrative staff.

The Neighborhood Advisory Council was formed as a central delegation to represent the individual neighborhood community councils. One of its responsibilities was the selection of a representative of the low income population to sit on the OBT Board of Directors as required by OEO guidelines. 

A Transportation Component existed at OBT from 1966 through 1982. The total funds handled by the agency had now increased to $1,975,484.

Along with the continuation of the programs already funded, New Careers began. This program trained the low-income population for employment designed to improve the physical, socio-economic, and cultural conditions of the community. During this year, the summer CRASH recreation program was developed for low-income areas. The Neighborhood Community House concept began to catch on, offering recreational facilities on cold and rainy days and continued as part of an ongoing program. Total funding for the agency was $2,274,185.

More sponsors (churches, civic groups, businesses) of the Neighborhood Community House were found, continuing growth within the program. The Concentrated New Employment Program was born, with New Careers and Wider Job Opportunity programs being phased into CEP. Later, Operation Mainstreet was added as part of the Manpower Development Training Act (MDTA) from the Employment Security Commission. Total funding for the agency was 2,966,438.

Eight city and county-wide committees of poor people were organized and worked on ways to solve problems collectively in specialized areas of housing, welfare rights, public works, health, recreation and economic development. The development of the Co-Operative Food Store began.

Ten (10) youth councils and four (4) independent youth owned and operated businesses were fostered. Fifteen (15) new playgrounds were built by residents in low-income neighborhoods. Two hundred-fifty (250) pre-schoolers were attending Head Start and 1,300 men and women had received job training leading to full-time employment. Total funding for the agency was $3,073,344.

In this year, the Emergency Food and Medical Service provided vouchers and matching money for purchase of food stamps to 2,015 families in crisis. Operation of the OEO program was delegated to the Durham Welfare Rights Organization, Inc., a group comprised of activist welfare recipients. Total funding for the agency was $2,453,314. 

Operation Breakthrough received a Grantee Performance Award as a Community Action Agency (CAA) for its ability to mobilize substantial local resources. Funding from OEO continued to decrease, although the need for service from the community did not. OBT revised administrative structures and staff deployment, phased programs to other agencies as needed, and sought funding from other sources. During this period, Neighborhood Development provided staff support to twenty-three (23) neighborhood councils and nine (9) youth councils. Six (6) neighborhood councils, five (5) youth councils, and four (4) city-wide committees were created during this time as well. There were an average of fifty-eight (58) meetings per month throughout the program year. Total funding for the agency in 1971 was $2,504,347 and $2,572,246 in 1972.