COI Mission Statement

"COI...leading the fight against poverty by mobilizing resources and creating partnerships to promote empowerment, economic independence, and opportunity.  

What is Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc.?

Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc. (COI) is a private, not-for-profit, community based organization incorporated in 1965 as part of a network of 1100 Community Action Agencies formed to implement the initiatives of President Johnson's War on Poverty.  Since that time, COI has evolved in response to local needs and conditions and now has a number of designations and licenses related to specific programs.  These include:

• Community Development Corporation affiliated with the national Community Action Partnership

• Registered Charity in New York State

• HUD Housing Counseling Agency

• Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO)

• Community Development Corporation

• Rural Preservation Company under the NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal

• Licensed Home Care Agency

• Licensed Runaway and Homeless Youth Shelter provider

• NYS Licensed Child Care Provider and Child Care Resource and Referral Service

COI also carries out economic development activities through an affiliate agency called Chautauqua Opportunities for Development, Inc. (CODI).  CODI has been designated a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) through the US Treasury Department.

COI is a grassroots agency both governed by and serving the people of Chautauqua County.  Its eighteen member Board of Directors is drawn from the community it serves and is made up in equal parts of representatives of the private sector, public sector, and low-income community.