ACORN was the nation's largest community organization of low and moderate-income families, working together for social justice and stronger communities. From 1970 to its end in 2010, ACORN had grown to more than 175,000 member families, organized in 850 neighborhood chapters in 75 cities across the U.S. and in cities in Canada, the Dominican Republic and Peru.
ACORN's accomplishments included successful campaigns for better housing, schools, neighborhood safety, health care, job conditions, and more.
ACORN members would participate in local meetings and actively work on campaigns, elect leadership from the neighborhood level up, and pay the organization's core expenses through membership dues and grassroots fundraisers.
A report released by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service on December 22nd, 2009 stated that two filmmakers likely broke the law when they conducted a widely publicized "sting" against the group. (The report on the community group ACORN also found no misuse of its federal funds over the past five years and no attempts at improper voting following its 2008 voter registration drive. The report raises questions about the Constitutionality of a government wide funding ban. The press release "Conyers Releases CRS Report on ACORN" is at judiciary.house.gov/news/091222.html .)
Earlier in December an independent report by former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger examining the undercover videos filmed in offices of the national anti-poverty group ACORN states the employees portrayed in the videos did not engage in any illegal activity, but the filmmakers, who refused to be interviewed during the investigation, likely did. ACORN, an anti-poverty group, came under attack from Republicans in recent years after it helped millions of mostly minority and low-income citizens apply to register to vote. ACORN has helped families prepare 150,000 free tax returns and obtain $190 million in tax refunds in the last five years and worked for decades to promote neighborhood safety and homeownership.
A report released by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service on the community group ACORN finds no misuse of its federal funds over the past five years and no attempts at improper voting following its 2008 voter registration drive. The report raises questions about the Constitutionality of a government wide funding ban and states that two filmmakers likely broke the law when they conducted a widely publicized "sting" against the group.
"No instances were identified in which ACORN "violated the terms of federal funding in the last five years," a press release posted on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary website states. It also notes: "There were no instances of individuals who were allegedly registered to vote improperly by ACORN or its employees and who were reported attempting to vote at the polls."