In February of 1966, the Newport News Office of Economic Opportunity, OEO, opened its doors, creating within the city a new era of hope, the kind of hope that stirred up and motivated many of the city’s poor and disenfranchised citizens to begin setting their sights on attainable, life-long goals. Working earnestly to avail themselves of newly created opportunities, many individuals found that they were able to improve their economic circumstances and rise beyond their incessant poverty.

OEO, as it was then called, hired its first Executive Director, Mrs. Norvleate Downing Gross, a dynamic and inspirational community activist, who implemented a plan aimed at combating those economic ills suffered by the community’s poor. In organizing her office, she stated that, “I walked into empty rooms, no chairs, no desks… in fact, nothing; but I was inspired by the faith of a few that I could do a job for my community and for those who were less fortunate than ourselves”.

Mrs. Downing-Gross served in the capacity of Executive Director until her untimely death in 1983. As a result of her leadership, diligence, and tenacity, the organization has become a beacon in the community, providing a plethora of federal, state, local and private funded programs, all aimed at maximizing opportunities, while helping to transform lives.

Since 1983, only four other individuals have served in the capacity of Executive Director for this illustrious agency: Mr. Robert O. Bigelow, Mrs. Carolyn C. Hutcheson, Mr. Robert D. Ayers, Jr. and Mr. Wendell F.Braxton, the current Executive Director, who was hired in February 2006 to sustain the rich OHA legacy that was so meticulously crafted by Mrs. Norvleate Downing Gross over the years. Mr. Braxton has accepted the challenge, pledging to provide the visionary leadership that would propel the organization forward, implementing a vast array of services; reducing poverty, transforming lives and helping those less fortunate achieve economic self-sufficiency.

For more than forty years, the Office of Human Affairs (OHA) has maintained a stellar reputation for its relentless efforts to mobilize and coordinate community resources on the Peninsula while engaging in a daring and incessant battle in the War on Poverty.

Serving the cities of Newport News and Hampton, OHA continues to offer innovative solutions and collaborative strategies that help low-income families and the working poor overcome their short- and long-term economic setbacks while becoming more self-sufficient. In recent years, specific programs and services administered by OHA have been the direct result of the agency's responsiveness to the needs of its constituency, and include important initiatives in the following areas: