By October, 1966, TCOC, small and new as it was, had accomplished some amazing feats.
- An 18 page survey compilation was released which described the following needs: child care and development using the Head Start model; a mobile legal aid office; expansion of Neighborhood Youth Corps; promotion of the use of loans to begin small businesses; adult basic education.
- Funding was obtained to place more than 400 youth in jobs through the Neighborhood Youth Corps.
- Funding was obtained to operate a Foster Grandparent Program at the Dixon Developmental Center and 80 low-income seniors were enrolled.
- In cooperation with another agency, assisted 75 children with mental disabilities to attend a summer camp.
- Assisted in the organization of the Lee County Migrant Center.
- Planning for a summer Head Start Program that became a reality in 1967 with 150 children attending in 9 classes.
From 1965 through 1975, TCOC operated under the regulatory authority of the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) serving the three Illinois Counties of Whiteside, Lee and Ogle. Programs operated were: Foster Grandparent (1966); Neighborhood Youth Corps (1966); Rural Resource Centers/Outreach Services (1967); Head Start (1967); Family Planning (1972).
In 1975 OEO was changed to the Community Services Administration (CSA) and Tri-County added Carroll County to their service area with the inception of the Homemaker/Chore-Housekeeping Program. The Weatherization Program was obtained by the agency in 1977 and TCOC was asked to expand that service into Bureau, LaSalle and Putnam Counties, thus growing the service area again. 30 new employees were hired within just two days.
In 1981 CSA was dismantled and the funds were given to the states as the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG). The Agency added the counties of Marshall and Stark to their service area.
Between 1981 and the present, several major programs and services were added to the Agency operations including: Small Business Loan Program (1983); Homeless Program (1992); Microenterprise Development (1994); Family and Community Development (1995); Homebuyer Assistance Program (1998); Individual Development Accounts (1999); Head Start expansion to Marshall, Putnam and Stark Counties (1999); Food Pantry (1999); Transitional Housing (1999); Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers Head Start (2007); Homeless Prevention Rapid Rehousing and the Home Mod Program (2009). The agency also experience serious growth with the release of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
TCOC voluntarily relinquished the funding for the Homemaker Program in 2013 due to the continuation of slow payment from the state for those services and the effect on the agency cash flow. Over 100 staff lost their jobs and over 500 clients lost their services from TCOC, however, the agency worked with other community agencies to insure all of those clients had alternative services and that staff had other opportunities for employment.
TCOC celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015. The Agency went from the original budget of just over $34,000 to a budget of approximately $14,500,000 in 2015. Despite the struggles of the past and the present, TCOC has been, and is, a strong organization and it will continue to be so in the future because of the commitment of its staff, Board and volunteers to a vision of a just society for all people.