When you’re reading the history of the Pennsylvania and Delaware Valley Chapter of the  Community Associations Institute (CAI-PADELVAL, for short), it might be helpful  to whip out the map to get a sense of who they are and the communities they  serve. Once you get past the little geography lesson, you can get a better  sense of exactly who they are and what the organization has set out to  accomplish.  

 At the national level, CAI represents hundreds of HOAs, condo communities and  community associations, as well as the thousands of individual owners who call  them home. According to CAI’s website, the organization’s focus is on “providing education, information and legislative advocacy services” to anyone and everyone living in or involved with the administration of  condo/HOA communities in eastern Pennsylvania and parts of New Jersey and  Delaware.  

 Starting Out

 It all started back in 1973 when the Community Associations Institute was born  out of a need to support and educate America’s 205,000 residential condominium, cooperative and homeowner associations, as  well as their related professionals and service providers.  

 Out of the national chapter, local chapters were created. Back in the mid-1970s,  the Pennsylvania and Delaware Valley chapter first incorporated as CAI’s Mid-Atlantic chapter, where it served the community association industry in  Southeastern Pennsylvania and portions of Southern New Jersey.  

 The organization grew even larger when it merged with the Western Pennsylvania  chapter in 1998. The growth continued when the group merged again four years  later, this time with the Northeastern Pennsylvania chapter. Today, the chapter  serves the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and Northern  Delaware (hence the long acronym) and has more than 1,200 members.