Geer Street

Congressman David Price joined us in celebrating the grand opening of the Geer Street Apartments in April.  Funded entirely by the City of Durham, this 7-unit building, which had been boarded up and abandoned, was transformed into a stately apartment building for moderate-income members of Durham’s workforce.  The bulk of the funding the City provided came from federal stimulus dollars.

Just days after our Open House, Geer Street was the site of the kick-off event for Durham’s celebration of National Community Development Week.  Michael Page, Chair of the Durham County Commissioners, as well as Durham City Council Member Mike Woodard joined CASA and Durham Community Development staff, neighbors, and friends in learning more about community development in our communities.

Geer Interior during Construction

The rehabilitation of Geer Street started with stripping out the interior down to the studs.  The front brick facade and foundation wall that were severely compromised were completely removed and replaced.  The one and two-bedroom apartments are now fully renovated with all new finishes, fixtures, and energy-efficient appliances.  A few remnants of the original building, built in the 1920s, were preserved which add to the building’s historical charm.  For example, we salvaged some hardwood paneling from the original sun room, kept much of the original stairs, left a brick wall exposed in one of the units, and refinished ornate cast iron window grates in the lower level.

Brad Thompson (CASA Board), Congressman David Price, Gloria Nance-Sims (CASA Board), Larry Jarvis (City of Durham)

Thanks go to the City of Durham Community Development Department staff, and Durham City Council for making this project possible.  Information about leasing units at Geer Street is available at CASA’s workforce housing website, www.casanc.com.

About the video:  CASA thanks the 2010-2011 Park Scholars – Meagan Gentry, Lauren Caddick, Benton Riordan, Jacob Rutz, Krystal Smith – for this interview and accompanying art work.

Debra King, CASA CEO

In this year’s Wake County budget, CASA’s contract with the County – which helps us to provide supportive leasing services to our tenants – was cut in half. These dollars were a critical way for CASA to fill the small gap in our budget that wasn’t covered by rental income. The economic strain that our local governments face these days is tremendous. We recognize the very difficult decisions that our long-term funders have had to make, and we’re grateful each day that CASA is still on solid financial footing.

Small funding cuts do, however, make a big difference. As CASA begins a new fiscal year, we’re putting less money in reserves, cutting back on costs, and looking for new sources of revenue.

If you have thought about making a gift to CASA in the past, and have been waiting for the right time, now is the time. If you usually make your gift at the end of the year, I encourage you to do so now if you can instead. If you think your small gift to CASA won’t make a difference, think again.

Because of your gifts, 9 individuals with disabilities – who felt isolated and limited – now have the dignity and independence of living on their own in a beautiful apartment. Because of your gifts, a man who had been sleeping in a homeless shelter and wandering the streets each day is now sleeping safely in his own bedroom, and relaxing at his own kitchen table. Because of your gifts, people on our long waiting list who have nearly given up hope of ever finding a place of their own, and who have been sleeping on a friend’s couch for months, get that phone call: “Hello, this is CASA. We have an apartment for you.”

Please give generously.  Thank you to everyone – our funders large and small, our advocates, our supporters, our allies, and our friends – for allowing CASA to do our work creating opportunities for success.

Debra King, Chief Executive Officer

Robertson Hill

In June, CASA completed 9 more units of permanent, supportive housing for Wake County citizens with disabilities.  Robertson Hill, named in memory of CASA Founding Board Member Lynn Robertson DeMent, was funded entirely through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The ribbon cutting at the Raleigh property last month brought together Congressmen David Price and Brad Miller, state and local leaders, as well as CASA friends and partners, and many of the building’s new residents who got to visit their units for the very first time.  Both Members of Congress discussed the critical importance of the HUD 811 program, the funding source which made these apartments possible.  They spoke to the crowd about the need to prioritize programs like HUD 811 which serve the most vulnerable among us.

Robertson Hill Tenant at the Open House

Mr. B, pictured to the right, visited his new unit at Robertson Hill for the first time during the Open House celebration.  Mr. B. has a visual impairment, and his unit was specially designed to accommodate his needs.

Because of their disabilities, the tenants at Robertson Hill have had a difficult time finding housing that is fully accessible and affordable.  Now, at Robertson Hill, each tenant will be able to live with full independence in their own one-bedroom apartment, while paying only 30% of their income towards rent.

Lynn Robertson DeMent

Lynn's Family in front of Robertson Hill

The opening of Robertson Hill was especially meaningful for CASA because this community is named in memory of Lynn DeMent, a founding board member of CASA, and our second board chair.  Many of Lynn’s family joined us for the dedication, and a special plaque remembering Lynn is affixed to the building.

From CASA’s beginning in 1992 until her death in March, Lynn was a guiding force at CASA.  Her real estate expertise was invaluable during CASA’s early years, and her commitment to excellence set a high bar for which we continue to strive.  Lynn was a generous and humble person.

Her legacy with CASA continues as we pursue her work of bringing dignity and hope to North Carolinians with disabilities.

Recently a friend here at CASA said that I was leaving for a higher calling.  I was quick to mention that it was not a higher calling but a different calling.  There is no higher calling than our work here at CASA.  My friend was right to think that God’s work is the highest work, but God’s work is everywhere.  And God’s work is here at CASA.   It has been a pleasure and an honor for me to be a part of it.

God’s work is here at CASA because we are working for and with God’s children.  Jesus said that when we do things to “the least of these” we do it to him.   When we provide housing for our fellow citizens, our fellow brothers and sisters, who have a disability or are of low wealth, we are serving God.    We are joining in God’s work as we work redemptively in a hurting world.    In our work in housing we are trying to make something beautiful in a world that allows the least of these to go without a home.

In my job as housing developer, I have tried to make beautiful buildings that people would enjoy looking at and living in.  I have tried to make buildings that are good- that will be durable and stand the test of time.  We call this low-maintenance and sustainable.   I have tried to make buildings that are true; whose materials are real.   I have had the privilege of doing this with new and old buildings.   We have done this by building new things “green” and “recycling” older buildings where possible.

I have learned many things in my time here since November 2005.  I came to CASA with the desire to learn about real estate development.  I had worked as a carpenter and a general contractor.  I was interested to learn about the way that whole neighborhoods were put together not just one house.  I have learned about things at this larger scale.  There were things that I didn’t realize how little I knew about when I came, like accounting or small business operations.   I have seen what it looks like to do these things well and how important they are for getting things done in the world.

One of the lasting impressions I will have after my time here at CASA is how a small, mission-driven business can become like an institution or a family.   This institutional life gives much to those who work to further its mission.  There are the benefits we all know about like insurance and salary, but what I have come to be thankful for is the gift of stability.   The team at CASA comes together each work day to get a job done, yet the result is more than the finished job.  The result is a shared life which has given stability to me in times of happiness, woe and transition.   I have always been impressed that the average CASA employee has been here for more than five years.

Another friend of mine says that the primary task of doing God’s work in the world is about being with people.  This task outranks our efforts to “work for”, “work with” or even “be for” other people.  There is something primary about hanging out with each other.    We have a lot to do at CASA: grants to manage, leases to sign, work orders to fill.   But, as we do these things together, often our greatest joy is a “being with” kind of joy.   So, in closing, I would like to give thanks for all the people – CASA staff, contractors, funding partners, supportive agencies, and tenants – with whom I have worked.

Alicia Gilleskie is an attorney with Smith Anderson LLP, and also serves her community of Raleigh through her involvement with the Junior League. Rob Griffin is the Director of Asset Management for Scientific Properties, a real estate development firm located in Durham. A Durham native, Rob now lives in South Raleigh. Dennis Boothe Jr. lives and works in Durham, serving as General Counsel for Builders of Hope, a Triangle area non-profit housing developer.

Thank you to CASA’s Board of Directors for their tireless advocacy to the City of Raleigh and Wake County in an effort to ensure CASA’s continue operating funding. These funding streams, totaling $189,000, are imperative to CASA’s day-to-day operations.

“Sometimes when I make it, it’s great,” says Terry*, as he pulls a peach and blackberry cobbler out of his fridge and puts some in a plastic container for me to take home. “But other times… it’s absolutely scrumptious!”

I was visiting Terry at his home to get information for our Orange County weatherization project. Terry, who lives with mental illness, rents one of the 20 units of housing in Orange County that CASA purchased from the Chrysalis Foundation last year. His modest one-bedroom apartment in Carrboro will be fully renovated this summer; seven of the 19 others have already been completed.

Downtown Carrboro

Taking me outside, Terry points to a stump and then to some recently cut tree limbs. Referring to arborists hired by CASA, he says: “They cut down that tree that had been dead for a long time, and they cut those big branches that were hanging over the roof. It only took half a day and they made it look beautiful.”

When CASA took over ownership of these properties, the tenants were unknown to us, and we were unknown to them. While coordinating our weatherization project in Orange County, I’ve been able to visit many of these tenants and learn a little about their lives.

Lorenzo and his teenage son live in Chapel Hill. Lorenzo is deaf, and we communicated during my visit by writing notes back and forth to each other. He pointed out which electric meter was his, and gave me the approximate age of each appliance in his 2-bedroom apartment. When I was leaving, I signed “thank you” – the only sign language I know. He grinned and signed back “you’re welcome.”

Getting to know these tenants and gaining their trust is critically important to be able to have a successful relationship with them. One of Lorenzo’s neighbors, Robert, struggled at first with CASA’s management policies. As he’s gotten to know our staff and to gain confidence in us, he has become a reliable and cooperative tenant. Griff Gatewood, CASA’s Housing Developer, has been working closely with each Orange County tenant as he coordinates the renovation work happening at their home. Robert pointed out a drainage issue to me: “Griff told me they’re going to install pipes to direct that water away from the building.” It was clear that he valued being included, informed, and treated as a partner in the renovation work.

Sonya was just getting home from her job at a local restaurant when I stopped by her apartment which she shares with her son and daughter. She hesitated while she signed the paperwork stating that CASA will not raise a tenant’s rent just because of the weatherization work. I reassured her that her rent will stay at just 30% of her income; if her hours get cut or she gets laid off, she will still only pay 30% of what she makes.

When I met Charles at his apartment, it was sweltering. In order to keep his electric bill low, Charles doesn’t turn on his air conditioning even when temperatures reach 95 degrees. As I explained to him how weatherizing his home will make his bill lower, we kept getting off topic – he seemed happy to have someone to talk to. With a dramatic flair, he told me stories about growing up in New Jersey and about the sports he played. He showed me one of his prized possessions: a tennis racquet from 1938. When I returned to his home a few days later to follow-up with some paperwork, he had turned on his air conditioning in anticipation of my visit. I truly felt welcomed.

I visited these tenants as an employee of CASA. But as a resident of Orange County myself, I got to know them as neighbors and fellow members of my community. As communities like Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham, and Raleigh continue to struggle with how to house and serve people with disabilities, people who are homeless, and those with very low incomes, it’s easy to forget that these populations are comprised of unique, individual persons. I appreciate Terry, Lorenzo, Robert, Sonya and Charles for their hospitality and generosity, and for the unique person that each one of them is.

*All names have been changed to protect privacy

Listen to Thomas’s Story

Thomas's Garden

(A transcript of the interview is below)

“I was happy, I was really happy that CASA gave me a chance to change my life, you know what I’m saying?  Being a schizophrenic and having that addiction, it’s kind of hard to comprehend – but for me, what they did, they helped me see that I can do better by myself, for myself.

I just been through a lot.  It’s hard, and then I turned to having an addiction, to then coming and beating the addiction, to having my own place.

I never thought I’d end up in a place like that.  It’s sort of like a dream come true.  Just going there and turning the key, being able to go in and just relax.  If you want to walk around the house the way you want to, you can.  Be free!  Be yourself!  If you want to answer the door, you can answer it.  If you don’t, you don’t.  Cook what I want to, eat what I want to.

At the shelter you couldn’t do that.  You had to get up at 5 o’clock in the morning and eat breakfast, and then you had to leave out at a certain time.  And then you had to check in, and now they don’t even serve lunch down there no more.  At lunch you got to go to the soup kitchen, and then lights have got to be out at nine o’clock.

If you ask me: Am I proud of myself?  Yeah, I am.  But I want to do better.  I want to do better – I’m gonna do better.  I’m going to keep on working with CASA until I get gray hair.  Okay, until I get more gray hair because I already got gray hair.

So I thank God for CASA.  God brought me this way to CASA, so they helped out a lot, you know.  Just having an apartment has given me a chance to redeem myself. Because I know somebody else at the shelter that’s in my shoes want a place to stay too, want to change their life, want to do things for their self.  If you want a place to stay, you want to get yourself together, CASA is the place to be.”