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.”

Tenant education is also a part of the program.  “They told us to keep our heat on ‘auto’ and to change our light bulbs to the energy efficient ones they gave us”, said Carol.  “This was the first I heard of weatherization, but we sure do appreciate it.”  Stimulus funding increased the capacity of the Wake County program dramatically this year, allowing CASA to receive services for many of its older properties, and to pass these benefits on to our tenants.  The average Wake County family who receives weatherization services saves over $400 in energy bills each year.

*Names have been changed to protect privacy.

Arnetta Adams-Brown is CASA’s Property Manager. She has 10 years experience in property management and is a Certified Apartment Manager by the Triangle Apartment Association. Arnetta oversees our two Leasing Specialists, Pamela Jackson and Mary Owens, as well as Sharon Marshall, our Leasing Administrator. These staff members provide professional customer service to our tenants, and do so in a way that addresses the complex needs of persons with a variety of disabilities.

For someone to move into CASA housing, they must be referred to us by a Service Provider. This Provider is often a case manager or social worker with a local government or non-profit agency, but can also be a pastoral or medical professional. CASA’s Property Management Team and the Service Provider work together to support the tenant in applying for housing, signing a lease, and moving in. All of our tenants’ Service Providers commit to visiting the tenant at home at least monthly, and to provide 24-hour on-call support.

It is an exciting and often emotional day when a new tenant comes in to CASA’s office to sign his lease and receive keys to his new unit. For tenants who have been homeless or who have been living in a group setting, this day marks a new beginning. During this meeting our Leasing Specialists explain to the tenant and his Service Provider the basics of how to lease an apartment: when to pay rent, what to do if he has a maintenance request, and how to be a good neighbor.

A proud, new CASA tenant holds his keys. He is flanked by CASA Leasing Specialists Mary Owens and Pamela Jackson and his Service Providers

Our Property Management Team’s main goal, however, isn’t just to fill up units, but to keep our tenants housed long-term. It is this goal and the strategies we use to achieve this goal that set us apart from other property managers. CASA’s Leasing Specialists conduct yearly inspections of every unit, and re-certify tenants annually. Our Leasing Administrator fields tenant phone calls and provides extensive tenant education about maintenance issues and rent payment. When a tenant is struggling, our Leasing Specialists initiate problem-solving sessions with the tenant and Service Provider to keep the tenant successfully housed.

CASA’s efforts to keep tenants in stable, permanent housing work:
•80% of tenants with disabilities that CASA places into housing each year remain safely and stably housed for the year.
•Nearly 85% of CASA tenants with disabilities who stay stably housed for one year continue to remain in their home for at least another year.

CASA is fortunate to work with so many dedicated professionals, and to have strong community advocates who make these outcomes possible for our tenants. The smiles and tears we see on move-in day are the result of these many efforts.

2009 North Carolina NAMIWalks

Join the CASA Walks Team this Saturday, May 1st for North Carolina NAMIWalks! This easy, fun, family-friendly walk through the Dorothea Dix campus raises money and awareness about mental illness. Join CASA staff, family, friends, and dogs for this special event. Can’t walk but want to support CASA and NAMI? Make a donation

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the largest grassroots mental health advocacy organization in the US. NAMI aims to improve the lives of persons and families affected by mental illness. One in four families is affected by mental illness, and though treatment works, only half of people living with mental illness receive treatment. Local NAMI chapters lead support groups and peer-to-peer education for persons living with mental illness and their families – who often feel isolated and misunderstood.

NAMIWalks is as much about raising awareness as it is about raising funds. Through events like NAMIWalks, and through their tireless advocacy efforts, NAMI supporters work to dispel the myths, stigma, and fear about mental illness.