Moving On: A Different Calling

After five years with CASA, Housing Developer Griff Gatewood is leaving for a new challenge – studying at Duke Divinity School to become a Presbyterian pastor. As he was getting ready to leave CASA, Griff reflected on his time here, and how his personal journey with CASA drew on his faith.

CASA Board of Directors Update: Thank You and Welcome!

The knowledge and leadership of three new Board Members are helping CASA’s Board to shape the future of our agency. Welcome Alicia Gilleskie, Rob Griffin, and Dennis Boothe Jr. to the CASA family! Meet the new Board Members.

June 2010 Newsletter

Communities like Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham, and Raleigh 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 persons. Read the June Newsletter for this and other stories.

March 2010 Newsletter

CASA celebrates our 18th birthday this month. This edition of our newsletter is focused on stories about the beginnings of our mission, and how far our agency and our tenants have come. Thank you for being a part of our past and a partner in our future.

Weatherization Work Begins on CASA Properties

“They did a major awesome job!” That is how a CASA tenant described the weatherization work completed at her home by the Wake County’s Weatherization Assistance Program. Carol’s* duplex in downtown Raleigh was the first of CASA’s properties to be weatherized through this program. Read more.

CASA Property Management – Connecting People with Housing

CASA develops high-quality, affordably-priced rental housing and also manages these apartments, ensuring that our tenants are safe and comfortable in their homes.

In return, CASA expects our tenants to be responsible neighbors, to pay rent on time, and to keep their apartments in good shape. How does this happen? How does someone become a CASA tenant? How does CASA meet the housing needs of a diverse group of tenants with disabilities? The answer to these questions is CASA’s Property Management Team..

Remembering CASA’s Beginnings: Partnership with the McKinney Team

Diana* had been living in the woods for 10 years before she met the McKinney Team in 1996. Suffering with undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenia, Diana was eventually admitted to Dorothea Dix Mental Hospital. After a stay there of several months she was stable enough to be released, but had no place to go, and no one to call. Thankfully, the McKinney Team stepped in, and referred Diana to CASA; she signed the lease for her new apartment 2 weeks later. Read more.

Spring Board Tour

On Saturday, March 13th, CASA’s Board of Directors took a bus tour of 14 of CASA’s properties located in Wake County. The group of 10 Board Members toured a unit at Oak Hill, a 14-unit apartment complex for persons with disabilities. Read more.

February 2010 Newsletter

February’s newsletter features a story about our Orange County work, and a focus on CPA, our landscaping business which employs men and women with disabilities. This edition also highlights CASA’s recent HUD award and more.

Landscape Crew Greening Lawns and Changing Lives

Springtime means a return to cutting grass, pruning bushes and trees, and prepping flower beds for Community Property Alternatives, CASA’s in-house landscaping team. For this unique group of part-time employees, however, these seemingly work-a-day tasks represent a significant accomplishment: successful employment. CPA employees all have disabilities, primarily severe mental illness or developmental disabilities, which make finding employment in the mainstream workforce difficult.

CPA was created by CASA in 2004 to provide employment opportunities for tenants who needed special accommodations like shorter work hours, and understanding from their supervisor. “They need a lot of love, patience and compassion,” says Phil Brickle, CPA Supervisor and leader of the program since its inception. “They have doctor’s appointments, they need to take medication. Some employers wouldn’t have the resources to support the complicated conditions our staff are coming in with. But for me, it’s been a joy.” Read more.