GO

Casa de Consejeria y Salud Integral, Inc. (CASA), a community-based, 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization located in the heart of Eastern North Philadelphia’s Latino community, was founded in 1993 as a grassroots movement to provide counseling services to Spanish speaking residents through a network of volunteer professionals from social work, psychology, behavioral health, and pastoral disciplines.   Led by founder Birma Montes – who remains as the Executive Director today – CASA created a niche with clients impacted by substance abuse problems, counseling them in their preferred language and within a relevant cultural context. 

 

Our History

CASA’s Beginnings: 1993 to 1996

CASA was founded in 1993 and began by providing volunteer services to the community through a network of professionals with diverse educational backgrounds, including: Social Work, Psychology, Behavioral Health and Pastoral Care.

CASA obtained its first grant through the Community Development Fund from United Way. This award allowed CASA to facilitate Parenting Skills Classes including topics on child abuse and neglect prevention.

CASA was granted a full license by the Pennsylvania Department of Health / Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs, and became a provider for Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program.

CASA was granted entry into Philadelphia’s Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Program through the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation. CASA pioneered providing Spanish speaking Court Reporting Networking Evaluations, Drug and Alcohol Assessments, and Alcohol Highway Safety Classes in Philadelphia.

CASA was named lead agency of the Alianza Coalition and awarded $310,000 from the Department of Behavioral Health to provide Community Based Prevention Services for a 4-year period. The coalition members collectively provided leadership workshops, supportive services, and spiritual awareness to produce community leaders.

CASA was awarded a small grant to renovate a section of our facility and construct a Community Resource Center for the community. In the same year, CASA was selected to participate in The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATX) project. This opportunity provided us with the technical assistance needed to improve and tailor services to our specific population and increasing program retention.

Esperanza, Inc. awarded CASA $31,000 in federal sub-grants for capacity building during a three-year period. This enhanced CASA’s ability to improve organizational administration, operations, and systems.

CASA formed the SEAC coalition with Esperanza Health Center, Ayuda Community Center, and Spirit &Truth Community Church. The coalition was awarded a 3 and half-year grant in the amount of $330,000 from the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility (DBHIDS) to provide community events and art therapy workshops that brought families together and provided them with tools for sustainability.

CASA ventured to further explore gambling addiction and healing awareness. Through acquiring two mini-grants, CASA created bilingual education materials, developed community outreach initiatives, and organized a Gambling Awareness Campaign to publicize an addiction-free lifestyle in our community.

CASA applied and was granted approval from Community Behavioral Health to provide treatment by adding Intensive Outpatient treatment services therefore adding a higher and second lever of care (1B). The demand created by the influx of clients, propelled us to open our second location currently on Lehigh Avenue.

The SEAC Coalition changed its name to Redemptive Arts and Community Health (ReACH). The coalition was approved for a new cycle of funding for the next 2 and half-years from DBHIDS. The coalition is providing prevention services to families by focusing on movement therapy and art workshops.

CASA participated in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program. This rigorous three-month training program provided guidance on assessing growth opportunities and completing implementation plans that are effective, efficient, and compelling to your business.

CASA kicked off the Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Program serving youth between the ages of 13-21yrs of age. Providing services from our Lehigh location, the program provides a fresh outlook on providing drug and alcohol treatment services by focusing on approaches that increases resiliency and creates a balance between treatment, supportive and prevention services.