Summary
Organization name
CASA for Hunt County
Causes
Youth & Children
Operating Budget
$250,000 - $499,999
Counties Served
Hunt
Address
P.O. Box 1571Greenville, TX 75403
Child abuse cases will happen with or without Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Yet what CASA for Hunt County can do is provide highly impactful CASA volunteer advocates to the children of these cases.
Abused and neglected children, who by no fault of their own land in overwhelmed foster care system, need a special person to be their voice ... they need someone to speak up for their best interests so they do not languish in the system.
In Hunt County, the CASA program is appointed by the courts to serve 100% of the county's children who enter the foster care system. One goal is to make sure every abused child in our county never knows what it's like to not have a CASA volunteer advocate!
CASA for Hunt County volunteers have conducted hundreds of face-to-face visits with children in foster care. The time spent with these children is so much more than just a visit. It shows the child that there is a caring and reliable adult who will take the time to champion for what's in their best interests. It shows them that they matter.
Behind the scenes, these children have a CASA volunteer who is focused on making sure they are receiving the services they need, including medical, psychological, educational, and social. They have a CASA volunteer who will speak up with concerns and recommendations to the judge.
In 2023, CASA volunteers logged 12,085 hours and traveled 46,010 miles in service to the children in which they are appointed. The volunteer services save Hunt County taxpayers about $347,000 annually by performing many required services for the children.
CASA also provides funds for "normal" and beneficial things for these children such as senior portraits, karate classes, uniforms for extra-curricular activities, tutoring, drivers education courses, and sports and summer camps.
Another important factor is the consistency a CASA volunteer provides to the children. Statistics show a child will move 3 to 4 times during the pendency of their case, which means there will be new foster families, new schools, new friends, and maybe even a new CPS caseworker. But the one constant is their CASA volunteer.
Our Needs
When the Number One avenue for helping abused children is providing each with a CASA volunteer advocate, CASA for Hunt County wants to stand ready, and not have to get ready, to meet that need. Community support (through volunteering or contributing financially) for Volunteer Recruitment and Retention is essential.
Today's challenges for CASA include the effects of the Family First Prevention Services Act and the tradition into Community Based Care on the children CASA for Hunt County is appointed to serve.
The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), passed by the Texas Legislature in 2018, changed the criteria for which children can be removed from their parents' care. The Act's goal commendably is to provide services to families who are at risk of entering the child welfare system, and to improve the well-being of children already in care.
CASA is only appointed to serve children when they are removed and placed into state custody. Most notably, because of the FFPSA, the children CASA is appointed to serve involve children who have met the severity criteria for removal. Therefore, while we have seen a decrease in the number of children served (due to fewer removals) the majority of the children served by today's CASA are significantly traumatized by their abuse and neglect. CASA for Hunt County is adapting to these realities by improving volunteer recruitment and training to better prepare CASA volunteer advocates to meet the children's needs and additional challenges.
Community Based Care (CBC) is a statewide plan to revamp and improve the overwhelmed foster care system. The CBC plan began in 2017 when Senate Bill 11 was passed by the Texas Legislature. The CBC goal is commendably to keep Texas children in foster care closer to home and connected with families and friends.
Hunt County is one of nine counties making up Region 3-East, which is currently in Stage II of the CBC plan. The private contractor doing the state's work in the child welfare system for Region 3E is Empower. As Empower struggles(!) to meet the challenges of the cases and to fully staff their organization, CASA for Hunt County volunteers have greatly(!) helped resolve casework challenges incurred during this transition (from the state's Child Protective Services agency to the private contractor) to best serve the children.
Mission
CASA for Hunt County exists to promote and protect the best interests of children who have been abused or neglected. We achieve this mission by recruiting, developing, and leading highly impactful court-appointed volunteer advocates, helping these children to achieve safe and permanent homes.
Needs
The CASA for Hunt County volunteers who advocate for the county's children, who by order of the court, have been placed into foster care. It is essential that these CASA volunteers have the equipped, confidential, and efficient size home office for their required training, coaching and motivating by experienced supervisors, so they will be the highly impactful CASA volunteer that each child deserves.
CASA for Hunt County has long been officed in rental spaces that do not accommodate the needs of the boots-on-the-ground volunteers. Rental prices continue to increase as well. Therefore, CASA for Hunt County purchased a building to fully meet the organization's mission and volunteers' needs. This building requires complete Renovation.
All funds gained through North Texas Giving Day will support the volunteers' advocacy work for abused children, and afford them the office space they need for their training and to be coached and motivated by their case(s)' supervisor.
Equity Statement
At CASA for Hunt County, Inc., a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace is one where all employees and volunteers, whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education or disability, feels valued and respected. We are committed to a nondiscriminatory approach and provide equal opportunity for employment and advancement in all of our departments, board and committees, programs, and worksites. We are committed to modeling diversity and inclusion for the entire CASA for Hunt County program including board members, staff, and volunteers, and to maintaining an inclusive environment with equitable treatment for all. We respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages and ensure that all voices are valued and heard.
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Organization Data
Greenville, TX 75403