Document text
CASA may pursue nonprofit status By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Funding dilemmas may soon force a Jackson County program that gives abused children a voice in court to become an independent nonprofit agency. Expected grants that did not materialize have left the CASA program about $50,000 short for the next fiscal year, organizers said. "The previous program manager had applied for grants and budgeted as if they had come through," said Hadley Nesbitt, president of the Friends of CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocates. "They were substantial amounts." Of its nearly $110,000 annual budget, the CASA program is guaranteed revenues of only about $60,000 for next year, said Carl Erickson, deputy director of the county Community Justice department, which runs the program. And in troubled financial times, there's no guarantee of renewed resources, he said. The county can afford to make up the deficit for a year, but no longer, Erickson said. That dilemma is forcing all interested parties to think creatively about the future of the widely praised program that last year paired 62 volunteer advocates with 291 abused and neglected children in Jackson County. "There was no threat of loss of the program," said Mary Curtis Gramley, a longtime educator and CASA volunteer who recently agreed to be a part-time coordinator. Instead, organizers are mulling the possibility that splitting with the county and becoming a private nonprofit will make the agency more attractive to private funders and more independent in other ways as well. County commissioners today will hear a first report on the proposal at a scheduled work session. "It's not that we feel particularly threatened by that," said Nesbitt, who has been president of the Friends of CASA since January. "We were interested in becoming a 501(c)3 for other reasons." For one thing, the majority of CASAs in Oregon and across the nation are not run by public agencies. Of the 32 CASA program in the state, 27 are private nonprofits, Nesbitt said. Of those that are public, a large chunk of funding comes from private sources. "The county typically underfunds the program, knowing that the United Ways and others would make up the difference," said Nesbitt, who estimates a new private agency would require $130,000 to $150,000 a year to operate. Indeed, Nesbitt and others said funders - including representatives from some well-known foundations - have indicated that CASA would have a better chance of winning competitive grant dollars if they weren't run by the county. "I think they would be looked upon as more needy," said Erickson. Founded in 1990, the local CASA is typically supported by several sources including state CASA funds, county Commission on Children and Families funds, human services grants and individual private donations, organizers said. Volunteers for the program interact with social services, families and the court to provide safe, permanent homes for children. Under the new structure, Jackson County would still support CASA, perhaps with human services money or a rent-free lease agreement. The agency is now housed in the county District Attorney's Office. It would be in the county's interest to work with the program, whose services are mandated by the state, Nesbitt said. "I don't think the county can just cut it off," he said. "In the worst-case scenario, if we went bankrupt, the state would come back and say you have to have a CASA. The county is still stuck with the problem." In addition to the budget worries, the CASA program has seen several staff changes, including the departure of former director Carol Davis last fall. Erickson would not discuss her leaving or say whether it was related to the budget problems. But for observers such as Jackson County Circuit Judge Mark Schiveley, the most important factor is that services for children have continued even as the agency struggled with change. "From the bench's point of view, from the judge's point of view, it has been seamless," he said. "You would never know there has been any turmoil or disruption of staff." Representatives from all spheres said they're confident a satisfying solution will be achieved by late summer and implemented early next year and that the vital work of the volunteer CASAs will continue. "They have a unique role, they have the ability to stick with the family throughout the life of the case," Schiveley said. "That's the one constant the judge can count on, the CASA will be there, usually from day one." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.