Autumn Garrett
Editorial Assistant

The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program in Jackson County is expanding its offices and services to create a greater impact for the individuals and children they serve.

The CASA program recruits, trains and supports volunteers from the community who act as advocates for the best interests of children who have experienced abuse and neglect. The volunteers provide the judges with all of the critical information that they need regarding where the child should live and what the child needs.

“Our mission is to be a child’s voice in court,” according to the CASA website. “Our vision is to ensure that every child involved with the Jackson County Family Court due to abuse or neglect will grow up in a safe and permanent home.”

The CASA program, in the year 2020 from January to April alone, helped over 1,140 abused or neglected children in court so that they are able to be in a safe environment that is the best fit for the child.

“There has been lots of research that when a court advocate or a CASA volunteer intervenes, we know that children with a CASA volunteer working with them are far less likely to be re-abused and are far more likely to find a safe, permanent home more quickly,” said Angie Blumel, President and CEO of the Jackson County CASA program.

The Jackson County CASA program is one of the largest CASA programs in the country, but the struggle of having so many children needing help in court after getting out of an abusive or neglectful environment is the limited amount of space and services that the program has.

The expansion will allow for the CASA program to nearly double in size, adding services and helping more children that have been removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect. The expansion will serve and help 1,500 children – 250 more a year – by 2023.

The expansion will combine the current office at 2544 Holmes St., a 100+ office building that is only 5,000 square feet, with the house-turned-commercial-space next door, creating a space that is over 10,700 square feet.

With the expansion comes added services that the Jackson County CASA program is excited for. The construction is expected to take six months to complete, and open with a celebration in the summer of 2022.

A renovated interior will provide vital training and meeting space that includes a location where parents can speak with their children’s CASA volunteer and professional staff members, being able to have private conversations while the children safely play nearby in a new child-friendly waiting space.

There will also be a dedicated space for older children that will provide access to computers, classes to help them prepare for leading successful and independent lives, laundry facilities for their use, and even a shower.

Along with these new services there will be dedicated spaces available where Jackson County CASA volunteers can meet, train and find expanded resources.

The renovation will include a mural and positive messages that will be going on the south side of the building to give encouragement for those children that need it. The mural will depict the mission and goal of the CASA program and show the community what the program is all about, the painter of the mural has not been chosen as of right now.

Blumel said the expansion is important toward helping advocate for those children that are experiencing neglect or abuse.

“CASA volunteers are often the single constant in a child’s life providing critical information to judges,” Blumel said. “We must expand in order to serve more kids who need us. This is an opportunity for CASA and the community to see all kids do well and have a safe, healthy, and happy childhood.”

More info on Jackson County CASA can be found at https://www.jacksoncountycasa-mo.org/ or call Jackson County CASA at 816-984-8204.