Casa Inc

Organizing and leadership:community organizing is a central aspect of casa's mission as it is a tool to improve the quality of life of immigrants and working-class communities to create a more just society. Casa builds power by broadening and deepening our base of member activists and leaders who take action to fight for issues that directly impact their lives through membership recruitment, leadership development, and mobilization. For membership recruitment, initial contacts are captured through canvassing, events, relational approaches, communications/outreach, and casa outreach. Casa also works to move our members into leadership roles through monthly membership meetings for every geographic member committee and through (continued on schedule o) the work of our leadership director. Mobilization efforts are frequent and broad to keep morale high, keep members engaged, and bring additional people into our organizing structure. Casa takes membership seriously and has built a structure in which members play a critical role in determining organizational priorities and at points of critical decision-making.

Politics & communication: casa implemented advocacy and communications strategies at the local, state, and national levels to advance measures identified as priorities by its membership, including its community organizing campaigns mentioned above. Casa also implemented nonpartisan voter registration and gotv campaigns in pennsylvania.

Community economic development: workforce development and vocational training: casa connected workers with employers seeking daily, temporary and permanent employment opportunities; partnered with local community colleges to offer a range of vocational training courses, and provided technical assistance to workers interested in developing their own independent small and cooperative businesses.

Schools & education:- afterschool and leadership development programs: casa operated mi espacio, an after-school leadership and enrichment program for immigrant high school students as well as a variety of seasonal workshop series on post-secondary and career opportunities. In baltimore city, mi espacio was complemented by an "escalera" college access program. Casa also provided leadership development programming at the major esl schools in baltimore utilizing the spirit (student problem identification and resolution of issues together) model of the department of justice.-esol instruction - casa provides over 1,000 students a year with english language instruction taught via 8-week courses at 4 different levels of competency.

Lobbying:casa conducts lobbying within the limits of its 501(h) designation at the local, state, and federal level on legislative issues that improve the quality of life of its constituents. Legislative and policy priorities included the following measures, at the local, state, and federal level: increasing minimum wage, passing the trust act and/or preventing police-ice collaboration, improving education access for immigrant youth, expanding immigrant access to driver's licenses, opposing anti-immigrant bills, zoning and policy changes on community development issues, tenant housing rights, and comprehensive immigration reform. Casa provided testimony, written and oral, for many bills affecting its constituency, and also conducted direct lobby visits and public actions.