“Mary” was homeless, but had dreams of being an artist – CASAA Outreach gave “Mary” GED training to reach her goals. “Mary’s” desire, plus the Outreach’s assistance helped her to successfully enter college. “Mary is now pursuing her dream.
“Isabel” was a runaway living on the streets. – The CASAA Outreach program helped “Isabel” gain self-confidence, find a steady job, an apartment and a new chance at life.
The stories are just two of the many successful cases the University of New Mexico’s Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions (CASAA) Runaway and Homeless Youth Program are proud to have been an instrumental part of turning around a young, homeless adult’s life. There are many others.
The program, which is housed at 317 Washington, Blvd. S.E., has many different forms of assistance available to homeless and near homeless youth who are between 14 – 24 years old and willing to complete pretreatment and follow-assessments.
Services include counseling, case management, medical assistance, housing assistance GED training, employment assistance, referrals, food, showers, laundry facilities, clothing and a place to rest and relax. Hours for the 4,000-square-foot facility, which is the largest of its kind in Albuquerque, are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.
“The purpose of the program is to meet kids where they are currently having problems,” said Sr. Program Manager Isela Roeder. “The ultimate goal is to provide these kids with a positive experience and with skills to get them back into school, a job or housing.”
CASAA does much more than provide a ‘hangout’ for its clients. The program helps clients take responsibility and move them into the mainstream, a key component to the success of the program and its clients. Utilizing the successful Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA) developed by CASAA
Research Associate Professor Bob Meyers, CRA helps individuals develop the pro-social skills necessary to make responsible life choices allowing the homeless youth who participate to move back into the mainstream and a normal lifestyle. It is designed to make changes in the client’s daily environment, to reduce substance abuse and promote a healthier life-style.
“CRA is an evidence-based therapy that’s cost effective for adolescent treatment,” said Research Scientist Jason Blankenship. “Trained therapists use CRA to help the street youth with real-world skills.”
CASAA’s program serves a minimum of 15 clients a day in the winter. During the warmer months more than 50 clients a day are provided some form of assistance. To help provide the services it does, CASAA has teamed up with several organizations throughout the city including Adelante, Desert Harvest, Youth Development Incorporated and ArtStreet, to help serve the youth.
Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821