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Voices for Children asks Brazos County for $60,000 to support CASA volunteers
Summary
Voices for Children requested $60,000 in county funding to support Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) serving children from Brazos County, citing volunteer recruitment, training and direct case support as uses for the funds.
Voices for Children requested $60,000 from Brazos County during a presentation at a Commissioners Court workshop, saying the funds would support recruitment, training and volunteer support for Court Appointed Special Advocates serving children from Brazos County.
The request matters because CASA volunteers provide court advocacy for children in foster care; Voices for Children said the funding “supports training, recruitment, and then supporting those volunteers in their advocacy throughout the life of the case.”
Amy Faulkner, executive director of Voices for Children, told commissioners the program serves five counties and that last fiscal year the organization had 105 volunteers across its service area, with 80 serving Brazos County cases. Faulkner said the program served 249 children in the last fiscal year, including 173 from Brazos County, and that so far in the current fiscal year the program had served 185 children from Brazos County.
Faulkner described the staff and volunteer mix supporting the work: “Our team includes 13 paid staff who tirelessly work to recruit, train, and support each of our volunteers.” She said the volunteers donated more than 4,800 hours directly serving Brazos County children and drove about 45,000 miles in support of Brazos County cases last year.
When asked about other funding sources, Faulkner said about 49% of Voices for Children’s funding comes through Texas CASA pass-through funding (HHSC) and federal VOCA funds distributed via the state attorney general’s office, with other revenue coming from local fundraising and donations. She also said the CASA program receives financial support commitments from Grimes and Leon counties and has an outstanding request to Burleson County; Madison County was not asked for support because it had three children in care.
The presentation concluded with Faulkner answering questions from the court. No formal vote or funding decision was taken at the workshop; commissioners heard the request as part of a series of outside-agency budget presentations.
Voices for Children indicated the $60,000 request is the same amount Brazos County has provided in prior years and said the money is intended to sustain volunteer-driven case advocacy rather than to expand staff positions.
