Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Child Welfare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
CASA volunteers urge Cuyahoga County to expand program, citing child welfare and cost savings
Summary
Two CASA volunteers told the Public Safety and Justice Committee the county should fund and expand Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs, arguing volunteers improve child outcomes and presenting rough cost comparisons between CASA support and foster‑care expenses.
Peter Haas, a court‑appointed special advocate and ordained rabbi, told the Cuyahoga County Public Safety and Justice Committee he has volunteered with CASA for about nine years and urged the county to maintain and expand the program. "We're not lawyers, not social workers, but just dealing with the kids and being advocates for the kids, really gives them a chance to have their voice heard," Haas said.
Dr. Debbie London, identified in the meeting as a CASA volunteer and board member, described a case involving two children she worked with after what she called "clear neglect, clear abuse." She said the children were placed with a respite foster family during the summer and that family ultimately adopted them. "We just changed their life," London said.
London offered cost comparisons to argue for county funding. She said it costs approximately $2,400 to support one CASA volunteer and approximately $70,000 to care for one child in foster care for a year, and urged the county to consider funding CASA as a cost‑effective prevention strategy. The transcript includes an estimated savings figure quoted by London that appears arithmetically inconsistent with the two numbers she cited; the article reports the speaker's numbers as stated and flags the inconsistency.
Both speakers emphasized that CASA volunteers can reach children and families earlier than many other systems, and that volunteers often help connect children to stable placements and services. They urged county leaders to weigh the program's demonstrated individual outcomes alongside any budget decisions.
The committee recorded the testimony; no formal action or vote on CASA funding occurred at the meeting. Committee members said they expect conversations about funding to arise during the county's October budget process.
