Kids would bear brunt if CASA program loses funding

On a recent afternoon, about a dozen people crowded into the courtroom of El Paso County Magistrate Lynn Billings-Vela for a parental rights hearing.

The lawyers and social workers pulled out their manila files, the mother reached for the box of Kleenex, the father stared straight ahead.

Everybody had something to win or lose except the court-appointed special advocate. Sitting inside the bar next to the social workers and the guardian ad litem, the advocate was a volunteer who would not receive a dime for her time. Yet the judge listened closely to what she had to say.

The court-appointed special advocates, or CASAs, as they are known, are viewed as the judge’s eyes and ears and have one job only: represent the child.

“We have no ax to grind, no case to win or lose. Our only agenda is the child,” said Susan Krassy, who has been a volunteer for more than a decade and has represented 18 children who were neglected, abused, or emotionally torn apart during bitter custody battles.

“I’ll tell them, ‘Mom’s got an attorney; Dad’s got an attorney. But the judge wants to hear from you,’” Krassy said.

With neglect and abuse cases on the rise and fewer social workers to handle them, these highly trained volunteers are needed more than ever.

But there may be fewer court-appointed advocates in the Pikes Peak Region next year if the Legislature approves Gov. Bill Ritter’s plan to take roughly $6 million in gaming impact grants destined for various local government entities, nonprofits, social services organizations throughout Colorado to plug a $2 billion shortfall in the current budget.

The grants are distributed to Teller and Gilpin counties, where casinos are located, and eight adjoining counties, including El Paso, as well as three counties that have tribal gambling.

Evan Dreyer, spokesman for Ritter, said the proposed cuts would be for one year only. “The governor is doing his best to minimize impacts to county and municipal governments,” he said. “This is one piece of a much broader plan to keep the budget balanced.”

But Jim Ignatius, chairman of the Teller County Board of Commissioners and a member of the state’s Gaming Impact Assistance State Advisory Committee, said communities affected by gambling have already spent the money and Ritter’s plan to divert it will have a drastic effect on budgets.

Counties and municipalities will lose emergency medical technicians, fire personnel, sheriff’s deputies, jail guards, and road funds. Social services agencies and nonprofits that cater to the most vulnerable will lose workers. “It’s huge,” said Ignatius. “And you know what? It’s wrong.”

Executive director Trudy Strewler said the  CASA of the Pikes Peak Region could  lose $104,000, or about a tenth of its budget, which could leave as many as  50 children without advocates. “These are pretty significant cuts to our organization,” said Strewler.

The 4th Judicial District, which serves El Paso and Teller counties, has nine positions funded by the gaming grants, including an investigator, a victim’s advocate, two legal assistants, a process server, two clerk receptionists, a data entry clerk, and one paralegal.

“We’re a pretty lean, efficient operation now,” said District Attorney Dan May. “Further cuts will have an impact on the ability to do our work.”

In its press release, CASA urged people to call or e-mail  members of the Joint Budget Committee, which is reviewing the governor’s proposal, and urge them not to suspend the grants. “Loss of these funds would be devastating to CASA’s ability to serve the increasing number of children who need our help to ensure they find safety and permanency,” the organization added.

In the meantime, the volunteers will keep showing up in court, giving the judges the child’s point of view.

Said Krassy, “I’m not a child’s buddy, but they know I’m their point guard, the person they can depend on.”

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