A community champion

In 1981, CASA was incorporated as an emergency domestic violence shelter to accommodate 22 participants, children’s programs, and an outreach department to provide peer counseling and support groups. In 1992, the fundraising groundwork was laid to open a 30-bed shelter.

CASA grew to include enhanced support groups, a 24-hour domestic violence hotline, outreach services, training for law enforcement and other community members, and youth programs such as the Peacemakers Program teaching violence prevention in Pre-K through 8th grade classes under the leadership of Linda A. Osmundson. In 1998, the CASA Collections Thrift Shoppe was opened to collect items for domestic violence survivors and raise funds for CASA.

In July 2015, CASA opened the doors to a newly constructed 99+ bed domestic violence center. In addition to providing safe refuge to more than three times as many people as before, it added an integrated network of on-site support services such as a resource center and rapid re-housing program to help domestic violence survivors gain safety and economic opportunity.

Lariana Forsythe, an experienced executive with more than two decades in the nonprofit sector, became the organization’s Chief Executive Officer in July 2017.

Under Lariana’s leadership, CASA’s services have grown and expanded to include an Injunction for Protection legal team, robust housing opportunities, and multiple service sites. In October 2022, CASA opened Florida’s only Family Justice Center, earning the 2023 National Purple Ribbon Award for Outstanding New Service Launch in the United States.

In January 2024, CASA again expanded services, extending certification within Marion County.