Jose V. is a CASA member, a proud immigrant, and an incredible person.
His story – that of a struggling immigrant on the rise towards economic stability who suffered a debilitating stroke in 2019 — is a difficult but powerful portrait not only of the challenges faced by the immigrant community, but of all the ways in which CASA services are absolutely critical to our members and their families. Job placement, adult education, workforce development, community organizing, health promotion, legal services, and financial education and assistance: these are some of the services that CASA provides, and all the services that Jose V. has tapped into.
An immigrant from El Salvador, Jose V. became a CASA member in 2016. He was a skilled carpenter but needed help finding work that would pay him adequately for his skills. Jose enrolled into CASA’s job placement service, and quickly began working at jobs that paid him $20/hr or more.
Once a member, Jose V. also tapped into CASA’s other services: he enrolled into literacy and English classes, vocational courses to learn new professional skills and
OSHA standards on worker safety, signed up for know your rights workshops, began participating in advocacy actions, and started working with CASA’s legal team to apply for a U-visa and keep his work status in good standing.
And perhaps most impactful for Jose V., CASA’s health program was able to enroll him in health insurance before he suffered a major stroke in 2019. He was hospitalized and then transferred via airlift to receive emergency care. The stroke initially paralyzed half of Jose V’s body, and left him unable to speak. And because he was out of work for so long, Jose V. lost his housing.
But Jose V. was determined to get better. He underwent intense therapy, through which he regained his ability to walk, move, and work as long as he limited his exertion, and was connected with a partner organization that secured housing for him. And while Jose V. received direct cash assistance as he got better, he still needed help finding work to continue his therapies and regain his ability to speak.
Through his work with CASA, Jose V. can get connected with good-paying jobs that work with his health challenges, he can file his taxes for free through our financial education and assistance program, and he was able to get access to covid-19 vaccines to protect himself, his family, and his co-workers.
Jose V., and thousands like him, are working towards improving their quality of life, they just need the door to be open. And as a CASA supporter, you know that CASA’s services opens these doors. So by donating $10 today to CASA’s Spring campaign, you are supporting Jose, and thousands like him, continue on their path towards a better life.
