F O R I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E
CASA PACIFICA CENTERS FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
A California Non-profit 501(C)(3)
Contact: Carrie Hughes
Phone: 805-366-4011
Email: chughes@casapacifica.org
For: Assignment Editor
Construction on Casa Pacifica Campus Building Up Great Momentum
Camarillo, CA February 28, 2018 – In January 2017, Casa Pacifica broke ground on the construction of its “Building New Foundations of Hope” Capital Campaign project. The fundraising portion of the campaign completed, the construction phases are well underway, with the first building – two residential cottages treating substance use in adolescent foster youth completed in February (named the Wells Fargo Cottage and the Archie Cottage, after the agency’s original Newfie therapy dog). The cottages are currently awaiting delivery of furniture and approval of the program’s licensing by the state. The substance abuse treatment program is expected to launch sometime in the spring, with a grand opening ceremony to mark the milestone.
Construction also began in August 2017 on a second building – the Training Institute and Vocational Education Center. A lot of work went into preparing the site for the foundation requiring a few months of digging, adding, moving, smoothing, and compacting soil. The perimeter of the foundation was poured in early February 2018, with the slab portion following a couple of weeks later. Currently, framing and sheathing of the building’s structure is underway. The Training Institute & Vocational Education Center will provide expanded space for Casa Pacifica’s robust training program, which is expected to provide more than 3,000 hours of training to 700+ professionals and child welfare workers, foster parents, and community members each year, both local and from around the state and nation.
The new Vocational Education program for transitional and emancipated foster youth is expected when fully ramped up to serve 150 youth each year who will gain employment skills, knowledge and work experience in four areas – technology, business and social enterprise, trades education, and culinary arts. The program expects that 85% of youth participating will secure employment or pursue further vocational training in programs provided in the community.
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Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families is a crisis-care and residential treatment facility for abused, neglected, or at-risk children in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. The agency is the largest non-profit provider of children’s mental health services in both counties and administers a number of community-based programs designed to strengthen families and keep children in their homes and communities. For more information about Casa Pacifica visit its website www.casapacifica.org or call the Development & Public Relations Department at (805) 445-7800.