Casa Gloria Opens its Doors

Something wonderful is happening. Casa Marianella’s family program, Posada Esperanza, is about to open a third house for immigrant women and their children. 

There is an amazing property on Rainbow Ridge Circle, across the street from our two Posada Esperanza houses for families.  The property is three adjacent lots.  One of the lots has a house on it and the other two lots are undeveloped.  The property sits on top of a ridge that looks out over Austin.  The vista includes miles of Austin’s trees and neighborhoods, a clear view of downtown and the St. Edwards’s University tower.

How could this special property become available for housing some of the neediest families in our community?  Josie, a supporter of Casa Marianella, came out to visit Posada one day.  She had been donating anonymously to Casa for years but had never come out to see the work her money was doing. During her visit, she saw that the property across the street was for sale. She was afraid that developers would buy the triple lot and knew she had to get it for Casa instead.  Josie bought the house outright and supervised extensive renovations to serve more Posada families.

This is an extraordinary act of generosity and leadership for Casa Marianella’s growth, but it is also in line with the spirit of the community that supports Casa Marianella.  It is the big and small acts of courage and generosity that has given Austin a place of hospitality and social justice for immigrants in need for 25 years. 

Josie insists that the purchase of this house is only seed money in the long term growth of Casa Marianella.  There are so many ways we can use the two undeveloped lots to help more immigrants in need.  The donation of this property is only the beginning of a new activism on every level for the people involved in Casa and Posada.  We have this wonderful new house to serve families, but it will cost us money to run the house.  With a new house there are expenses of utilities and maintenance.  With each additional family served, there are costs to meet their needs: food, hygiene supplies, medical costs, bus passes, etc. With each additional family, we have amazing Family Advocates who help them get back on their feet and independent once again.

In this slow economy, we must serve the poor amongst us more, not less.  We need your help in making this possible.  The supporters of Casa Marianella have helped to make Austin a place that we are proud of, a place where the values of caring for our neighbors and standing up for social justice are a top priority.

Josie has cleared a path for us to serve more women and children.  Please contribute today so that we can serve these families well and keep us on a path of expanding our services to the neediest in our community. If you would like to donate, go to Casa Marianella’s webpage and click donate.