Casa San Jose is working virtually amid an uptick in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions — but when they return to in-person programming, they’ll have a new facility.
The nonprofit immigrant advocacy organization is buying a building on Broadway Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood — which has a significant immigrant population — from Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority for $1.
The authority’s board on Thursday unanimously voted to authorize the sale.
“I’m really excited to continue to support the important and critical work of Casa,” said state Rep. Lindsay Powell, D-Lawrenceville, who sits on the board.
Casa San Jose serves the local Latino community and immigrants from Central and South America. Based in Beechview, the organization offers an array of free services, including mental health programs, support for pregnant mothers, continuing education and legal clinics. It also has been involved in protests against ICE.
The nonprofit earlier this month moved all of its operations to a virtual setting. Executive Director Monica Ruiz told TribLive it was “just not safe” to operate in person as ICE ramps up its operations.
Sister Janice Vanderneck, who founded Casa San Jose in 2013, told the URA board the new building is a “dream come true.”
“Right now, the fear is so high that we ourselves aren’t even working physically in our space,” Vanderneck said. “But someday — hopefully sooner than later — we will be free to publicly announce who we are and where we are. And it will be in such an excellent location due to all of your help, and we are very grateful.”
Julia McMahon, a senior project manager at the URA, said Casa San Jose plans to use the space to support its community, health care, education and social services programs. Updates included in their renovation include adding classrooms, conference rooms, community spaces, offices, energy-efficient HVAC systems and an elevator.
The URA has spent nearly $3 million stabilizing the property and adding an elevator shaft and other accessibility features.
