Casa Pacifica Receives $25,000 Bank of America Grant

Funding To Support Mental Health Needs of Region’s Youth

Camarillo, Calif., August 9, 2023 – A $25,000 grant from Bank of America will help Casa Pacifica expand mental health programs and services for at-risk children and young adults throughout Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. The grant supports the agency’s residential, clinical and educational programs for children, youth and foster youth with complex mental and behavioral health disorders.

The funding comes at a time when the nation is grappling with a youth mental health crisis. Between 2016 and 2020, the number of children between the ages of 3-17 who were diagnosed with anxiety grew by 29% and those with depression by 27%, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. From 2019 to 2020, nearly 25% of youth nationwide were diagnosed with behavioral problems.

“We thank Bank of America for its leadership in providing funding grants in support of youth mental health. At a time when our communities are experiencing a youth mental health crisis, this support makes all the difference,” said Shawna Morris, MPA, Chief Executive Officer, Casa Pacifica.

Casa Pacifica is the largest nonprofit provider of children’s and adolescent mental health services in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. The agency specializes in children and youth with complex mental health challenges and serves more than 2,000 children, families and young adults annually in outpatient, residential, home and community-based settings. Its licensed therapeutic programs encompass prevention, direct care and transition/emancipation for soon-to-be and emancipated foster youth.

“Casa Pacifica has long served the region’s youth and families during their most challenging times, and our grant will increase access to critical health and educational services that can help them get back on stable footing,” said Midge Campbell Thomas, Ventura-Santa Barbara president, Bank of America.

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Casa Pacifica Mission: A life worth living – Casa Pacifica inspires hope and nurtures mental health and well-being of children, young adults, and families to realize their full potential.

Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families provides assessment, clinical, medical, residential, and educational services to foster and at-risk children/youth struggling with complex mental health disorders due to past trauma and/or mental illness. The agency is the largest non-profit provider of children’s and adolescent mental health services in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties and administers 14 campus- and community-based programs and services designed to give youth, and their families, the tools they need to heal, rebuild and strengthen relationships, reengage with their educations, and overcome their negative emotional and behavioral challenges. The agency’s Camino a Casa program, available to clients with private insurance, provides behavioral health care to support youth ages 9 to 17 with emotional and behavioral issues, along with their families.

For more information about Casa Pacifica visit its website www.casapacifica.org or call the Development Department at (805) 445-7800.