This September, CASES celebrated the opening of our new Brooklyn office at 25 Chapel Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Staff, participants, partners and elected officials filled the space for a morning of remarks and a guided tour.
The new office will house a range of mental health, alternative to incarceration and education & employment services, including a brand new phlebotomy track in our CRED employment program.
The day opened with remarks from CEO Jonathan McLean, who welcomed guests and spoke about what the new space means for CASES, including how having programs on a single floor allows for more inter-program collaboration: “Now we are all together, doing the work together, moving things forward together.”
CASES services are critical to supporting Brooklyn residents who might otherwise become locked in an unnecessary cycle of incarceration, hospitalization or housing instability. Deanna Logan, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice made the connection between the work CASES does with individual clients and building strong communities, “When CASES helps provide people with serious mental illness treatment and support, our neighborhoods benefit. When CASES helps people navigate the criminal legal system, everybody benefits.”
Angel Zapata, who graduated from our ACES violence prevention program and is now a CASES junior youth specialist shared his journey and his hopes for the future. “I am so excited to see CASES grow and expand to serve all those who need a guiding light, mentorship, resources or even a voice for those who lack the courage to use their own.”
Roselia Albert, a peer specialist with our Nathaniel ACT program, which supports people with serious mental illness with mobile treatment as an alternative to incarceration, closed out the remarks portion of the event with a powerful message about why this work is so important, and what peers bring to the table: “I’m relatable. I’m somebody’s aunt. I’m somebody’s cousin. I’m your home girl. I’m your friend. … The work still needs to be done. There’s more people we got to reach. There’s more people that need help. And that’s what I’m here for.”
After the remarks, CASES staff led guests on a tour of the new office. The space was designed with staff and participants in mind—more natural light, more rooms for one-on-one counseling and group activities, and more artwork showcasing the new CASES brand. As speaker Jorge Petit, Executive Deputy Commissioner at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, noted, “A new space like this isn’t just about the building. It reflects a commitment to creating an environment where people feel welcome, respected and supported.”
We were grateful to welcome so many of our partners and supporters. City Councilmember Lincoln Restler, Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, Department of Probation First Deputy Commissioner Robert Eusebio, and Administration for Children’s Services Associate Commissioner for Community Based Alternatives Ray Toomer also spoke. Representatives from NYS Office of Mental Health, the NYS Department of Criminal Justice Services, and the Office of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso also attended, along with members of the CASES leadership team.
Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us, and to the staff who worked to make this space ready. We’re excited to expand our footprint in Brooklyn. To learn more about CASES programs, visit www.cases.org.
