Cascap: Frequently Asked Questions

What does Cascap stand for?

Cascap, Inc. is a legally incorporated company. Today, Cascap is the official name of the company. At its inception more than 30 years ago, CASCAP once was an acronym for the Cambridge and Somerville Cooperative Apartment Project. However, in the quarter century that has passed, Cascap has broadened its scope beyond the single apartment project of the early days. To learn more about the original apartment project, read the Cascap 1980 annual report in our Look Back In Time special feature.

What is Cascap's mission?

Cascap's fundamental mission is to improve the quality of life for individuals and families who are disadvantaged due to disability, poverty or age. Click here to read the full text of Cascap's mission statement.

What does Cascap do?

Cascap is a private non-profit human service organization with its main office located in the Central Square area of Cambridge. Cascap has five ‘divisions’ or ‘departments’ each helps to further the agency's mission and responds to a particular need within the Greater Boston community.

  1. Mental health services: Cascap owns and/or operates a number of group homes or apartments which provide safe and secure homes for hundreds of men and women who are living with severe and persistent mental illness. Each site is staffed according to program design (24 hour, 10 hour, 8 hour, etc.).  More independent living sites house individuals who need only periodic staff monitoring and assistance. Each resident or client is offered the level of service that he or she needs. Cascap's mental health services are based on the basic belief that a stable and dignified home is vital to an individual's ability to grow and reach for larger life goals. Rehabilitation and recovery are the cornerstones of our mental health services and the goal for each resident is to work towards community re-integration and independent living. Services are built on a core value system designed to help clients actualize their potential through the rediscovery of hope and the development of resilience.


  2. Real Estate Operations: Cascap's REO department specializes in the development of high quality affordable housing. Since 1988, Cascap has directly developed and/or collaborated in the development of hundreds of affordable housing units for disabled, elderly or low-income individuals and families. Ranging from award winning rehabilitation and historic renovation to specifically designed contemporary construction, Cascap carries the standard for creating housing that meets the needs of the individuals and families who live there as well as the communities in which they stand. Cascap's Property Management Department operates as an arm of REO and is responsible for the maintenance, management, budgeting, leasing, compliance and tenancy in Cascap portfolio of affordable housing.


  3. Elder Support Services: With the goal of enabling low-income, elderly residents to live independently and in the community of their choice for as long as possible, Cascap employs a team of social workers to provide service coordination to the residents of Cambridge public housing and three Cascap-owned Elder supported housing programs in the area. Service Coordinators are on hand to assist residents with a variety of on-going and one-time needs.