Cascap, Inc.
678 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
617.492.5559 (phone)
617.492.6928 (fax)
www.cascap.org
Contact: Sally Spiers
617.234.2950 (Cascap)
Contact: Jack Chan
617-228-2157 (BHCC)
Education Program for Mental Health Consumers receives recognition
BUNKER HILL COMMUNITY COLLEGE CELEBRATES PARTNERSHIP WITH CASCAP, INC.
Cambridge, MA - On Thursday, July 6th, Jack Chan from Bunker Hill Community College Workforce Development Center presented Michael Haran, Cascap CEO and Laurie Rose, Program Director with a plaque recognizing and honoring a long and successful relationship between the two organizations.
Cascap, Inc. is a well-regarded non-profit agency with more than thirty years of experience providing housing and support services for many of Greater Boston’s most disadvantaged community members. Cascap specializes in the development of high quality affordable housing and the provision of residential services for adults and young adults with severe and persistent mental illness.
In 1993, clients and residents of Cascap programs identified a great need for vocational opportunities among mental health consumers. To respond to this need, Cascap staff researched and created the Consumer Provider Program, a supported education program for adults with mental illness. Students attend a 13 week classroom portion followed by an internship program at any one of a variety of area human service programs. The program is designed to enable adults with mental illness to pursue careers in the mental health and human service field.
Early in the history of the program, Bunker Hill Community College joined with Cascap to form a partnership to provide credentials to the program and enable students to receive a certificate worth 27 college credits at graduation. Since then, Cascap staff has worked closely with BHCC’s Workforce Development Center and Dr. Judy Lindamood's Early Childhood Development and Human Services department to ensure that the program remain a success. The colleges’ ten year involvement has been a vital aspect of the program, lending weight and substantial value to the curricula. Graduates experience an enormous sense of accomplishment and are able to take a great step on the path towards independence and recovery.
Mr. Chan spoke eloquently to Cascap regarding the long partnership and expressed his desire for at least another ten years of working together. Mr. Chan and Mr. Haran both congratulated Ms. Rose and instructor, Lisha Weeks on their outstanding work with students and acknowledged the astonishing 87% employment rate among CPP graduates. For more information about the CPP contact Laurie Rose at lrose@cascap.org or about BHCC’s Workforce Development office contact Jack Chan at jchan@BHCC.mass.edu.
Bunker Hill Community College presents Cascap, Inc with recognition Plaque
Pictured: Laurie Rose, Cascap Consumer Provider Program
Director (left), Jack
Chan,
Special Programs Coordinator at BHCC’s
Workforce Development Center (center)
and Michael Haran,
Cascap CEO (right).