Cass Community Social Services - History of Cass Community Social Services

History of Cass Community Social Services

Cass Community Social Services originally began when during the Great Depression when the church opened up a soup kitchen. In the 1950s, Reverend Lewis Redmond expanded the church's social services, creating an evening program, a free bible class ("Praise Class") and a senior's program ("Project Scout").

Rev. Lewis Redmond (who pastored Cass from 1953 until 1979) had the vision of reaching out to people with developmental disabilities. He recognized that many individuals were living in groups homes in the area and that they were desperate for life-skills and recreational activities after years of institutionalization. The church began an evening program that met many of their social needs, as well as a Sunday morning Bible study (the "Praise Class") that addressed some of their spiritual needs. Members of the Praise Class continue to serve as ushers and acolytes for the church today.

A second significant program was implemented during the Redmond years: Project Scout, a casework program for homebound seniors. The corridor (the area bounded by freeways and Woodward Avenue) was and continues to be home to a high percentage of senior citizens. Many of the seniors are separated from their families and live in small apartments or single rooms. Their age and economic status leaves them victim to charlatans who charge them excessively for services. Beyond this, they are particularly vulnerable to poor health, bad weather, crime and loneliness. Project Scout helps the elderly to remain independent while providing them with supports and resources.

Another senior program begun under Rev. Redmond's leadership was the Senior Center. In fact, his son, Robert Rene Redmond was director of the Senior Center when, on May 6, 1976, he was shot to death by a 17-year old in an apartment building on Third. The Memorial Room at the church is in Robert's memory, as is the Robert Redmond Park at Selden and Third. Robert was in his early twenties at the time of this death.

Significant accomplishments for Redmond beyond the church include leading the campaign to save Burton Elementary School for students from variety of colors, classes, and countries. The elementary school is now widely recognized for its standards and its students. The second feat that we should attribute to Rev. Redmond and the congregation during his pastorate was the establishment of the 4 C's (the Concerned Citizens of the Cass Corridor). This group organized local residents to address issues of housing, education and crime.

It was during Rev. Edwin Rowe's tenure (1979–1994) at Cass that the church began addressing the needs of the homeless. The Homeless Drop-In Center and the Interfaith Rotating Shelter were both started in 1988. The Drop-In Center was established as a demonstration project. It was a client-driven program, providing the homeless with a safe place to avoid the elements and to look for jobs, housing, take a shower, do laundry, use the restroom and telephone. It has been important for those in the shelters (because they are not permitted to stay in the shelters during the day) and for those unable to get into shelters. The Interfaith Rotating Shelter was a response to the second group of homeless. The limited number of shelter beds in Detroit were insufficient to handle the growing number of homeless people and, so, 40 some churches were recruited to provide a week's accommodation for up to 80 individuals.

In 1988 the group also started a homeless shelter and "drop in center" for the homeless as well. In 1991 a tent city was created in a nearby vacant lot to oppose the governor's cuts in social services. Rev. Rowe and Cass Church received notoriety throughout Michigan when they protested Governor John Engler's proposed budget reductions for General Assistance. They used the lawn of the Marie, the vacant apartment building next to the church building, to put up a "tent city". Hundreds or people gathered at the site - homeless, members of the Union for the Homeless, members of Welfare Rights, Cass church members and supporters from the larger denomination and other churches. They kept a vigil, day and night, for a month as a prophetic reminder that the slated cuts would dramatically increase the number of homeless people in the state. Rowe's involvement in the protests was one of the reasons the Detroit News named him a 1991 Michiganian of the Year.

Cass' most recent history, under the leadership of Rev. Faith Fowler, has involved several acquisitions of property and program expansion. The Activity Center (3745 Cass) was purchased in 1995 (originally this building was a factory and later, it was a "Blood Bank"). In June 1996, Cass Community was given the East Side Ministries property (1510 Hurlbut, Detroit 48214), where it has built on the foundations of Richard Kwiatkowski, who spent 26 years ministering to persons with mental illness on Detroit's east side. In 2000, Cass closed on the Scott building (11850 Woodrow Wilson), which houses the agency's administrative offices and several of our programs for homeless people—the Homeless Drop-in Center, a Transitional Housing Program, Safe Haven, the Detroit-Wayne County Rotating Shelter and Detroit's Warming Center for Women and Children, as well as a large commercial kitchen.

The social services of Cass started as part of Cass Community United Methodist Church during the Great Depression. In 2002, they became independent when the Scott building opened and a separate nonprofit/Board of Directors was formed. The mission statement directs the activities of the organization: "Cass is dedicated to making a profound difference in the diverse populations it serves by providing for basic needs, including affordable housing, promoting self reliance and encouraging community inclusion and improvement."

Cass has added health services, Mom's Place I and II, Oasis Detroit, Target Homes, and the Warehouse, since opening Scott. The most recent program expansions have been - opening The Cass House (a residential program for homeless men with HIV/AIDS) and a Factory (doubling the organization's vocational training and employment opportunities while engaging the nonprofit in helping to clean the City and recycling).

Cass has 100 employees, utilizes 5,000 volunteers annually and has an operating budget of 6 million dollars. Cass Community became accredited in 1998 and again in 2001, 2004 and 2007 by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (now known simply as CARF). The 2007 accreditation was without a single recommendation (only three percent of the accredited organizations receive this distinction).