Elizabeth Eppley, executive assistant at CASA First, stands with colleagues during a news conference in the Rotunda of the state Capitol to call for more funding for their program on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Michael G. Seamans/The New Mexican

Robert Mesa, a court-appointed special advocate, or CASA, stands with colleagues as they hold a news conference in the Rotunda of the state Capitol to call for more funding for their program Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Michael G. Seamans/The New Mexican

By ESTEBAN CANDELARIA
The Santa Fe New Mexican

Volunteers assigned to be the voices of children who have faced abuse or neglect served nearly 890 children in state custody in 2024 — less than half the total number of kids in state care as of December.

To serve more children, the statewide association overseeing court-appointed special advocates, or CASAs, is asking for $3 million annually starting in the coming fiscal year, roughly double the amount of money it got from the state last year.

“Most of the people who work for [the Children, Youth and Families Department] … they’re completely overwhelmed,” Annie Rasquin, executive director of CASA First in Santa Fe, said during a Wednesday news conference at the state Capitol. “So we can help them succeed.”

Even if it were to get $3 million per year, the New Mexico CASA Association estimates that would cover about 25% of the program’s costs — better, though, than the 10% of costs currently covered.

For the coming fiscal year, the Legislative Finance Committee recommended lawmakers set aside a little over $1.4 million for CASAs. Lawmakers on the House Appropriations and Finance Committee have yet to release an initial draft of the state’s budget for fiscal year 2026.

In a written statement, House Democratic spokesperson Camille Ward said the state Administrative Office of the Courts, which administers money appropriated to CASAs, did not request an increase in funding for the program.

Still, Ward said lawmakers on the House committee are committed to sustaining the work CASAs do for children navigating the court system.

“Lawmakers will closely review this request and work to provide necessary funding in a manner that is sustainable and responsible,” she said.

Sen. David Gallegos, R-Eunice, said during the news conference he would pursue one-time appropriations for the state CASA association to help the organization in the short term.

“We want CYFD to change and get better,” he said. “But they’re a [resource] that we have right now that will do that for us.”

Gaps in service from CASAs goes beyond their shoestring budgets. Several counties throughout the state, most of them rural, do not have local programs, in part due to a lack of volunteers.

Nevertheless, volunteers in counties that do have programs provide a sense of consistency to children in state custody or going through legal proceedings they may otherwise lack.

Robert Mesa, a board member for CASA First, said when he was young he suffered abuse at the hands of his family and spent several of his teenage years homeless. If he had a CASA in his corner, he said he would have had better support for his mental health, and added he hopes for an expansion of the program to help children in his shoes now.

“A little bit of help goes a long way,” he said.

CYFD spokesperson Andrew Skobinsky emphasized in a written statement the value CASAs provide to children who have faced abuse and neglect, noting the volunteers form deep understandings of children’s needs and collaborate with agency workers in obtaining care and services.

“In 2024, 832 children entered foster care, highlighting the urgent need for increased funding to strengthen existing CASA programs and expand them to underserved counties,” he wrote.

Esteban Candelaria is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. He covers child welfare and the state Children, Youth and Families Department. Learn more about Report for America at reportforamerica.org.

Veronica Montano-Pilch stands with other court-appointed special advocates, known as CASAs, during a news conference in the Rotunda of the state Capitol to call for more funding for their program Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. Photo by Michael G. Seamans/The New Mexican