Compassionate Capitalism - September 2003

Casa de Vida

The House of Life Provides Better Lives for Women

by Geoffrey Altrocchi

Casa de Vida is a safe haven and a healthy alternative for pregnant young women in Northern Nevada. Spanish for "the house of life", Casa de Vida has a very special objective.

"Our mission statement is to provide care for needy young women," said Tammy Klippenstein, Casa de Vida’s executive director. "We believe that every mother and every child is a gift of God."

This non-profit company was founded in 1981. Its staff cares for young mothers through their pregnancy. Staff members also help the mothers continue or complete their education and find work. "We help them keep going," Klippenstein said.

The house takes in about 24 girls per year. The 4,000-square-foot residence located on Mill Street has four rooms with two beds each, which limits the house’s capacity to eight teenage mothers at a time. The house provides a loving and positive experience for all the vulnerable, and many times unwanted, women sent their way.

"Many of them come here after a relationship didn’t work out with a man, and their family doesn’t want them," Klippenstein said. "They don’t feel too good about themselves."

Casa de Vida’s combination of warm meals, classes and emotional support helps most girls leave the house happier, more confident and most importantly, with a little bit of hope. "That’s something they didn’t have before they came in," Klippenstein said.

Five employees run the house. In addition to Kleppinstein, there is also a social worker, a full-time house mother and two part-time house mothers. The house is open 24 hours a day.

This is important, because many times the girls will leave on weekend passes to visit family. If, for some reason, the visit doesn’t work out, the girls are welcome to come back to the house, Klippenstien said.

While Casa de Vida can only offer full-time care to eight women at a time, it offers free diapers, formula, baby clothes, toys, cribs and other supplies to hundreds of mothers throughout the city. They run these donations out of the house’s basement.

Casa de Vida used to be located on the north side of town, near St. Mary’s Hospital. In order to complete the move to its current location two years ago, Casa de Vida staged a $1.5 million capital endowment campaign. It reached its goal thanks to endowments from local foundations. The unused money from the capital campaign is kept as a contingency fund, Klippenstein said.

The house’s yearly income comes from private donors and fundraising. The house’s main fundraising event is the "Rustic Evening in the Country", a dinner and auction that takes place every year in the fall. This year it will be held on Sept. 6, and 350 people are expected to attend.

Companies such as IGT, Western Nevada Supply and Nevada State Bank sponsor the fundraiser by donating $1,200 each, which entitles them to their own table at the event, as well as an advertisement in the program.

Casa de Vida gets referrals from Reno’s Crisis Pregnancy Center, the juvenile services system, Wittenburg Hall (the regional juvenile detention center), the courts, schools and churches. "Casa de Vida is a very good program and a vital resource," said Maryann Wooley, with the Division of Juvenile Services in Washoe County.

Since it has helped many girls in its time, Casa de Vida has many success stories. Klippenstein recalls one girl who went through the house and went on to get a scholarship to Truckee Meadows Community College. She is still pursuing her secondary education.

Most of the girls don’t go on to any sort of education, but most do leave better off than when they came. "We help these girls feel good and valuable within their community," Klippenstein said. "We measure success in different ways.

Casa de Vida

1290 Mill Street, Reno, NV 89502.

(775)329-3211