From 22 Beds to One of Florida’s Largest: CASA Shelter Turns 10

Contact:
Amber Valente
Avalente@casapinellas.org
(727) 466-7750

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CASA Pinellas Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary of One of Florida’s Largest Shelters
CASA’s emergency shelter provides safe refuge for thousands of domestic violence survivors in the past decade

[ST. PETERSBURG, FL., July 2, 2025] – This July, CASA Pinellas proudly commemorates the 10-year anniversary of its 99+ bed domestic violence shelter, one of the largest emergency shelters of its kind in Florida. Since opening its doors in 2015, the shelter has provided life-saving refuge to thousands of survivors and their children escaping abuse.

In addition to providing confidential shelter to more than three times as many people as before, it introduced a model of integrated care. On-site services include a survivor-focused resource center, rapid re-housing program, legal advocacy, children’s programming, mental health support, and more — all designed to help survivors rebuild their lives and achieve long-term safety and stability.

“For the past decade, this shelter has stood as a beacon of hope for individuals facing some of the darkest moments of their lives,” said Lariana Forsythe, CASA Pinellas CEO. “We’re proud to celebrate not only the shelter itself, but the resilience of the survivors we’ve walked alongside and the community that makes this work possible.”

On average, CASA’s Emergency Shelter serves 600 adults and children each year with that number continuously growing. Last fiscal year, there were 23,903 shelter services provided; however, CASA does so much more than just shelter. CASA served 3,297 adults and children last year and provided 89,790 total services including legal help, safety planning, 24/7 emergency hotline, rehousing, child welfare, and a variety of collaborative services through Florida’s only Family Justice Center.

CASA was founded in 1977 and incorporated in 1981 as an emergency domestic violence shelter to accommodate 22 participants. In 2022, CASA launched Florida’s only Family Justice Center, one place for survivors to receive a variety of comprehensive, trauma-informed, free services.

CASA Pinellas is one of the largest, most expansive domestic violence centers in Florida, constantly growing and evolving to meet the needs of survivors in Pinellas County.