Casa San Jose Extends Resources to Pittsburgh's Growing Latino Community

By Olivia Miller

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, each week in September we are spotlighting Pittsburgh’s great network of Latinx owned organizations and small businesses.

Casa San Jose is a non-profit organization whose mission is to not only provide material resources like food, clothing and housing to Latino immigrants newly arriving to the city but also to empower and advocate for them as they begin a new chapter in the Steel City.

The organization owes its inception to Sister Janice Vandernick, a Sister from the House of Saint Joseph. She has been actively involved in Pittsburgh’s growing Latino community for many years and, according to executive director Monica Ruiz- Caraballo, “saw the needs were increasing of the Latino population.” This inspired her to officially establish Casa San Jose, which will be celebrating its 10th anniversary as a nonprofit this year.

Ruiz-Caraballo explains that the mission of the organization is twofold: it serves as both a “welcome center” which “provides resources to those who have recently arrived” while also aiding those that have been living in the Pittsburgh area. They offer “an array of resources” aimed at helping people seamlessly settle into Pittsburgh including housing assistance, job placement services, and support for school enrollment, especially for pregnant mothers. The organization even hosts annual events like back-to-school drives, providing backpacks and coats to children in need. Recognizing the importance of providing “direct resources”, Casa San Jose operates a food pantry and supplies basic toiletries. They also go a step further by offering critical services like case management and after-school programs for children.

The top challenge facing Pittsburgh’s Latino community, according to Ruiz-Caraballo, is “language access.” Casa San Jose helps to lessen the language barriers by forging strong partnerships with local county organizations as well as offering in-house language programs run by their dedicated bilingual and bicultural team.

One of Casa San Jose’s cornerstones is the importance they put on nurturing and empowering the next generation. Just recently, they wrapped up their summer camp called Campemento Sonrisa which Ruiz-Caraballo said was “absolutely amazing.” The camp is split into two age groups with each group able to participate in “age appropriate activities and field trips.” The program recently did an activity that paired 20 Latino students with 20 African American students and gave them a unique opportunity to learn about the shared customs between their cultures when it comes to traditions like food and dancing.

Their Jovenes Con Proposito program gives resources for teenagers who are “thinking about what their futures could look like.” Before the pandemic, the group protested the border wall and met with local officials on behalf of the local Latino community. After the pandemic, the group is focused on advocacy work and going on college tours. Though the program is “looking different because of covid”, they are “hoping to get back” to their youth-led advocacy projects soon.

The organization’s emphasis on providing priceless, intangible resources like empowerment while also providing material resources is all about feeding the community’s mouths and their souls. Ruiz-Caraballo says that she “thinks that everyday we are going to feed people whether we give them something from our food pantry or give them a resource.” By working on both “the micro-level and the macro-level”, the organization is able to create a true impact on the Latino community in the present and the future.

Unlike most organizations, Ruiz-Caraballo’s goal for Casa San Jose is not one of longevity. She says it would be “great if we would eventually go out of business” because it would mean they have “created a region that provides every resource for everyone so people are living lives where all of their needs are being met.” She hopes the Latino community in Pittsburgh continues to grow and wants “more people not just to survive, but to be thriving.”