CSA’s CEO finds strength in community’s resilience
Community Support Advocates is celebrating 25 years of supporting individuals and families impacted by mental health or disabilities in Central Iowa. The nonprofit served 100 people during its first year in 1997 — and expects to serve more than 1,900 people this year.
A critical “first stop” organization that connects individuals and families to resources — such as employment, education, and community living — CSA’s impact has resonated throughout Polk, Jasper, Story, Dallas, and Warren counties.
To celebrate a quarter-century of service, CSA asked individuals to share their stories. Read more stories at teamcsa.org or follow #CSA25DSM on Facebook or Instagram.
Christina Smith, the President and CEO of CSA, works to ensure the Central Iowa nonprofit has the resources needed to carry out its mission for the members and families it supports.
These resources include funding, staff, talent, training, support, time, advocacy, and more.
Why do you do what you do?
What we do makes a difference in the lives of our members and families, and it improves our community as a whole. I also do what I do so our incredible team members, who dedicate their lives to our mission, have a great work environment.
To someone who doesn’t know what CSA is, how would you describe it?
We partner with individuals and families who are experiencing mental health or disability in Central Iowa. We promote growth and resiliency by helping navigate the complex service system and getting you the care and support you need, when you need it. We provide hope, build resilience, and offer possibilities.
Describe a moment when you saw the difference CSA makes. What happened?
One of my favorite moments is when I was working with a young woman within our transition age youth program.
She had been in the DHS/Foster care system for most of her childhood and came to CSA’s KEY program when she turned 18. She did not have a family, had never lived on her own.
At the time, she was homeless, with no insurance or money.
She struggled greatly with her mental health symptoms and did not trust easily. She also struggled with some potentially dangerous choices in behavior when she first arrived.
We quickly tried to help her with little to no pre-planning before she transitioned to us. We got her an apartment and eventually, with hard work, she learned how to manage her mental health.
She went to school and learned the skills she needed to get and hold a job. She stayed with our KEY program for five years, got married, had kids and is now living with her family and working part time.
A few years ago, she visited me and told me that one of the main reasons she survived that first year of adulthood is because CSA believed in her.
She said no one before CSA ever told her she mattered. She said we believed she had strengths, and we told her she had value — over and over again — until she believed it herself.
She said that even when she didn’t listen, our belief in her never wavered. We gave her hope, and that hope was within herself that she could be better.
What keeps you motivated in your work/volunteerism with CSA?
The people who work for CSA and the individuals and families we support motivate me. We are people helping people. The resilience that I see on a daily basis from our staff and from our members and families is truly astounding.
What does CSA mean to the people they support? What does it mean to you?
I am not only the CEO, but I am also a parent of two children with complex needs. I absolutely understand how challenging the system is; how important it is to have someone to talk to; how helpful it can be to feel heard and not feel alone.
To me, CSA is a community. CSA a place where you are welcome and you have a partner.
Why is CSA’s work important?
CSA is the first door into services. If you do not know where to turn, start at CSA. We will help you get started and find what you are looking for.
What would happen if CSA did not do all that it does?
We support almost 2,000 individuals and families each year in Central Iowa. We do outreach, support, and referrals for hundreds more each year. Without that support, mental health access would be even more limited.
We also offer specialize services to youth and families who are transitioning from child to adult mental health services. We support hundreds of families in this space each year.
If you had to describe CSA in one word, what would it be?
Hope.
One of the most powerful things we do is create hope. Sometimes we are holding out hope for you until you see it for yourself.
Hope is our most powerful tools. With hope, all things are possible.
