Our dear Teo first showed up at Casa Marianella over three years ago. At the time, his untreated diabetes had advanced so far that he was really suffering. Due to his condition, Teo had lost half of his leg, the functioning of his kidneys, and part of his vision. Initially, Teo’s health insurance was only [...]
We had a fantastic time at our ESL Summer Show and Tell event this past Tuesday evening! As the sun set and the heat subsided, all three levels of students came together in the Level 2 classroom to share their stories, hobbies, photos, and more. The classroom was lit perfectly with twinkling lights, with a [...]
ESL Students Share Their Stories and Talents! We were so impressed with the amazing stories, photos and talents shared by our residents, ESL students and members of the Casa community- including a few of our ESL teachers and staff members! What we loved most was seeing the confidence exuded by our ESL students. For some [...]
At Casa Marianella, we're happy to discuss what it means for our residents to become 'self sufficient'. We use this term regularly to describe successful exits from Casa Marianella that lead to affordable housing and sufficient income. With the great city of Austin, TX becoming increasingly tough to find affordable housing in, our definition of affordable [...]
UT Austin’s latest exhibit, more about Spatial Stories of Migration and Detention, highlights how architecture impacts detainee punishment. Casa Marianella is proud to be a part of this exhibit, with some of our residents lending their stories and experiences to UT Austin’s exhibit for the hope that their voices will help improve the current detention [...]
The following story was beautifully written by our very own talented Posada staff member, Clare Deck. --- One of the first interactions I had with Elbia was while she was doing a video call with two of her kids. She is from Concepción Chiquirichapa, Guatemala, where her daughter, 12, and two sons, 9 and 4, live. During [...]
Please enjoy this short piece by Jason Outenreath, followed by an interview with the director! Jason kindly shared with us about his upcoming documentary They Live Here, Now and what inspired him to film and at Casa: 1. How did you hear about Casa Marianella? I first heard about Casa Marianella from a [...]
It’s nearing 7 pm on a Friday. I’m on afternoon shift, but I’ve made a deal with the next staffer to cut out 10 minutes early to prepare for an interview. Miraculously, I slip out of the main office and creep across Gunter Street undetected, a feat most unheard of. It’s a no-man’s land between [...]
photo credit: Erin Birney When Teo arrived at Casa Marianella two years ago, unhealthy his untreated diabetes had advanced so far that he was, see as one observer puts it, “more dead than alive.” Indeed, Teo has lost half of his leg, the functioning of his kidneys, and part of his vision to the disease. [...]
In her day job, ed Zoe Schlag works to provide funding for social entrepreneurs who dream of establishing businesses that tackle social problems. Outside of work, order Zoe carries over her “can-do” philosophy into grassroots efforts to deal with today’s global refugee crisis. She was inspired to do this work by the Refugees Welcome initiative [...]