Casa Verde --- Home of Hope -- Home

Casa Verde Home of Hope (Hogar de la Esperanza) was formed in Medellin, Colombia by Jose Arias and his family. Jose was born and raised in Colombia and is now a U.S. citizen. While studying for the priesthood, Jose did missionary work and was indelibly struck by the plight of homeless street children in Medellin. These children eat from garbage cans, sleep on the street, get no education and have a short life expectancy.

After Jose was established in the U.S., he used much of the money he earned to rent a house in Medellin where volunteers, including his sisters and his father, could take in and care for some of these children. As Casa Verde grew and the children prospered, more support was needed. Casa Verde Home of Hope, Inc., a New York corporation, was therefore founded as a charity whose only purpose is to support the children of Casa Verde in Medellin. The Internal Revenue Service granted Casa Verde tax exempt status effective
October 17, 2003.


	The key to Casa Verde is that it is a home for its children not just a place to live. The goal is to provide the young people with a true family existence that supports them emotionally as well as giving them the essentials of living. Education, healthcare, a grounding in religion and, most importantly, love are integral parts of life at Casa Verde. The hope is to turn these unfortunate youngsters into productive members of the Colombian society.



	The family atmosphere of Casa Verde means that the house is necessarily small. Fifteen children is the ideal for the type of program we think is necessary. Right now, however, we have one Casa Verde full of 20 happy, mischievous, wonderful, loving children who are on their way to a productive adulthood. Our immediate goal is to support them fully until they complete their education. Our long-term dream is to open additional Casa Verde houses each with its own family of children and adult leaders.

Casa Verde is run without administrative expense. All of the fundraising and management time is donated. The caregivers are paid, as are some of the medical expenses and, of course, the rent, food, clothing and education costs. For the 20 children, this amounts to about $3,500 per month.

	Click Here To See a Short Video About Casa Verde and the Children