CASS is Known for Our Reliability
We make sure seniors age 60 and older have food, transportation, social interaction and assistance to deal with their complex financial challenges. Our Meals on Wheels program, which delivers hundreds of thousands of meals annually, is the largest program of its kind in Hamilton County. And our transportation team makes tens of thousands of trips each year in our blue-and-white buses, helping seniors stay mobile.
Other organizations provide similar services, but what makes CASS different is this: our compassion and commitment. Older adults know they can rely on us, even in severe weather.
And they know we’ll treat them with dignity and respect by:
- Taking them to medical appointments, grocery stores, senior centers and more;
- Delivering meals with a smile while checking on their welfare;
- Helping them navigate the complexities of insurance, public services, housing and other responsibilities;
- Protecting them from scam artists who would exploit them;
- And giving them a voice in decisions that affect their lives.
We provide these services with more than 50 employees, supervised by an experienced leadership team. A 13-person Board of Directors oversees our organization.
Thousands of Seniors Benefit from Our Services
We’re proud of our accomplishments. In 2019, we:
- Delivered more than 358,000 meals to homebound seniors.
- Served more than 50,000 meals at locations across Hamilton County, including senior centers.
- Provided 6,300 hours of money management to clients who were unable to handle their own finances or who were at-risk of financial exploitation.
- Took older adults on more than 39,000 trips for shopping, recreational outings and community events and transported older adults to more than 1,000 medical appointments.
- Provided 6,018 hours of assistance to seniors at six senior housing complexes, using the expertise of our licensed social workers.
- Screened 184 households for public benefits eligibility, resulting in more than 93% receiving some benefit.
- And prevented 97% of our long-term clients from further abuse, neglect and exploitation.
We’ve Been Honored for Our Services
- In 2009, Tracey Collins, our Chief Executive Officer, received the President’s Award from the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio.
- In 2011, CASS was a finalist in the Business Courier’s Best Places to Work program.
- In 2016, Connie Baker, our Chief Operating Officer, was recognized as the Outstanding Service Provider by the Association for Professionals in Aging.
- In 2017, Collins was honored as the Outstanding Leader in the Field of Aging Services by the Association for Professionals in Aging.
- Again in 2017, CASS received the Outstanding Area Agency on Aging Partnership of the Year Award from the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging.
- And in 2020, CASS was honored by the Association for Professionals in Aging with a Heroes Award for its service during the pandemic.
Read the nomination for the Partnership of the Year Award
We’re Thankful to Our Funders
CASS is grateful for the financial support we receive. We have various funding sources, including:
- Hamilton County Elderly Services Tax Levy, which provides about half of our funding;
- Federal funding under the Older Americans Act;
- United Way of Greater Cincinnati;
- City of Cincinnati and other local governments;
- Ohio Department of Aging;
- Medicaid;
- Private payments from clients;
- Private donations;
- And private foundations.
Our Mission Has Always Been to Help Seniors Live Independently
Social worker Lucile Costello founded Cincinnati Area Senior Services in 1967 because she believed that, with the right type of help, seniors could live in their own homes and stay active.
With $1,000 in seed money from the YMCA and the United Way, she identified isolated seniors and determined the assistance they might need to help them live independently.
The organization first offered Meals on Wheels, which are delivered to seniors’ homes, and congregate or community meals, which are provided at senior centers in Cincinnati. CASS later broadened its services to offer transportation as well as services to help older adults deal with complex personal responsibilities, including financial management.
With commitment and compassion, CASS now provides services to more than 4,800 older adults each year in Hamilton County and surrounding areas.
We’ve Had Stable Leadership
CASS has only had three chief executives since being founded in 1967, showing the strength and stability of the organization. Lucile Costello, our founder, served for 15 years. Elizabeth Patterson Kochheiser headed CASS for 18 years. Then, Tracey Collins took over in 2005.
CASS At a GlanceCASS Financial Statements and Audit | 2017 & 2018CASS IRS Form 990 | 2018