For the past decade, Casita Community Charitable Trust has been creating opportunities, connection and a sense of belonging for young people with disabilities in Tauranga and the Western Bay. Now, as the trust works urgently to secure a new shop space, the need is not just for premises, but for a place where young people can keep building confidence, independence and community connection.
Founded by special education teacher Charrissa Taylor, Casita began after she saw too many young people leaving school with potential but nowhere meaningful to go next.
“I started Casita so the students leaving school had something to go to and a place to belong,” says Charrissa. “Casita is a place for young adults to develop their social, work and life skills, and get everything they need to jump into the wider community.”
For the young people Casita supports, the shop front has been much more than a retail space. It has been a place to build confidence, develop independence, learn practical skills and be seen as active contributors in the community. Charrissa says having a physical base is essential to making that happen.
“It’s vital we find a new home. Everything would fall down if we didn’t have a space to call ours.”
Previously Casita was based in Greerton where six days a week their young ‘Casitians’ could volunteer in the shop from 9:30am till 3:30pm. Whilst at the shop, Casitians would do all the usual shop opening and operating tasks, tick off weekly jobs to help build their independence and also be involved in regular walks for physical movement and community sessions of creating and learning new skills.
Sadly, Casita had to leave their Greerton shop after severe weather events earlier this year caused it to flood. Luckily, they have continued operating in reduced capacity from a shared room thanks to the generosity of Idea Services. Although they have a space to hold community sessions and gather with their local members, the loss of a dedicated workplace has had a real effect.
According to Charrissa, some young people have stopped attending because they no longer feel they have a workplace to come to. Casita is now seeking a new shop space where its marketplace of goods, made by the young people they support can operate again and where their Casitians’ can continue to grow, create and connect.
The need for Casita’s services goes beyond four walls. A welcoming, public-facing space gives young people structure in their week, a reason to get out into the community and a place where progress can be seen and celebrated.
“The biggest difference we give is that we provide our young people with some structure in their week,” says Charrissa. “Getting out of their comfort zone, getting offline, having a support worker they can talk to and learn skills to become more independent is essential.”
Charrissa has seen first-hand how that support can change a young person’s life. Recalling one young person referred to them after leaving school with no qualifications and struggling with severe anxiety. Through Casita, they began volunteering, building confidence, speaking with others, working as part of a team and setting goals for the future. It is one example of how the trust helps reduce isolation and opens up pathways that may otherwise feel out of reach.
Greg Brownless, a Trustee of TECT Community Trust says supporting Casita through operational funding reflects TECT’s focus on backing communities experiencing the greatest barriers and investing in places that help people participate fully in community life.
“Casita is exactly the kind of organisation that shows why this support matters. It creates opportunities for young people, builds confidence and connection, and gives them a place where they can learn, contribute and belong,” he says. “That strongly reflects TECT’s focus on priority communities and on supporting spaces that strengthen wellbeing, inclusion and connectedness across our region.”
As Casita looks for its next home, Charrissa says the need is immediate and they are open to any area around Tauranga.
“We are patiently waiting, but we need to find a space big enough to ideally include the marketplace to start selling things and give our Casitians a space to grow and develop again,” she says. “Wherever we end up needs its own toilet for safety reasons and additional space out the back is a bonus.”
“We’re happy to have a pop up space temporarily, but mainly will be happy to go somewhere that we are welcomed.”
Despite the setbacks this year has brought, Casita is hopeful that they will one day soon have a busy, bustling shop again. That the young people coming in gain great skills through generous local volunteers teaching them, and then move on to something they want to be doing for the rest of their life.
Casita is only a piece of the puzzle in supporting these young people to succeed. With the right support from additional volunteers giving time to share skills, or businesses willing to offer patient, practical workplace opportunities, the whole community will be better for it.
