About Us
Who We Are
Every day, immigrant families in North Alabama carry burdens most people never see: the weight of trauma, the silence of being invisible to a system, and the grief of leaving everything behind to start again in a country where you don't always feel welcome.
CASA Safe to Heal was born from that reality.
We are a group of Christian people who believe every human being carries God-given dignity, and believing that means doing something about it. We were founded to fill the critical gap left by systems that turn people away based on immigration status rather than a human need.
Our work is trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and bilingual. We serve children, families, and individuals in the immigrant community in the greater Huntsville, Alabama region, including those directly affected by ICE enforcement actions, offering psychosocial support and pathways to stability grounded in compassion and community.
"When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt." — Leviticus 19:33–34
We exist to provide trauma-informed, bilingual mental health services and community advocacy to immigrant Latino children & their families in North Alabama. Our mission is centered around restoring hope, healing wounds, and building belonging.
Our Vision is a community where every immigrant child & their families have access to culturally responsive healing, families are equipped and empowered, and the next generation can thrive free from the lasting effects of trauma.
What Guides Us
Trauma-Informed Care
We approach every person with an understanding that trauma shapes the body, the mind, and the spirit. Our services are designed to heal from the inside out, using evidence-based practices in a safe, culturally familiar environment.
Cultural Responsiveness
Our services are bilingual (English and Spanish) and built around
the lived realities of Central and South American immigrant families. We do not ask people to leave their culture at the door in order to receive help.
Dignity without Condition
Documentation status, country of origin, and economic situation do not determine a person's worth. We serve every family as a neighbor — because in God's household, that is exactly what they are.
Faith in Action
Our Christian faith is not a backdrop — it is the engine. We believe that caring for the stranger is not optional; it is the calling. Every program, every partnership, and every dollar raised is an act of worship.
Our Story
CASA Safe to Heal was founded by Maria Stansbury, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) with advanced clinical training in EMDR, DBT, and trauma-informed care. Maria is a Peruvian immigrant who came to the United States more than two decades ago. She has spent her career serving the Latino community in North Alabama — first as a clinician, now as a founder determined to build something that outlasts any single therapeutic relationship.
Over the past three years, Maria has served more than 500 individuals through professional mental health care — neighbors in North Alabama and, through telehealth, Latino families across the entire state of Alabama. The need is real. CASA Safe to Heal is the answer we believe we are called to build together.
"We believe God calls us all to welcome the stranger and walk alongside the most vulnerable, because every person carries God-given dignity, regardless of documentation."
- Maria Stansbury, LICSW, Founder & CEO