[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 25, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E537]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                         REMEMBERING DEBRA KING

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 25, 2018

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
life and work of Debra King, the chief executive of Community 
Alternatives for Supportive Abodes--known simply as ``CASA''--a 
nonprofit that has developed housing for thousands in the Triangle 
counties in North Carolina. Debra died on April 14. My staff joins me 
in this Tribute, for we have long admired and supported her work to 
ensure decent housing for some of the most vulnerable people in our 
community.
  Born and raised on a small farm in Beulaville, North Carolina in 
1959, Debra was the first in her family to earn a college degree, 
majoring in journalism at The University of North Carolina at Chapel 
Hill. Following graduation, she settled in Raleigh, where she began 
work as a medical transcriptionist. She soon transitioned into what 
would become a lifelong passion for non-profit work, beginning as a 
grant writer for Orange-Person-Chatham Mental Health. One of the first 
grants she landed was for a housing project to support individuals with 
mental illnesses, a project that set her on course as a champion for 
affordable housing.
  Soon after, the Wake County Area Mental Health Program launched CASA, 
seeking to secure housing for people with disabilities and mental 
health challenges. In 1995, CASA asked Debra to serve as its Director 
and CEO, overseeing 15 apartments with one other staff member.
  CASA's housing model was unique and far-sighted for its time. Rather 
than housing people with illnesses in group homes or transitional 
housing, the organization provided permanent, safe, and affordable 
units with access to public transportation and supportive services as 
needed. Through 22 years of remarkable social entrepreneurship, Debra 
helped the non-profit grow to a staff of 27, managing nearly 500 units 
in Wake, Durham, and Orange counties.
  Debra's years at CASA coincided with most of my years working on 
affordable housing on the House Appropriations Committee. She was 
masterful at pursuing available funding -picking up on the national 
mandate, for example, to end veterans' homelessness-and putting 
together the partnerships to put units on the ground. In the process 
she taught me and the other elected officials and staff with whom she 
worked how to make public programs most effective. It was a joy to cut 
ribbons on completed projects with her, but the spirit of those 
occasions was always, ``We've got to do more.''
  When she was named ``Tar Heel of the Week'' by the Raleigh News & 
Observer in 2015, Debra declared: ``The greatest gift we can give 
people is the chance to be who they are . . . Housing is so critical to 
who we are. If you lack that, how can you be okay?'' She was a stalwart 
believer and advocate for the ``Housing First'' philosophy, insisting 
that individuals in crisis will see better outcomes if their basic 
needs, particularly decent housing, are met from the onset.
  Debra's compassion and dedication to her cause, combined with hard 
work and business acumen, have bettered the lives of many in the 
greater Raleigh area and have left behind a strong organization--
including many who have learned and drawn inspiration from her--that 
will continue to serve. We join with Debra's family, her many friends 
and admirers, and members of the communities she served, in mourning 
her passing and honoring her life of compassionate leadership and 
public service.

                          ____________________