Some of Our Campaigns
For over two decades, CAJE has challenged the status quo, taking on urgent community needs in southwestern Indiana. Problems such as:
Excessive, Exploitive Charges for Gas & Electric Services
Crisis Care and Intervention/Jail Diversion
The Problem of Gun Violence and Unsafe Neighborhoods
The Affordable Housing Crises in Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties
The Dually Diagnosed Child (autism with co-occuring mental health need)
Historical Wins
Dental Care
One of our first issues was the establishment of a dental clinic for uninsured and underserved people in the community, located in the Echo Clinic.
Mental Health Care
CAJE made a sustained push for families with children on the autism spectrum. Our efforts came to fruition with multi-million dollar funding to establish the Neurodevelopmental Center of Southwestern Indiana. In its first year the center received 249 physician referrals and developed treatment plans that 100 percent of families agreed “accounted for the complexity of my child’s needs.”
Drug Court Expansion
In 2012, CAJE worked with local and state officials to double the size of the Vanderburgh County Day Reporting Drug Court. The effort has not only helped drug offenders turn their lives around, it has also saved millions in taxpayer dollars—money that can be used to benefit the community in other ways.
Overdose Epidemic
CAJE responded to a growing number of opioid-related deaths by pressing for the use of a life-saving antidote by all first responders. CAJE secured no-cost access to NARCAN, a brand-name medication that quickly reverses and blocks the effects of opioids. We put it in the hands of sheriff’s deputies in Vanderburgh and Warrick counties. Later, after months of negotiations, CAJE convinced the Evansville Police Department, Evansville Fire Department and Posey County Sheriff’s Office to carry NARCAN. As a result, opioid-related deaths in the tri-county area have decreased consistently each year.
lack of Transportation
People living in Warrick County and working in Vanderburgh County (and vice versa) faced a disadvantage in using public transportation to commute. CAJE identified the problem and brought forward a solution. Now, the Warrick Area Transportation System (WATS) includes a stop that connects to Metropolitan Evansville Transit System, opening up employment opportunities and access to services for thousands of people.
CAJE also pressed for the expansion of public transportation in Evansville to the north Hwy. 41 corridor. The added service not only provided affordable transportation to employees, it helped support local businesses in great need of employees.