I’m Chase Smiley, a case manager at Hospitality House. I work specifically with homeless victims of crime which is a common occurrence for a lot of our homeless population.
I would like to share a story of a guest who I will call Chris. Chris recently turned 23-years-old. He first came to the shelter as a teenager in 2014, along with his mother, and has intermittently frequented it since then until January of this year when he came and developed a case management plan. He is an intelligent young man that really wanted to find his role at the shelter, and with his dedication and hard work he became a caretaker. A caretaker is a guest that offers to help with extra duties and responsibilities by doing the laundry, sweeping, and/or assisting with other needs around shelter. Chris also has been very diligent with securing a home and has quickly followed up with all the rental requirements and necessary paperwork to rapidly get housed. Through case management and the assistance of AMI Housing, we were able to secure Rapid Re-Housing funds that provided Chris financial support to move into a home. In June, Chris was approved for a two-bedroom apartment in Grass Valley for him and his mother. In addition, we took Chris down to Re-Start Ministries to pick out furniture and kitchenware, and thanks to Re-Start Ministries, we were able to fully furnish his new apartment and deliver it to him the following week at no charge! I asked Chris, “How do you feel about leaving the shelter?” and Chris said, “I’m really going to miss the staff, but it feels good to have my own place.” It has been very rewarding to watch Chris transform, and go from being homeless to being housed. The support of our community members is a big factor in helping individuals like Chris and his mother return to housing. We are so grateful for all the support we receive here at Hospitality House. If anyone has a home or room they may want to rent, please call me, Chase at 530-615-6006.
We like to recognize our amazing volunteers for their hard work and the many hours dedicated to the mission of Hospitality House. This month we dedicate the Volunteer Spotlight to Pat Forman! Pat moved to Nevada City in 2015 and connected with Hospitality House soon after, becoming a steady volunteer and an honored member of the Hearts & Hands Club. She’s served in a variety of capacities through the years, including cooking with the Mountain Stream team, helping at events and fundraisers, working at the former Bread & Roses Thrift and More, and acting as a spiritual care and end of life advocate in the shelter (her specialty and passion). We are grateful for Pat’s faithful donation and invite the community to learn more about Pat at hhshelter.org. Thank you, Pat!
Normally at this time we also thank all the cook groups who came and cooked over the last week, but to keep our shelter safe amid COVID-19, our cook groups are supporting our meals by donating financial support and food, and Chef Chris is safely cooking all meals instead. We’d like to thank Alta Sierra Latter-Day Church, Twin Cities Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, Mountain Stream Meditation, Kitchen KutUps, The Home Team and Abundant Life Church for all their recent help. To everyone who donated our most needed items last week, thank you as well!
Now down to the nitty gritty needs of the shelter for this week…
- Adult coloring books
- New Pillows
- Colored pens and pencils
- Any crafts that can be done by one person
- Deodorant
- Bleach
- Men’s and Women’s short-sleeve T-shirts
- Men’s and Women’s Levis/pants
- Men’s and Women’s shorts
- Men’s and Women’s underwear
- Baseball caps/Sun hats
- Antacid Liquid (like Pepto-Bismol)
- Pepto-Bismol tablets
- TUMS tablets
- Earplugs
Guitar Picks Anyone who has upgraded their personal assist devices, and have old ones just lying in their dresser drawer, please consider donating these gently used items:
- Diabetes test kits (Glucose meter & test strips)
- Hearing aids, any condition
- Rx Eyeglasses
We will be delighted to have these items for repurposing to any shelter guests with those specific needs.
Please drop off urgent items to Utah’s Place, located in Brunswick Basin, past the DMV, at 1262 Sutton Way. For a tax receipt, please ring the doorbell and wait for someone to come outside to assist you. We greatly appreciate the community’s help at such times of certainty. If we all stick together, we’ll all get what we need. Thank you!