When a small group of donors learned about the challenges that Hospitality House faces in operating a shelter during a public safety power shutoff (PSPS), in addition to other outages that might come about throughout the year, they listened, learned and took action to help Hospitality House acquire a much-needed, full-building generator.
“When you have a group of people without options who are depending on you for food and lodging, uninterrupted power becomes a critical need,” explained one of the project donors, who wished to remain anonymous.
Collectively, the project donors provided the financial support needed to help Hospitality House introduce a new 70kW commercial Generac generator at the shelter, which has the strength to power the entire building. Two operating transfer switches are designed to tell the generator to fire up and power the building immediately when it detects no electricity, ensuring the shelter continues to operate as safely as possible without disruption.
Throughout the pandemic, Hospitality House has been operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, providing emergency shelter, food and related services not only at its physical shelter, Utah’s Place, but to multiple motels around town in partnership with County of Nevada, Sierra Roots, FREED, Adult Protective Services and Turning Point Providence Center. One hundred local homeless men, women and children are currently receiving shelter and services offered by Hospitality House and its partners.
“This is so much more than just a generator,” said Isaias Acosta, program director at Hospitality House. “We have people who depend on medical equipment and when the power goes out, this puts them in a vulnerable position. Our new generator will now help ensure that our homeless guests are as safe as possible when an outage occurs. Our heartfelt thanks to our project donors for making this possible.”
Installation for the generator began in late September and carried on throughout the fall. Today, the generator is fully operational, ready to respond when the need arises.
To help further services to those in need, the community’s support is always welcome and appreciated. Donations may be made at hhshelter.org, by calling 530-615-0852, or by sending a donation made payable to Hospitality House at 1262 Sutton Way, Grass Valley, CA 95945.
