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Last Chance for Double the Impact
Hospitality House opened a pet program on New Year’s Day, giving people and their pets an opportunity to shelter together with wraparound services and care. Claiborne was one of the first people to utilize the program with his dog, Sayegh. Claiborne suffers from Complex PTSD, stemming from childhood trauma, and found himself homeless and living in camps after mounting medical bills and several health scares, including a heart attack. Claiborne blossomed under the shelter’s guidance and in March moved into permanent housing, which he has maintained. Over the summer, Sayegh experienced a medical emergency in which she almost died, but the continued help of donors as well as support from Nevada County Pets in Need and veterinarians saved Sayegh’s life.
“I am most grateful to have Sayegh,” said Claiborne. “There’s no sunshine if she’s gone. She does exactly what she is supposed to do as an emotional PTSD support dog. If I had to put her down, I would have to put myself down. No way could I live without her.”
Today, Claiborne and Sayegh are stable and navigating the pandemic together in permanent housing, but more people still need help. Give today> Night of Giving is this Saturday
Don’t miss the 15th annual Night of Giving this Saturday, Dec. 19. This hometown holiday party is back as a virtual evening of musical entertainment and merriment to raise awareness and support for local families and individuals experiencing homelessness. Night of Giving features many regional and local musicians who are making special performances just for the event as well as a virtual best of collection of performances from years past.
Virtual attendees will also have an opportunity to go behind the scenes of Hospitality House’s homeless shelter, known as Utah’s Place, where they’ll meet real locals experiencing homelessness, hear a little of their story, and learn more about the services offered at the shelter.
Know and “Go”:
- When: Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020
- Where: Watch from home at hhshelter.org (best method), Facebook.com/hhshelter, YouTube.com/hhshelter or by watching Public Access Television: Comcast channel 11 or Suddenlink channel 16
- Time: 6 – 8 pm
- Cost: FREE but a $25 donation is suggested to help the shelter receive a triple match donation during the evening. If you give $25, angel donors will respond with a gift of $75, bringing your gift to $100! Every donation big or small will be applied toward the triple match during the event.
A big thank you to this year’s sponsors: County of Nevada – Better Together, SPD Markets, BriarPatch Food Co-op, Telestream, B & C Ace Home & Garden Center, KVMR, The Union, YubaNet, Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, Clientworks, Coldwell Banker, Sweetland Garden Mercantile, Caseywood Corporation, MWA, Inc. and Law Office of Minor & Keene for giving your enthusiastic support!
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Not Your Ordinary Ornament
Looking for a thoughtful holiday gift? Our small paper house ornament isn’t just symbolic of home—each ornament sold directly helps one person on their journey back to housing.
With 100 individuals and families struggling with homelessness in our shelter and across multiple motels right now, you’re sure to touch the lives of your loved ones when they learn their gifted ornament is also gifting someone else food, shelter and wraparound care to return to housing.
To slow the spread of COVID-19, ornaments can only be purchased online this year or over the phone by calling 530-615-0852. If purchasing as a gift, ornaments can also be directly mailed to your recipient at no added cost*. Buy now>*Free mailing only available in the continental US.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Jim Heck
 Did you know that livestreaming of Night of Giving started because of our volunteers? Jim Heck was one of them. Five years ago, he learned that Hospitality House didn’t have the capabilities or technology to livestream their annual musical benefit, so he offered his help and hasn’t looked back. “During my early days with Nevada County Community Television (NCTV) we began collaborating with Telestream to bring livestreaming to Nevada County by utilizing Wirecast, Telestream’s professional live video production software,” recalled Jim. “My goal was to use livestreaming to YouTube, Facebook and other CDN’s to help nonprofits reach out to their members and assist in fundraising. When I found out Hospitality House was going to do its Night of Giving event, Dick Mentzer [another volunteer] and I reached out to Mikail Graham [event host] about livestreaming the performers.”
Ever since that first event, Jim has stayed connected to Hospitality House and has helped not only on the video technology side of Night of Giving but with additional video projects throughout the years, including guest interviews, our solar install last year, and related.
Jim understands that when he volunteers, he directly helps people in crisis, but that knowledge really came to light when Jim discovered someone he knew was staying at Hospitality House.
“I stopped at a local coffee shop a couple of years ago and ran into a familiar face,” recalled Jim. “I hadn’t seen him in a long time … He was gracious, soft spoken and always went the extra mile to help everyone. Through no fault if his own he ran into health problems, found himself without a job and homeless. Fortunately, he had Hospitality House to help him during that difficult time. This emphasized to me the importance of having Hospitality House in our community to help when unforeseen circumstances happen and can render someone homeless. It is vital for our community to keep Hospitality House financially viable through volunteering, donations and grants.”
Today, Jim continues to help Hospitality House as much as he can. He recently helped film some of the segments that will be featured in this year’s Night of Giving. Thank you, Jim, for bringing technology and heart to our team.
Expanding Services with GVPD
Grass Valley Police Department (GVPD) and Hospitality House are leading the charge in a newly developed taskforce that is geared to reduce homeless-related violence while increasing mental health services accessibility to those unsheltered.
The taskforce is made possible through the California Violence Intervention and Prevention (CalVIP) grant program offered by the Board of State and Community Corrections, an award in which Hospitality House and GVPD took first place statewide in the rural set aside. With this grant award, Hospitality House and GVPD will leverage the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT), a collaborative of several local agencies that work together to address homelessness, to lessen and/or prevent homeless-related violence through three evidence-informed program components, including:
- Community/Police Trust Building
- Intensive Case Management
- Street Outreach
The proposed strategies will identify homeless individuals who may have a propensity for violence and/or who are the victim of crimes, proactively connect with them, and offer services to help address their mental illness and substance abuse needs. This forward-thinking approach is designed to reduce the number of homeless-related 911 calls and incidents, build trust with homeless individuals, and connect them to the wraparound services they need, including food and emergency shelter.
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Hearts & Hands Club Member Helps from Afar
Judy Olson was once a Nevada County resident for 23 years and active volunteer of Hospitality House, helping in a variety of capacities, including cooking, special events and holiday decorating. In Feb. 2019, Judy moved to Reno, Nevada to be closer to family, but she couldn’t cut ties with Hospitality House completely.
“Hospitality House matters to me because it offers our most vulnerable fellow human beings a needed refuge,” said Judy. “And more than beds, meals, showers, etc., they go the extra mile, with the case workers helping to move the guests along to housing and jobs, and health providers who tend to their physical needs. I am especially gratified to know that Hospitality House now offers assistance for those recently discharged from hospitals and are in need of rehabilitation. All of this matters so much for guests to be able to enjoy quality of life.”
Judy first helped on the “Lunch Bunch” crew in 2010, which was a volunteer group that prepared daily lunches for those in need before Hospitality House had its permanent shelter. When Utah’s Place opened in 2013, she and friends formed the “Kitchen Kut Ups” and began cooking monthly, with Judy mainly leading the drink station (the group still cooks today—pre-pandemic). In time, guests began to recognize the Kitchen Kut Ups as the group who offered the most amazing hot mulled cider. Judy was also nicknamed the “Decorating Lady” for her creative flair and willingness to bring a little piece of home into the shelter for the holidays.
 Judy’s greatest joys were the interactions that she shared with guests. She often inspired the guests to each write what they were most thankful for on large posters that were hung in the shelter for all to appreciate. She also cherished listening to guests play her late mother’s piano, which she donated to the shelter in 2014. Judy always strived to connect not only with the guests but fellow volunteers, too. One year she organized a surprise appreciation party for Mary Liebke (the shelter’s faithful volunteer food group coordinator) and she also rallied volunteers to help purchase the “Place to Rest” bench at the shelter. When Judy moved, volunteering from afar wasn’t practical, but she found a way to stay connected to Hospitality House. Today, she is an honored long-time member of the Hearts & Hands Club, a group of donors who give monthly to support the greatest needs as they arise. “It’s a convenient and easy way to donate without a strain on one’s budget, resulting in a nice total sum each year,” explained Judy. “Since it is automatically deducted, there is no need for reminders and Hospitality House can rely on receiving needed income on a regular basis.”
Judy’s monthly support helps people receive emergency shelter, healthy meals, case management, mental health counseling, housing assistance and more. From afar, Judy continues to improve the livelihood of others. Thank you, Judy, for being a part of the Hospitality House family now and always.
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Business Appreciation: UUCM
A big thank you to all the wonderful folks at Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains (UUCM).
One of our founders, Utah Phillips, was a member of UUCM and long after his passing, UUCM and its members continue to further the work of Hospitality House through volunteerism, activism and financial support.
This month, the Justice team at UUCM selected Hospitality House as the recipient of their Pass the Plate donations for December. This means that all designated donations and 25% of undesignated plate donations received in December will be given to Hospitality House.
“Homelessness is expected to continue to rise as a result of the pandemic but this act of kindness will help us start 2021 on the right foot,” said Ashley Quadros, development director. “We feel very fortunate to have the faithful, long standing support of UUCM.”
Thank you, UUCM, for all that you continue to make possible!
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Pandemic Progress
(March 16 – Dec. 10)
 During the pandemic, 513 homeless individuals have received the following services:
- 55,302 meals
- 4,865 case management services
- 5,210 rides provided to medical and related
- 336 life skills/housing counseling sessions
- 55 mental health counseling sessions
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Panel Discussion:
Crisis Teams in the Community
The League of Women Voters of Western Nevada County is sponsoring a panel discussion on the “Crisis Teams in the Community.” Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon, Behavioral Health Director Phebe Bell, and Grass Valley and Nevada County Police Chiefs Alex Gammelgard and Chad Ellis will discuss plans for assisting people into services and treatment in a virtual forum.
- When: Friday, January 15, 2021
- Where: Via Zoom (click here to join on Jan. 15)
- Time: 10:30 am to 12 pm
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