I’m Rob Barker, Outreach Case Manager for Hospitality House. I connect with residents and business owners involving homeless residents. I advocate for Hospitality House’s “Good Neighbor Policy” and “Mutual Respect Code” for the wellbeing of our community.
I want to share with you a story of a man in his late thirties who I will call Carlos. I met Carlos about two years ago now, when I was working as a drug and alcohol counselor. Carlos comes from a highly educated and professional family here in town. He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and worked as an engineer for several years, but unfortunately started using drugs and alcohol, leading him into homelessness. He has been living in the woods and staying at the shelter on and off. He has refused help for a long time. He is very smart and polite, and he always said, “Thank you, I know that if I need help, I can talk to you, I know, and I appreciate that.”
But I never gave up on Carlos, and every two to three months I would approach him. This past August I said to him “Hey, this is time for our quarterly discussion on treatment.” He looked at me and said, “Yes, I’m ready for treatment. I need to do something; what I’m doing is not working.”
Thanks to Behavior Health’s new walk-in clinic, I was able to take Carlos in to get assessed that same day and get him in for treatment at Granite Wellness Centers. Carlos has already gone into treatment and now is waiting to go into a transitional house, a facility for people in recovery. Carlos continues to go through treatment and meetings to help him stay sober. That shows you right there, that we all have different backgrounds, but any person can be at risk of being homeless.
Save the date! The countdown to Night of Giving has officially begun! Night of Giving began by concerned citizen Mikail Graham in a little bar with friends who pulled together one night to donate to Hospitality House, putting dollars and coins into a hat. That night of merriment turned into Night of Giving, an annual musical benefit featuring local Nevada County talent, all of whom give their time and resources to help raise awareness and support for our homeless shelter. Last year, nearly 800 people came, and we hope we can count on you to come this year, too!
When: Saturday, Dec. 21
Where: Miner’s Foundry
Time: 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Musical talent will be announced in the coming weeks, as well as ticket sales.
This past Saturday we hosted our Community Camp Cleanup! A big thank you to everyone who joined us at Saturday’s cleanup. Together, we removed approximately 60 cubic meters of debris and mitigated for fire in the process.
In total, 78 people donated their time and energy to help clean and beauty Nevada County, including individuals who are currently homeless. We couldn’t have done it without you-THANK YOU.
Additionally, we’d like to thank our cleanup partners, County of Nevada, City of Grass Valley, Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, Grass Valley Police Department and Nevada County Probation, for making this one of our most collective community cleanup efforts to date!
This past week, we were blessed by many caring individuals. I’d like to give a big thank you to Alta Sierra Latter–Day Saints, Twin Cities Church, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church,
Mountain Stream Meditation, Choppers, The Home Team, and Abundant Life Community Church for coming out to cook. We are grateful to all of you, and of course, everyone who donated needed items.
Now down to the nitty gritty needs of the shelter for this week…
- Men’s sweaters, sizes L & XL
- Men’s jeans, sizes 34-36
- Men’s t-shirts, sizes L & XL
- Men’s long johns, sizes L & XL
- Men’s boot, sizes 9-12
- Women’s sweaters, sizes M, L & XL
- Women’s leggings, sizes L & XL
- Rain Outfits
- Beanies
- Blankets
- Warmers
Please drop off urgent items to Utah’s Place, located in Brunswick Basin, past the DMV, at 1262 Sutton Way. If we all stick together, we’ll get what we need. Thank you!