Hospitality House is the only emergency homeless shelter in Nevada County, with 69 beds for homeless men, women and children.
I’m Fred Skeen, and I’m a Case Manager at Hospitality House, helping individuals in our shelter with their next steps to move from homelessness to housing.
I want to share with you all the story of a guest who I will call Tom. Tom is in his late 70s and is a retired veteran who arrived at the shelter a week ago. Tom was living with his family in Grass Valley but a medical crisis involving a family member quickly changed Tom’s living situation. His ill family member was suddenly moved into the house, when required an installation of a medical bed and equipment which limited the space where Tom was living. He decided it was time to find a more suitable living situation and sought help at the shelter as rentals are skyrocket high and scarce in Nevada County. Tom has a vehicle, doesn’t have any history of substance abuse and receives a steady income through his veteran’s social security – factors that are favorable when placing people into housing.
We are very pleased to say that Tom is moving into a new home in a week from now! He will enjoy his own private room in an ample home shared with four other men. Tom is so appreciative to be able to stay at the shelter but is also delighted to know that he won’t be at the shelter for long. He will continue to receive wrap-around services, and I will personally continue to do case management with him once a month. I will make sure that he is doing well, and that his living situation is running smoothly with the other tenants and his landlord. We do our best for renters to succeed in their new home by helping them manage their finances and by promoting good communication with others.
Just like Tom, there are many veterans struggling to have a roof over their heads. According to the United States Interagency Council of Homelessness just over 9% of all adults experiencing homelessness in the United States are veterans. California alone has a 24.5% rate according to Point-in-Time count estimates. A growing list of communities across more than 30 states have proven that ending veteran homelessness is possible and sustainable. Urban, suburban, and rural communities alike have proven that we can drive down the number of Veterans experiencing homelessness to as close to zero as possible, while also building and sustaining systems that can effectively and efficiently address Veterans’ housing crises in the future.
If anyone listening right now might have an interest in helping individuals by renting a room, studio, apartment or house I invite you to call me today. I can be reached directly at 530-559-5411.
In honor of Bread & Roses Thrift and More’s three-year anniversary, Bread & Roses Thrift and More is hosting a celebration on Saturday, June 29 from 10 a.m. to 6pm. Spin the wheel and win merchandise and more! No purchase is necessary to win. All proceeds benefit Hospitality House Community Shelter.
Patrons will also be treated to refreshments, live music by two local artists, Tajlyn, a singer and guitarist known for her alternative rock flair, and Kellie Garmire, a singer, songwriter and musician with a folksy, bluesy with a dash of southern rock style. Visit brthrift.com for the event schedule or visit us on Facebook.
This past week, we were blessed by many caring individuals who prepared meals and we are beyond grateful. I’d like to give a big thank you to Mount St. Mary’s School, Unity in the Gold Country, Seasoned with Love, Choppers, The Home Team, Abundant Life, and Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains for coming out to cook. 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…
- Poison oak medicine
- Ibuprofen
- Cough drops
- Sunscreen
- Men’s sneakers, sizes 10-13
- Men’s jeans, sizes 30-34
- T-shirts, sizes L & XL
- Shorts, sizes 28-36
- Lady shorts, sizes 7-12
- Lady t-shirts, sizes M-XL
Please drop off urgent items to Utah’s Place, located in Brunswick Basin, past the DMV, at 1262 Sutton Way. For all other donations that may benefit a homeless guest or the shelter in general, please take them to the backdoor of Bread & Roses, our thrift shop, located at 840 E. Main Street, directly next door to Sierra Cinemas. Guests at our shelter are given shopping vouchers for the store to buy what they need, so your donation directly helps them. All other items are sold with 100% of the sales supporting the shelter’s operations. Thank you for sticking together so that we all get what we need.