My name is Kristin Glanz and I am the Social Services Supervising Case Manager at Hospitality House. I oversee our case management team and the housing and care plans our case managers develop and implement for shelter guests.
Case managers play a key role in one’s ability to transition back into housing. We have several case managers who specialize in different areas of expertise. Heidi, for example, specializes in mental health services and housing, and Fred, our RN case manager, specializes in medical respite and medical care management while Elida specializes on helping people with minor criminal offenses and Brandy on getting folks housing ready, in particular, for Brunswick Commons. All of our case managers work in unison to help each individual and family, providing unique services and navigation tools to return to housing.
Mickey is just one such client I’ve known several months who has benefitted from case management services. When I first met him, he was addicted to drugs and living on the streets. Mickey welcomed our help and I connected him to in-patient treatment. Mickey has been helped by many members of our team and today, he’s maintained his sobriety for six months going strong and he is doing well in transitional housing as he looks for permanent housing solutions and new employment. While his recovery is still in progress, our services will remain available to Mickey for as long as he needs it—long after he’s permanently housed.
Speaking of permanent housing, most know housing is our end goal for everyone we serve. Many have heard, our long-awaited Brunswick Commons housing complex, a project made in partnership with County of Nevada, Regional Housing Authority, The Pacific Company, City of Grass Valley and Nevada County Behavioral Health, is set to open very soon. We’ve had some unexpected delays but we expect to begin moving folks in the first week of September.
Providing housing solutions and watching someone move into their new home is amazing—it’s huge. It makes my heart warm and fuzzy to know we are all working together toward a common goal. If you’d like to help further our efforts, your support is always welcome. Donations may be made online at hhshelter.org. While you’re checking out our website, don’t forget to secure your ticket for our annual artist and restaurant-driven benefit, Empty Bowl. Tickets are on sale now (https://emptybowl2022.rsvpify.com/) and are subject to sellout. I’d like to thank our artist community for donating hundreds of artisan bowls to make the event possible—a few returning artists include Mindy Oberne, Yvon Dockter, Penny St. Clair, Paul Steege, Bob Davis, Carlos Angulo, among many more. I’d also like to thank our eight host restaurants for donating meals to fill every bowl with sustenance. A special shoutout this week to Lola at The National Exchange Hotel and Sopa Thai Cuisine, two of our featured restaurants. A big thank you also to Chapa-de Indian Health and Caseywood Corporation, Inc. for being return sponsors again this year.
And while I’m giving thanks, I’d like to give a shoutout to our volunteer food shopper, Hilary Dart, for helping us with shopping needs every Tuesday. If you have an interest in volunteering, we have several opportunities related to our culinary department. Call us at (530) 615-0852 or email info@hhshelter.org to learn about our opportunities. A special thanks also to our partners for providing ongoing food and/or financial support: SPD Markets, BriarPatch Food Co-op, Telestream, Interfaith Food Ministry, the Bishop Store (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nevada City) and Food Bank of Nevada County. To everyone who donated our most needed items last week, thank you as well! Now down to the nitty gritty needs of the week:
- Depends / adult diapers
- Pillows and pillowcases (pillows must be new/packaged; we are unable to accept used)
- Bottled water
- Towels
NEW DONATION HOURS: To streamline our donation process, donations are no longer being accepted at our shelter (unless it’s food). Please drop off items from our needs list on Tuesday or Thursday, 830am – 5pm at our admin office, located at 488 Crown Point Circle, Suite 100, Grass Valley, Ca 95945 (admin is closed weekends and all major holidays). We greatly appreciate the community’s help at such times of uncertainty. In the words of Utah Phillips, “If we all stick together, we’ll get what we need.” Thank you!