I’m Elida, and I’m the ARGP Shelter Case Manager at Hospitality House. ARGP stands for Adult Re-Entry Grant Program, which, in the easiest of terms, means I help people with minor criminal offenses who are also struggling with homelessness. My main priority is to help homeless individuals transition back into housing, and I’m always looking for creative and permanent housing solutions.
I want to share a story with you, a story about a client who I will call Matt. I had the pleasure to meet with Matt back in June 2021. Matt was raised in a very supportive and loving environment filled with lots of family outings, vacations and he always sat down to have dinner together as a family. Matt was the youngest of three siblings and a young age, he was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and put on medications, Ritalin and Adderall. Growing up he was very involved in sports; he was handsome and popular. At age 18, he landed a very good job and decided to work full time rather than go to college. Unfortunately, during this time, Matt also started to use Oxycontin, which transitioned into a heroin addiction. Over the course of the next ten years, he overdosed five times and ended up in prison. Rehabilitation also never worked for him, but seven months ago, upon his release, something finally clicked. He now chooses to live substance free and says he feels as if he is in a state of enlightenment. Matt acknowledges that maintaining his sobriety is hard work and takes much effort, but he can refuse substances and stay substance free for himself. We are working with Matt to find employment matches and housing for a life of self-sufficiency. If you’d like to help Matt and others like him, please give today at hhshelter.org.
If you haven’t heard, Empty Bowl is back this September with a safe new format. Tickets now on sale! Instead of a large gathering, patrons will visit a select restaurant to try a specialty dish and will keep an artisan bowl forever too (generously donated by local artists). Buy tickets for up to seven different restaurants including: Sopa Thai Cuisine, Tofanelli’s Gold Country Bistro,
Lola @ The National Exchange Hotel, fudenjüce, Golden Gate Saloon @ The Holbrooke Hotel,
Three Forks Bakery & Brewing Co, and Heartwood Eatery. Help people on their journey back to housing and support local businesses too. The restaurants participating are donating every meal to help make the event possible, so please patronize them. We’d like to thank BriarPatch Food Co-op for being a sponsor again this year. Thank you, BriarPatch Food Co-op! For additional details about Empty Bowl, please visit hhshelter.org. Tickets now on sale while supplies last!
For the past 11 days, Hospitality Housed has hosted an “11 days for 11/11” grant match challenge to support the housing efforts of homeless Veterans through our Homeless Veterans Housing Program. Friends of Nevada County Military offered a match up to $25,000. Unfortunately, we did not hit our goal. If you’d still like to help this effort, please send a donation to Hospitality House at 1262 Sutton Way and write “Veterans” in the check memo to help in the housing efforts of every known homeless Veteran in Nevada County by Veterans Day.
Normally at this time, we thank all the cook groups who came and cooked over the last week, but to keep our shelter safe, our cooking groups are supporting our meals by donating financial support and food. Chef Sandro and Chef Assistant Gina are safely cooking all meals instead. We’d like to thank Crossroads Church, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, Sierra Pines United Methodist Church, Sierra Presbyterian Church, Kitchen KutUps, The Home Team and Repeat Offenders, SPD Markets and BriarPatch Food Co-op for all their help. To everyone who donated our most needed items last week, thank you as well!
Now, on to the needs of the shelter for this week are:
•Blankets, twin size
•Bottled water
•Deodorant
•Disposable masks and gloves
•Headphones
•Men’s underwear, sizes M, L and XL
•New pillows
•Paper plates
•Paper towels
•Plastic utensils
•Toilet paper
•Travel bags, duffle bags and backpacks
•Women’s underwear, sizes S, M and large
Please drop off urgent items or mail them to Utah’s Place, located in Brunswick Basin, past the DMV, at 1262 Sutton Way in Grass Valley. For a tax receipt, please ring the doorbell and wait for someone to come outside to assist you. 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!