My name is Will Buss and I’m the Program Officer for Hospitality House. My role is to oversee the case managers at the shelter, Utah’s Place, and to ensure that guests are connected with available resources to assist them on their path to permanent housing. There are several programs available to help homeless guests receive assistance, whether that help comes in the form of services, financial support or healthcare.
The California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) is a newer program, offered by the State of California, that can help guests who are eligible for Medi-Cal connect with medical care, behavioral health services, substance use disorder services and financial support to get housed. One guest who benefited from his case manager connecting him with CalAIM is a man who I’ll refer to as Noah.
Noah arrived at Utah’s Place three months ago, with some serious medical problems. He was on oxygen, struggling with congestive heart failure, and had a tumor in need of removal. Noah’s father died recently, and he had a strained relationship with his only surviving family member, his sister. He struggled with anger and was highly stressed. With the collaboration of Hospitality House’s case manager RN, Fred Skeen, and case manager, Sarah Kinney, he was able to connect with CalAIM and get the medical care he needed. And, because of the medical respite program at Hospitality House, Noah was able stay indoors during the day to give him the best chance at healing.
Three months later, Noah is off oxygen, had the tumor removed, and is awaiting the results of testing to determine whether it was cancerous. In the meantime, feeling better and with the supports provided at the shelter, Noah took the initiative to locate his own permanent housing solution and moved in this week to his new home! We are so happy for Noah! With Sarah’s guidance he is getting anger management support and starting to mend his relationship with his sister. As with all of our housed clients, Noah will still have support from case managers from Hospitality House to ensure that he experiences long-term success in his new home.
If you’d like to help Noah, and others like him, please consider joining our Hearts & Hands Club. Hearts & Hands Club is a group of compassionate people who donate every month to support the efforts of Hospitality House. Club donations are allocated toward the greatest needs each month, including but not limited to shelter, food, clothing, outreach, case management, and help with permanent housing. You can become an honored club member by donating as little as $5 per month and change a life in the process. This month we have an ambitious goal to welcome 28 new Hearts & Hands Club members in just 28 days. Please consider becoming our next member and sign up at https://hhshelter.org/donate/
A big thank you Hilary Dart and Marna Duncan for grocery shopping for the shelter this week. Thank you also to Bob Norman for lending a hand to cook in the kitchen this past Tuesday, too! Also, we continue to express gratitude for George Dunstan and Bill Blount for their ongoing spiritual support at Utah’s Place and Sierra Guest Home. If you’d like to volunteer, individually or with a group, we welcome you to email us at info@hhshelter.org or call (530) 615-0852.
Now down to the shelter’s wish list of the week:
- Twin-size blankets – URGENT NEED
- Pain relievers(Tylenol, Advil, Aspirin, etc.) –New & Unopened – URGENT NEED
- New pillows (we are unable to accept used)
- Men’s winter coats, jackets and hoodies (all – sizes; no women’s attire at this time)
- Granola bars
DONATION HOURS AND DROPOFF LOCATION: With construction finally complete at our shelter, effective immediately, donations from our needs list above and all unexpired/store-bought foods are now being accepted at Utah’s Place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30am – 3:30pm and Saturdays from 10am – 2pm. Our shelter is located 1262 Sutton Way, Grass Valley, CA 95945. 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!