My name is Brandy Douglas and I’m a post housing case manager at Hospitality House, assigned to Brunswick Commons, which is a 40-unit subsidized apartment complex set to open this month in partnership with County of Nevada, Regional Housing Authority, City of Grass Valley, Nevada County Behavioral Health Services, Turning Point Community Programs and Hospitality House.
Over the last several months, I’ve been meeting with dozens of individuals and families experiencing homelessness and helping them take the steps needed to qualify for housing at Brunswick Commons. One mother in particular, who I’ll refer to as Lana, has grown considerably over the last several months and it will be my true honor to see her move into her new home with her young daughter, who I’ll refer to as Guinevere.
Lana has been struggling with homelessness off and on for over five years. As a domestic violence victim, she lost her voice and ability to speak up for herself. She also struggles with related mental health issues and severe anxiety. Several partner agencies have been helping Lana, including Hospitality House, Community Beyond Violence, AMI Housing, Nevada County Behavioral Health Services, CalWORKs and the HOME team.
During the pandemic, Lana and Guinevere have been staying in a provided local motel, thanks to the aforementioned partners. She also has consistently been working, but despite her employment, she does not make enough to afford an apartment at fair market rate, which is why Brunswick Commons is the difference between sustainable housing and chronic homelessness.
To qualify for Brunswick Commons, it’s not as simple as filling out a single form and calling it a day. There are several steps involved, one of which includes income verification and employment verification. For Lana, her employer, who will remain nameless, failed repeatedly to turn in the required form that confirms Lana’s employment. The form must be filled out by a representative of the business and cannot be filled out by Lana. After two months of ignoring the form, Lana spoke up for herself and demanded her employer fill out the form. She told her employer this was her chance at having a real home and that they needed to take her homelessness seriously. Failure to provide the document could mean Lana losing the opportunity and it going to the next most vulnerable person or family.
Thankfully, Lana was heard loud and clear and the form was immediately submitted. We are still finalizing the last of her needed items, but I am so proud of Lana. When I first met her eight months ago, Lana struggled to make eye contact and to speak to others. Now knowing she has a home on the horizon has changed her. Her voice is back. She recently told me she finally feels like she has control over her life again.
Lana’s move into Brunswick Commons can’t happen soon enough. If you’d like to help Lana, Guinevere and the additional 48 locals scheduled to move in, right now we are hosting a special donation drive to celebrate all of their newfound independence during Independence week on Thursday, July 7. We are collecting home furnishings off our Target registry between 9 am and 12pm as well as accepting full unit sponsorships at $493.30. Learn more about this opportunity>
This week, I’d like to give a shoutout to Hilary Dart for helping with grocery shopping and to Telestream, LLC for cooking up their signature lasagna with garlic bread and salad. Delicious! If you have an interest in learning about our volunteer cooking and shopping opportunities, please call us at (530) 615-0852 or email info@hhshelter.org. A big thank you also to our food partners, SPD Markets, BriarPatch Food Co-op, Interfaith Food Ministry, the Bishop Store (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nevada City) and Food Bank of Nevada County for donating food and produce on an ongoing basis. We also want to thank all of our community members who have been giving financially in place of donating goods during construction at Utah’s Place. However, we do have a need for the following select items:
• Men’s summer clothing – t-shirts and shorts/pants only
• Depends / adult diapers
• NEW Pillows (must be new)
• Twin-sized bedding, including blankets, sheets, pillowcases, and quilts
To increase safety during construction, donations are no longer being accepted at our shelter. Please drop off your items Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5 pm at our admin office, located at 488 Crown Point Circle, Suite 100, Grass Valley, Ca 95945 (the admin office is closed on all major holidays and weekends). 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!