My name is Sarah, and I am the Breaking Barriers to Employment Initiative (BBTEI) case manager here at Hospitality House. Many of the homeless individuals we serve struggle with underemployment or unemployment, and my job through BBTEI is to help them achieve and maintain financial stability. I also assist our guests with qualifying for social services benefits and finding permanent, independent living solutions. At Hospitality House, we make every effort to guide our guests in their transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency and housing.
I want to share a quick story regarding one of our shelter guests, who I will call Tom.
Tom had a reputation for being a hard worker, maintaining full-time employment for years, and living independently until he fell on hard times. Due to his age and long life of physical work, Tom’s health began to decline, causing him to become unemployed. He also struggled with a substance abuse disorder. Because of this, he faced homelessness.
As a guest at Hospitality House, Tom has stayed committed to sobriety. He is receiving assistance with social and human health services and transportation to and from medical appointments. Recently, Tom’s struggles with his health resulted in surgery. Thanks to our partnership with Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, Tom was able to then come back to Hospitality House and stay in a recuperative care room that allowed him the safe, clean environment needed for a successful healing process.
Tom has remained dedicated to his journey towards healthy living, and as a result, Tom’s health has improved. With my help and the help of case manager Fred Skeen R.N., Tom has now secured monthly income from his retirement and Social Security. Now that Tom has his health intact, is maintaining his sobriety, and has secured reliable income, he is working to secure permanent housing. If anyone knows of any housing opportunities for Tom or our other guests, please feel free to reach out to me at (530) 271-7144.
In other news, we’d like to thank you—members of our community—for voting Hospitality House best charitable event of the year for Night of Giving in The Union’s Best of Nevada County 2021. Thank you! Thank you! Night of Giving will be back again this December.
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, and Chef Brian is safely cooking all meals instead. We’d like to thank Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains, St. Mary’s School, Unity in the Gold Country, Seasoned with Love, Peace Lutheran Church, Grass Valley Seventh Day Adventist Church, BriarPatch Food Co-op, and SPD Markets for all their recent help.
Due to a construction project at Utah’s Place, donations of goods are still temporarily suspended. In-person donations are expected to resume by July 2022, unless otherwise indicated. Hospitality House asks individuals and businesses to please consider financial contributions during this time in lieu of physical goods to reduce the possibility of injury in a construction zone. Donations may be made at hhshelter.org, by calling 530-615-0852, or by sending a donation made payable to Hospitality House at 1262 Sutton Way, Grass Valley, CA 95945. In the words of Utah Phillips, “If we all stick together, we’ll get what we need.” Thank you!