My name is Fred Skeen. I’m a case manager at Hospitality House. My job is to assist guests with qualifying for social services benefits, arranging medical care referrals, and eventually getting them into independent housing. We make every effort to guide our guests in their transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency and housing.
I’d like to share a guest story with you about a gentleman whom I will call Damon.
Damon is a 62-year-old gentleman who was living on his own land here in Nevada County until recently when his dwelling was “red-tagged’ as un-inhabitable. This thrusted him into becoming homeless.
Damon has lived and worked in Nevada County for decades. He is a proud and strong man. He was making a living these past few years doing odd jobs and working in local agriculture. He prides himself in always being a hard worker, strong and healthy. He had not seen a doctor in nearly 20 years. However, he recently developed a significant abdominal hernia. He had no medical coverage.
As part of our “wraparound” case management services, we have been able to assist him with getting a new CA ID card. He now has Medi-Cal insurance coverage. We are in the process of getting him set up with a primary care physician and a then a referral to a local surgeon to assess the hernia.
Additionally, we are assisting Damon with applying for early retirement through Social Security to allow him a steady monthly income. Ultimately, we will be assisting him in either resolving the “red-tag” issue on his property, and or seeking a suitable dwelling for him to return to independent living. To help further our efforts, donations are always welcome. Get involved or learn more about Hospitality House at hhshelter.org.
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 Gina is safely cooking all meals instead. We’d like to thank Alta Sierra Latter Day Saints, Twin Cities Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, Mountain Stream Meditation Center, The Home Team, Abundant Life Church, and BriarPatch Food Co-Op and SPD Markets for all their recent help. To everyone who donated our most needed items last week, thank you as well!
And the needs of the shelter for this week are:
- Baby car seats, baby blankets, strollers and diapers, sizes newborn, 1 and 2
- Blankets, twin size
- Bottled water
- Hairbrushes
- Headphones
- Men’s and women’s jackets, all sizes
- Men’s and women’s underwear, sizes M and L
- Men’s sweatpants, all sizes
- Men’s t-shirts, sizes M, L and XL
- Napkins
- New pillows
- Paper towels, large
- Paper plates/bowls
- Plastic utensils
- PPE masks (disposable or neck gators)
- Sweatshirts/hoodies, all sizes
- Toothbrushes
- Toothpaste
- Travel bags, duffle bags and backpacks
- Women leggings, all sizes
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!