I’d like to share the story of a man that we have called Derrell. Derrell is a 68-year old, who suffers from a terminal upper respiratory condition. He came to the shelter several months ago. He had been living in a Skilled Nursing Facility, but in that time his condition was slightly improving. So, he decided to move in with an acquaintance. However, after a month it didn’t work out as his condition was quickly deteriorating again. He then moved to a motel but ran out of money and became homeless. That’s when he came to Hospitality House. After a brief time, he again became very debilitated and frequently had to go out to the ER…for breathing treatments. Every time at the hospital he would be released back to our shelter, as he did not meet their criteria to be admitted there. We accepted him back every time into our Recuperative Care Dorm at the shelter. He wanted of course to live independently and live by himself, but he was too frail. With our “teamwork” around him, he eventually realized that he needed to live permanently in a Skilled Nursing Facility, where he could have the benefit of Hospice services. We were able to coordinate with his primary doctor and a local nursing facility; they created a bed for him, and we just transferred him last week. He is now getting the type of care he needs, which is around the clock. He is now on hospice due to his debilitating terminal respiratory condition. We kept our arms around him, as long as we could. He is able to pay for his skilled nursing care through his Social Security and Medi-Cal benefits. Our shelter manager just visited him, and he is glad to be where he is now and realizes that is the right place for him to live. We will continue to work with him and make sure that he is doing well. This has been a great “Team effort”, between Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, his primary care doctor and his new Skilled Nursing Facility. While we can’t change the likely outcome of his severe respiratory illness, we were certainly able to help him find the best suited place to live and get the best wraparound services needed. We will always care for Derrell and hope his health can improve or at least make sure he is comfortable and peaceful in his transition.
Save the Date! Empty Bowl event is back on Saturday, March 14! Our favorite artist-driven event returns this March with bowls aplenty. Every year, artists around Nevada County come together to create handcrafted bowls that are then filled with soup for our patrons. Sharing a simple meal of soup together is an opportunity for the community to express its compassion for those struggling with homelessness.
All sales and donations at the event will help people transition from homelessness to housing. If you or your business would like to become an official Empty Bowl sponsor, we welcome your support. Please contact us at 530-615-0852 or email info@hhshelter.org. A big thank you to SPD Markets for being a sponsor again this year.
This past week, we were blessed by many caring individuals who prepared meals and we are beyond grateful. I’d like to give a big thank you to the following food groups:
Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains, Divine Light Spiritist Center, Unity in the Gold Country, Seasoned with Love, The Choppers, The Home Team and Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
To everyone who donated our most needed items last week, thank you as well!
Now down to the nitty gritty needs of the shelter for this week…
- Men’s and Women’s thermals, sizes S-XL
- Men’s boots, sizes 10-12
- Men’s jeans, size 34
- Men’s winter coats, sizes L and XL
- Women’s winter coats, sizes L and XL
- Women’s boots, sizes 8-10
- Men’s and women’s razors
- Coffee
- Sugar
- Ibuprofen
- Acetaminophen
- Warm blankets
- Warm gloves
- Hand warmers
Please drop off urgent items to Utah’s Place, located in Brunswick Basin, past the DMV at 1262 Sutton Way. For all other donations that may benefit a homeless guest or the shelter in general, please take them to the backdoor of Bread & Roses, our thrift shop, located at 840 E. Main Street, directly next door to Sierra Cinemas. Guests at our shelter are given shopping vouchers for the store to buy what they need, so your donation directly helps them. All other items are sold with 100% of the sales supporting the shelter’s operations. “If we all stick together, we’ll get what we need.” Thank you!