I’m Bill, Outreach Case Manager at Hospitality House. I help Veterans and individuals who suffer from substance abuse find programs and a place for treatment. I also help homeless individuals find the needed medical and financial resources to help them get back on their feet and into housing. Some people think after we house someone, our services discontinue but that just isn’t true. It’s important to continue case management so the individual or family feels supported, can continue to self-sustain and so we can provide intervention if needed.
One such example is of a gentleman I’ll refer to as Chuck. Chuck has struggled with substance abuse for years, which led to his homelessness. After getting clean, I helped Chuck establish a primary care physician for diabetes management and a heart condition, both of which were neglected when he was under the influence.
After achieving five months of sobriety, and seemingly ready to move forward, we found a housing match for Chuck and he moved in. Chuck has been housed for four months now and for the first two months, I continued to follow up and visit frequently and everything seemed great. Chuck appeared to have his life back in order. However, in the latter two months, I could tell there was something going on and was confident he had relapsed, which is common in the recovery process. I never judged him but I did continue to offer help and services.
One afternoon, Chuck confirmed my suspicions and confided in me. He asked for help with his addiction. I am so proud of Chuck for taking this step. This week, Chuck is going to move into temporary in-patient treatment to hopefully overcome his addiction for good.
The good news is too, after he graduates, he’ll have a home to return to and he’ll continue to benefit from case management services for as long as needed. While Chuck’s housing story has had a few bumps in the road, I am confident things will only go up from here. I want to thank individuals reading this for understanding that overcoming addiction is a battle, but with ongoing love and support, it does happen. We thank you for supporting our work.
And on that note, we’d also like to thank the 60+ individuals who joined us yesterday for our annual Community Camp Cleanup. In addition to having awesome volunteers, the following agencies stepped up to help make the event possible: South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), County of Nevada, Nevada County Waste Management, Common Spirit Health (Dignity Health), Grass Valley Police Department (GVPD), BriarPatch Food Co-op and the Homeless Outreach and Medical Engagement (HOME) team, which is a collaboration between Hospitality House, Nevada County Behavioral Health and Turning Point. Learn more about our volunteer opportunities at hhshelter.org.
This week, I’d like to give a shoutout to Roni Machado for cooking alongside Chef Brian this past week; to Hilary Dart for helping with grocery shopping; and to the Repeat Offenders who cooked up their scrumptious ground beef marinara pasta with veggies, salad, garlic bread and dessert last night. If you have an interest in learning more about these cooking and shopping volunteer 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 Nevada County Food Bank 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!