My name is Levi Bryant and I am the Data and Information Technology Manager at Hospitality House. I am primarily responsible for data management at Hospitality House, tracking each and every individual served as well as the services the individual received from our agency, such as food, clothing, case management, shelter, transportation, etc. Having comprehensive data is critical to not only understanding the complexities of homelessness in our community but in helping Hospitality House secure state and federal funding as well as private grants and contracts to ensure our services can continue.
One area that has been of heightened importance to our agency is seniors. As most are aware, seniors make up the largest demographic of residents in Nevada County and they are the largest population in our shelter right now. In just looking at our last six months’ worth of data, 54% of guests receiving shelter at Utah’s Place (90 total) were age 50 and up. 68% of our seniors reported having a physical disability and 66% a chronic health condition, which can pose as barriers in finding housing solutions.
In looking at our data over the last ten years, we’ve served 829 unique homeless seniors of Nevada County. Moreover, we are finding that many of our seniors lack the ability to pay for an apartment at growing market rates. In Nevada County, we have waiting lists for affordable housing that are well into the years, not weeks. In response, Hospitality House purchased a complex called Sierra Guest Home in October 2021, which today provides affordable housing solutions to seniors. We recently wrote a state grant in the hopes of expanding housing at our Sierra Guest Home property to help even more seniors achieve housing. The data my team helps track is leveraged for the grant to illustrate the ongoing need.
Additionally, just this past March, we purchased new land with the hopes of building permanent supportive housing for our senior population as well as for veterans in the community. As soon as we find a grant match, my team again will be leveraged to help pull the most current data to help support the grant.
At the end of the day, while I live in data and numbers, I want the community to understand that when we talk about data, we are talking about real people. Real men, women and children who are local residents in crisis who need help. And right now, if you’d like to help us serve more people in need, every donation to Hospitality House is being matched dollar for dollar up to $25,000 through May 31.
This means a $5 donation automatically becomes $10. Facebook donations count too! Learn more about this opportunity at hhshelter.org. GIVE NOW>
After a two-year hiatus, we are excited to have our volunteer cooks back in the kitchen. This month we have four cook teams scheduled to serve, plus one weekly grocery shopper (thank you, Hilary Dart!). Yesterday, the Repeat Offenders served up their famous penne pasta—thank you! We are actively looking for more folks who’d like to either form their own group to cook or individuals who would like to come in and lend a helping hand to Chef Brian. If you have an interest in learning more about these 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, IFM, 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:
- Tampons (not pads)
- 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!