My name is Sarah Kinney, and I serve two roles at Hospitality House. I am a Shelter and Community Advocate as well as a Case Manager stationed at Utah’s Place, our homeless shelter. One of the biggest responsibilities of both of these jobs is getting to know our clients well so I can identify and work with their strengths. When they are experiencing homelessness clients often forget that they have skills, talents and knowledge to offer. One person who I’ve enjoyed working with at the shelter is a man who I’ll refer to as Benjamin.
Benjamin moved to Nevada County two and half years ago, having left his hometown because of domestic abuse. Ben had previously been a self-proclaimed “happy-go-lucky bartender,” loving the fast-paced environment and enjoying interactions with guests. However, after sustaining a traumatic brain injury from domestic assault he started to struggle. Turning to drugs and alcohol for relief led him to run-ins with the law and eventual homelessness.
Ben came to Utah’s Place a little over a year ago and began his sobriety journey. He has been completely clean for over a year now and has become a valuable presence at the shelter. Ben helps in the kitchen, organizes donations and reliably helps staff whenever he can. He is the model guest.
Since Ben has been without vital documents for years, we made it a goal to secure his birth certificate and ID. Both documents arrived yesterday! We are currently working to get his Social Security Disability Insurance activated, and once he establishes secure income we will then work toward permanent housing. It’s been amazing to see Ben blossom with the sense of belonging and trust he’s found at the shelter. He is getting his life back, bit by bit, and starting to have hope for the future. My goal for him is to simply live a happy life.
If you’d like to help Ben and other guests at the shelter return to housing, please consider a gift today. No amount is too small to make a difference. Every dollar counts!
Right now, I’d like to thank our volunteers who help us throughout the year. A big thank you to Marna Duncan and Hilary Dart for their weekly grocery shopping support and thank you to George Dunstan and Bill Blount for their ongoing spiritual support at Utah’s Place and our senior housing complex, Sierra Guest Home. Thank you also to our loyal cook group, United Universalist Community of the Mountains, for coming out last Friday and serving up their enchilada pie, steamed carrots, cole slaw and ice cream. Such a treat! If you have an interest in volunteering, please call us at 530-615-0852 or email info@hhshelter.org. A special thanks, also, to our partners for providing ongoing food and/or financial support: SPD Markets, BriarPatch Food Co-op, Telestream, Interfaith Food Ministry, the Bishop Store (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nevada City) and Food Bank of Nevada County. To everyone who donated our most needed items last week, thank you as well!
Now down to the nitty gritty needs of the week:
- Twin-size blankets – URGENT NEED
- New pillows (we are unable to accept used)
- Men’s winter coats, jackets and hoodies (all – sizes; no women’s attire at this time)
- Granola bars
NEW DONATION HOURS AND DROPOFF LOCATION: With construction finally complete at our shelter, effective immediately, donations from our needs list above and all unexpired/store-bought foods are now being accepted at Utah’s Place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30am – 3:30pm and Saturdays from 10am – 2pm. Our shelter is located 1262 Sutton Way, Grass Valley, CA 95945. 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!