My name is Kristin Glanz, SUDCC, and I’m the Homeless Outreach and Medical Engagement (HOME) Team Supervisor. HOME team is a collaborative partnership between Hospitality House, Nevada County Behavioral Health and Turning Point Providence Center. Together, we engage folks on the streets to provide pathways to treatment, services, shelter and ultimately, housing.
For the last several months, I’ve been working frequently with a young man, who I’ll call Matthew. Matthew is 27 years old and is currently living on the streets. Matthew was exposed to drugs at a young age and grew up with a family of addicts. Understandably, he too became addicted. On top of drugs, the only person who helped keep his life in somewhat order was his grandmother. He and fellow family members lived with her but when she passed in 2018, they all became homeless.
Matthew initially received help from Hospitality House in 2019 and returned to housing soon after. Unfortunately, he relapsed and became homeless again, and was reluctant to reach out for help. I found him on the streets in December 2021 and have been working with him since, encouraging services and building trust. Finally, we had a breakthrough.
Matthew has agreed to go into extended live-in recovery treatment with Granite Wellness Centers, which begins with a blackout period. For those unfamiliar, a blackout period is where the person in recovery is cut off from all outside factors and influences, including people. In Matthew’s case, it means no contact with the outside world for 30 days, including me, but after the blackout period, Matthew will stay in treatment and then I will frequently visit to help him build his employment and housing plans.
Matthew texted me the other day and said, “I really want to be clean. I am so stoked to be going into treatment.”
We are proud of Matthew for taking this very important step in his recovery journey. For those who would like to help other folks like Matthew, right now is the opportune time to give. Two local community members have come forward to offer a May Match challenge. Now through May 31, all donations to Hospitality House will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $25,000. This means a $5 donation automatically becomes $10. Facebook donations count too! Learn more about this opportunity at hhshelter.org. GIVE NOW>
After a long 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!). 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, 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!