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Hospitality House of Western Nevada County A Community Shelter for the Homeless |
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The mission of Hospitality House is to provide the homeless with a compassionate place of rest, sustenance, dignity, and hope. |
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Please CONTRIBUTE
Be part of our community effort and give generously so we can continue our services throughout the summer and re-open next winter! You can write a check
and send it at our address below, or click on the PayPal button to have your debit or credit card charged. Where will my money go? Make checks payable to: HOSPITALITY HOUSE P.O. Box 3223, Grass Valley, CA 95945
All contributions are tax-deductible.
Hospitality House is a nonprofit public benefit corporation organized for the specific purpose of providing assistance to the homeless. Hospitality House is exempt from Federal income tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and exempt from state franchise or income tax under code section 23701d of the California Revenue and Taxation Code. |
WHO WE ARE
Hospitality House is a non-profit program in Nevada County servicing the homeless, working in collaboration with our local churches and other service organizations. Based on a model that has worked very well in places like Placer and Butte counties, Hospitality House is a winter-only "nomadic homeless shelter", in other words, instead of a permanent location, it rotates among participating churches.  Our Vision: We do this by: providing pathways to independence; providing temporary, overnight housing/shelter; partnering with faith communities, social service agencies, and the general public; fostering dignity; providing physical, emotional, and spiritual support; serving all individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, family status, or disability; advocating for low income housing; supporting those who seek permanent housing; serving Nevada County. Our Core Organizational Values: Home is where the hearts is. Because we all long for warmth, comfort, and safety, few losses strike more deeply into our lives than the loss of home. At Hospitality House, our hearts are with the homeless. We show compassionate behavior toward all people at all times. We work supportively with one another in a spirit of mutual appreciation for talents and abilities. We dedicate ourselves to the mission of the organization, manifesting in practical actions that turn short-and loon- term goals into realities. We practice careful, sincere, and respectful listening that leads to mutual understanding, consensus building, and organizational stability. We strive for the courage and integrity to uphold the civil rights of all, even when doing so may offend those who are opposed to upholding such rights. We practice competent decision making in all area that sustain the organization over time. We participate in extensive community involvement in a spirit of radical inclusiveness.
How did Hospitality House come about? As co-chair Rev. Don Lee explains, it started with a caring community. Read below...
"THEY ARE NOT THE OTHER. THEY ARE US" -- Utah Phillips Meet our partners the Faith Communities. Meet the Board of Directors. Meet our Director Cindy Maple, Executive Director of Hospitality House, is also a co-founder of the shelter and former co-chair of its board of directors. She has lived in Grass Valley for many years, moving here with her parents who operated a faith-based Christian restaurant at the former Washington Brewery building on East Main Street. Because no shelters or services were then available to serve the homeless, her parents allowed homeless people to stay in the restaurant and eat the food served there.Maple has an extensive history working for the county Department of Social Services in the CalWORKS program and as a service coordinator and board member for the local Veterans Stand Down program. She has been instrumental in reducing the stigma often attached to the homeless and for working with local law enforcement, as well as the county and other community services to ensure that people without homes can avail themselves with the resources they need to move into sustainable living situations. Maple says: "Because of my background, my heart has always been with the homeless as I saw very early on how decent, kind people could easily lose everything and end up on the streets. We should always think, 'There but for the grace of God go I.' Maybe I was meant to help finish the work my mother started all those years ago." NEWS! The award is given yearly to a woman who is making a difference in the lives of others, working to improve the lives of women and girls and working to inspire the lives of other women and girls, according to Julie Clutter, 2008 awards committee chair of the nonprofit Soroptimist organization.
Soroptimists of Sierra Foothills is a local chapter of an international organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls through scholarships and award programs. The group will hold an awards breakfast in honor of Maple on April 3. U. Utah Phillips Bruce "Utah" Phillips, one of the founders of Hospitality House, died May 23rd, 2008 of heart failure. The beloved folk musician and activist will be missed by legions of supporters, friends and colleagues and remembered as an ardent fighter for labor and peace issues, as well as for the rights of the homeless. In his music, actions and words, he described the plight of the underdog, the struggles of labor unions and the power of direct action. Phillips, 73, lived in Nevada City for the last 21 years with his wife, Joanna Robinson, also a co-founder of Hospitality House. "All of us at Hospitality House are grieving the loss of a friend, a guide, and a fellow board member," said Don Lee, president of Hospitality House and pastor of Sierra Pines United Methodist Church. "Utah has been with us from the beginning of our homeless project, providing visionary leadership, acting as a moral compass, and reminding us what it means to be homeless. "We will always remember the love and friendship he shared," Lee added. "And though the songs and stories will no longer come from his creative palette, they will most certainly live on in the lives of our guests, whose daily struggles, fears, and longings sing of the human spirit's capacity to find Life amidst the ruins." Phillips, who was once homeless himself, felt a responsibility to help those in need. "The key to the entire enterprise is remembering that anyone could become homeless at any time," he said. "They are not the other. They are us." "He was immensely compassionate," added Cindy Maple, executive director of Hospitality House. "He seemed to understand what it meant to be lost and searching (and) not to have solid ground under one's feet." The musician was also passionate about Nevada City. It is a "quirky, mystical sort of place, populated by poets, writers, artists, misfits and just regular folks," Phillips wrote on his web site. The family requests memorial donations be sent to Hospitality House, P.O. Box 3223, Grass Valley, CA, 95945; phone 530-271-7144.
A caring community creates a winter shelter As with all wonderful projects, Hospitality House began as an idea shared by a small group of people. In the wet, cold winter of 2004, a group of concerned residents gathered to discuss their dream of helping the many homeless people in western Nevada County by providing shelter and food during the winter months. Cindy Maple, Margaret Little, Rev. Don Lee, Karen Terpening, Utah Phillips, Joanna Robinson, Christine Gentilhomme and Janice O'Brien began to explore the possibilities, hoping to open a shelter that winter. They quickly realized, however, that a lot of preparation was needed to gather support and learn about shelter operation. As the winter wore on, Jim Ward, Doug Lautzenhiser, Mary O’Brien, Mark Schlak, Theresa Lyon, Sue Gill, and Frank Desplancke joined the team. Everyone started in on the detailed work that would create Hospitality House. The group enjoyed rollicking, creative, intensely focused meetings that led that summer to the official formation of Foothill House of Hospitality — “Hospitality House” — as a non-profit organization. But the question remained: Where to locate the shelter? Following the guidance of successful neighboring community shelters (especially Placer County’s Gathering Inn and the Chico Community Shelter Project), Hospitality House decided to operate as a nomadic shelter, moving nightly between different faith communities. Guests would meet at a Welcome Center, then travel by bus to the faith community’s facility at night, and return to the Welcome Center in the morning. In addition, faith communities and other volunteers would provide meals and fellowship for guests. Having settled on this model, Hospitality House organizers began raising money, recruiting volunteers, and coordinating with participating faith communities. To determine the number of locals in need, the dedicated team organized a one-day count on June 30, 2005, which sent dozens of volunteers out to scour the county, spreading word of the planned shelter and surveying the needs of the homeless. The effort identified 238 people without a roof of their own — including 42 children. This count, which helped significantly to build awareness of homelessness in western Nevada County, energized the team’s effort to open a winter shelter as soon as possible. On Nov. 5, 2005, Hospitality House opened its doors to homeless residents. During those first few weeks the Unitarian Universalist Community of the Mountains graciously served as the daily welcome center. Shelley Beebee, of the UU community, pitched in. The interfaith effort, which brought representatives from many faith communities together in pursuit of a common goal, was a delight to experience! On Dec. 11, 2005, Hospitality House moved into its new Welcome Center at 438B Colfax Avenue in Grass Valley. Volunteers and guests created a homey atmosphere, and showers and laundry facilities became available to guests. Hospitality House now offers overnight accommodation every night during the winter months at participating faith communities. As the number of homeless continue to grow we will be looking for larger accomodations for our daytime shelter, currently located next to the Grass Valley United Methodist Church at 230 S. Church Street in Grass Valley. Many volunteers contribute countless hours — their help makes Hospitality House possible. Hospitality House is financially supported by donations, faith community support, and grants. The board of directors, staff and volunteers look forward to the months ahead as Hospitality House continues to grow and thrive. Rev. Don Lee, President Sierra Presbyterian Church — www.sierrapres.com |
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