What is it really like inside a homeless shelter? On Sunday, January 31, at 6:00 pm, everyone is invited to go virtually behind the scenes of Utah’s Place, the community’s local emergency homeless shelter for the general homeless population, that is operated by Hospitality House.
Services at Hospitality House are critical. In 2020, Hospitality House served 639 unique individuals, including 124 Veterans and 21 children, and provided nearly 90,000 meals to those in need (more than doubling the preceding year). Despite the pandemic, services at Hospitality House have expanded this past year, with 220 people reaching housing destinations.
The virtual tour serves as an educational opportunity for the community to learn more about available resources for those in need. The entire tour lasts approximately 40 minutes and along the way, virtual tour attendees will meet staff members; learn about programming and services; see the dorms where local men, women and children sleep each night; and hear directly from homeless individuals receiving help at the shelter.
When: Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021
Time: 6 p.m. PST
How to watch: Viewing options include Public Access Television (Comcast channel 11 or Suddenlink channel 16), hhshelter.org, Facebook.com/hhshelter and YouTube.com/hhshelter
Cost: FREE but donations to further the work of Hospitality House are always welcome and appreciated.
Before the pandemic, Hospitality House offered monthly public tours, private tours, and even accommodated school fieldtrips. However, since the onset of the pandemic, the shelter has remained in 24/7 quarantine to follow shelter-in-place best practices to slow the spread of COVID-19. In-person tours are expected to resume when Nevada County collectively reaches Stage 4. Until then, everyone is invited to virtually visit to learn more about the efforts of Hospitality House.
A special thank you to Mark Triolo and Larry Huntington for their help in the creation of the virtual tour.
PHOTO: Shelter Manager Chase Smiley (L) and Development Director Ashley Quadros prepare to take virtually attendees on a tour of Utah’s Place.