Hospitality House has joined forces with County of Nevada, City of Grass Valley, Nevada County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) and Grass Valley Police Department (GVPD) to offer the shelter’s most collective community cleanup effort to date.
On Saturday, Oct. 12, all parties will clean and beautify private land and abandoned homeless camps in the Brunswick Basin as well as mitigate for fire with support from volunteers in the community.
“Collaboration is the backbone of our community and we are up for the challenge to tackle this problem together with our partners and community volunteers,” said Sheriff Shannan Moon of NCSO.
All parties agree that coming together to leverage resources will increase the success of the cleanup and will improve community vitality. Community safety is also at the forefront of the cleanup efforts planned.
“Through partnership with community members and local service providers such as Hospitality House, we can all play a role in keeping our community safe and vibrant,” explained Chief Alex Gammelgard of GVPD.
“The Grass Valley Police Department is excited to continue our history of working with community members to keep our forests, wildland, and streams clean from camp debris and litter. This is only one of a multifaceted approach to addressing the growing issue and concerns related to homelessness and its causes.”
Reducing the number of people camping in the forest and increasing the number of people utilizing emergency shelter or related services remains a common goal.
“It takes all of us to improve the lives of our homeless residents,” said Mike Dent, Director Department of Child Support, Collections, Housing and Community Services at County of Nevada.
“From initial Homeless Outreach and Medical Engagement (HOME) team staff making contacts in the field, to finding a livable place for our homeless to go to that they can afford, it takes the entire community to make a difference.”
In addition to the HOME team, Hospitality House’s Outreach Team regularly disposes of garbage on rural properties and encourages people living in the forest to be fire-safe and remove debris.
To aid this endeavor, staff refrains from distributing tents or sleeping bags, and has an agreement with Nevada County Code Enforcement to immediately confiscate and dispose of any items discovered on county land that pose an immediate threat to community safety.
During the cleanup on Oct. 12, it’s estimated that approximately 150 volunteers will be needed, and the entire community is invited to participate.
Know and Go:
When: Saturday, Oct. 12 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where: 900 Block of Plaza Drive
What to Bring: Work gloves; wear comfy clothes and closed-toed shoes
All volunteers are required to take safety training onsite and sign a waiver to participate. All volunteers will be provided breakfast burritos and bagged lunches.
Register Today:
To sign up, email Hospitality House Volunteer Manager Leah Farkas at lfarkas@hhshelter.org, or call 530-615-0805. Hospitality House hosts two major camp cleanups per year in addition to small cleanups at regular intervals. To learn more about this camp cleanup and future cleanups, visit hhshelter.org/camp-cleanups.
—Hospitality House
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