Hospitality House Helps High Country’s Homeless Editor’s Note: This is part of a series about High Country United Way Agencies showing how they help their clients. By Ian Mance and Lynne Mason This year Hospitality House of Boone celebrated its 20th year of service to the homeless in the High Country. Throughout those two decades Hospitality House has welcomed the homeless and those in crisis, providing shelter, food, supportive counseling and health and employment referrals to its clientele. Many times it was not easy, as demand often exceeded agency resources. As the only homeless service provider in a seven-county area Hospitality House is committed to helping folks get back on their feet. Now staffed by three full-time and seven part-time employees, Hospitality House provides a variety of programs. The facilities have grown beyond the familiar house on King Street to include two transitional facilities and one permanent supportive housing facility east of town. Hospitality House provides shelter services for up to 45 people each night or more than 16,400 bed nights a year. With the onset of colder weather plans are under way to open a winter shelter to accommodate the growing number of people who find themselves living on the streets. Hospitality House also serves three meals a day through the Bread of Life Program, which serves not only Hospitality House residents, but also anyone in the community in need of a meal. WeCAN (Watauga Crisis Assistance Network), a homeless prevention program, is Hospitality House’s newest endeavor. WeCAN, which is supported by the local faith community, many private donors and the High Country United Way, serves as a clearinghouse to help individuals and families overcome a crisis situation through the coordination of community and financial resources. Last year WeCAN met with 764 local residents and provided more than $62,300 in crisis assistance to clients facing eviction, power cutoffs or costly home heating bills during the winter months. On a daily basis Hospitality House is on the front line of the struggle against poverty and homelessness. Clients served come from a wide variety of backgrounds and all walks of life. Homelessness affects the young and old regardless of race, religion and socio-economic background. At any time Hospitality House is providing shelter and services to both children and the elderly. The agency is seeing an increasing number of families show up on its doorstep, prompting an increased demand for bed space. Though the clients that Hospitality House serves are largely invisible from the public eye it does not make them or their struggles any less real. The situations that Hospitality House encounters on a daily basis are truly heartbreaking, yet the staff at the Hospitality House is committed to working with each individual and family that seeks assistance to develop a stable support base so they can get back into stable housing. The Emergency Shelter, located on West King Street, provides services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There, people will find a hot meal, a warm bed, a clean shower and a welcoming staff willing to help them sort through any problems they might be dealing with. They will receive job and housing referrals, assistance with getting clothing and healthcare as well as school supplies and, when possible, baby-sitting services. If clients need more time to get back on their feet than the Emergency Shelter can provide they can apply for housing at one of the two transitional facilities – the Sleeping Place and Rock Annex – or if they’re disabled, at the Rock Haven permanent supportive housing facility. If they abide by program guidelines and actively work to improve their situation they will be moved to a different facility, where they will be assured a roof over their head until they’re ready to move out on their own. In the coming year Hospitality House will expand its services through a grant to include outreach to homeless individuals in the community who are not currently making use of agency resources. This program will focus on assisting these clients in accessing needed services and eventually securing stable housing. The Hospitality House extends its appreciation to the greater High Country community – including the HCUW, the local faith community and private donors – for its many years of generous support. Hospitality House still faces many challenges, though. About 40 percent of its budget is derived from private donations, and temporary interruptions in donations like those caused by Hurricane Katrina put a strain on the agency. The increased cost of heating fuel this year will also mean an increased demand for WeCAN’s services. During this fall’s HCUW fund-raising campaign please remember that local agencies are in need of community support more than ever. For more information about Hospitality House, to volunteer or donate funds call (828) 264-1237 or send an e-mail to hoshouse@appstate.net. For more information about the HCUW call (828) 265-2111 or look online at www.highcountryunitedway.org.