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It’s hard not to be fearful when 
your family is facing living in their car yet again. Chet and
his adorable 5th and 6th graders, along with their two dogs, are at a hotel facing the end
of their stay. It’s a place they never thought they’d be.
Not homeless by choice, but after getting attacked and having severe head
injuries, Chet spent six months in the hospital with brain damage. He was left incapable
of caring for his two children and Mom was long out of the picture. Chet’s mother had
always been a huge support, welcoming Chet and his two children into her home.
Sadly, Chet’s mother succumbed to cancer and died two years ago. They recently had
to move out of her house but thanks to the City of Elk Grove, they have been in an
extended stay hotel. Unfortunately, City money for the hotel is running out soon and
probate can take months. They have no place to go but to their small car with their two
dogs.
It’s not easy to step away from an adorable family when you’ve spent the afternoon
shopping for a promotion dress for the 6th grader or watching the little boy run with their two
dogs. Spending time with them stirs the passion to continue helping. Government never
sees a face, but HART does. We don’t know where they’re going yet, but that’s why
HART was formed: to help people who are in a free fall, to catch them and help them to
stabilize.
The Big Day of Giving is May 1st and an opportunity to be a part of the solution for people who are truly struggling within the city limits of Elk Grove. 100% of your donations go to helping the unhoused get back on their feet. Please give generously.
Donate here: https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/organization/elkgrovehart
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Valarie and her aging father had a busy life shuffling kids from school to sports practice to games and home again for homework and dinner. Rinse and repeat. With five kids
they were busy! Life was good until unforeseen financial difficulties hit and caused them to lose their home. A terrifying prospect.
Elk Grove HART and the City of Elk Grove helped them to stabilize until a subsidized apartment became available. Mom was so good at keeping her spirits up in front of the
kids all the while concerned about what their future looked like.
Just before Christmas, the family got word that an apartment was available. HART sprang into action purchasing beds and coordinating with an area church to outfit their apartment with gently used furniture. One of the California state departments adopted them for Christmas and lavished them with a tree and Christmas presents 
stacked
underneath it.
On Christmas Eve they were all tucked in their new beds, safe from the streets and well fed. No Santa, but several caring people helping to make this Christmas the most memorable of all.
“Big Day of Giving is coming soon! We are pleased to share that we are once again offering incentives for donors! If you donate $50 or more, you will be entered into a drawing for a two-night stay
(Sunday and Monday, May 25 and 26 in a two-bedroom, three-bath (1150 square feet) luxury residence at the Marriott Grand Residence Club, South Lake Tahoe. This is a $1500 value! Each
$50 in your donation will earn a chance in the drawing - for example, if you donate $100 you will earn two chances! See the flyer attached for more details.
Donations can be given at https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/organization/elkgrovehart
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So many challenges faced Leah and her three little girls. With no place to live, her little ones were even taken away for a time. But that tem
porary loss motivated Leah even more. Her love for those girls was fierce.
Two-and-a-half years later, she writes, “HART was there for me through a difficult time and gave me the courage to keep pushing no matter how hard the challenge was. HART motivated me to believe in myself and accomplish goals I never thought I would. You guys made me give myself a second chance.”
That’s what we believe in: second, and sometimes third and fourth chances. We all need them. The difference is HART walks with the homeless that are struggling one on one as each situation is so unique. Leah’s success makes our buttons pop with pride! Recently, she got a job with SMUD making $27 an hour. She just paid off $6,000 in debt and is diligent about managing her finances and raising her credit score. She hopes to move her family into a better apartment this summer and is well on her way.
HART has supplied bus passes here and there, furniture to fill in the gaps, food when things got tight and Christmas presents simply because we care. She knows we’re a safe place to call when she needs someone to lean on. That government doesn’t do,.only people can care. That is a difference with HART, is that we care about each person, one person at a time.
Big Day of Giving is an opportunity for you to give to a nonprofit that spends ALL of our donations on the people for whom it is intended - those struggling with homelessness. Please donate generously on May 1st to help strengthen the community of Elk Grove.
Big Day of Giving is Thursday, May 1. As a supporter of Elk Grove HART, you will soon be receiving email messages with more details and a link to a donation site for you to donate online. We can also accept personal checks in advance of the online donation window if you prefer to donate that way. Checks should be mailed to our P.O. Box 1343, Elk Grove 95759 to arrive no later than April 28.
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Elk Grove HART is excited to announce that it is participating again in the Big Day of Giving - coming up on Thursday, May 1!
Donations made during last year’s fundraising marathon provided the funds for Elk Grove HART to support 15 households as they moved into independent housing.
We hope you will consider supporting this important work through your financial donations during this year’s event. Look for more informational emails as the Big Day gets closer!
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For Delilah, it’s been a long eight-year journey. She’s gone from living in a cardboard box in a field, to using cardboard boxes for packing as she prepares to move into her new home!
Her journey has been challenging, filled with many obstacles, but Delilah is now planting her flag at the top of her mountain. Eight years ago, all seemed hopeless and that mountain insurmountable. With the encouragement of HART volunteers, Delilah has overcome her addiction and worked full-time, often with a second job on the side, to secure housing for her and her family.
When we see people on the side of the road, homeless and destitute, it’s easy to think they’ll never climb out of that hole. That’s simply not the case. So often we’ve been surprised by people overcoming incredible struggles. Delilah is just 
one of the many people who have passed through the hands of HART volunteers. The difference in our program is that we care for each person one at a time. Every individual, each family, is so unique. It’s unfair to lump them all together with one simple solution. There simply isn’t one.
We’re often asked, “What is the solution to homelessness?” There is no magic answer, but what is critical is to meet people where they are, one on one. It’s amazing what someone can do with personal encouragement. Is it always successful? Of course not. Yet our formula in Elk Grove has been highly effective. Eight out of ten people whom we work with in our transitional houses stabilize their lives and are able to maintain permanent housing.
Not everybody is cut out to be a mentor or work with the unhoused, but you can help financially by supporting Elk Grove HART. You can be part of the solution to getting people off the street and into permanent housing. It is sad how many of those people are children. We have several educators on our board that are intent on seeing those children succeed. And they do. Next month one of those children will graduate from high school and will be attending nursing school. We couldn’t be prouder!
You can help by contributing to the Big Day of Giving anytime between now and 11:59 pm on May 1. Help Elk Grove continue to be a compassionate community that truly cares about its most vulnerable citizens.
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“I don’t want to leave my apartment, go to work, or go to the store. I don’t even want to go for a walk.” Normally, that kind of conversation would be of concern, but not this time. This time it was understandable.
Laila and her boyfriend had just moved into their very first apartment and they were thrilled. The Elk Grove shelter had been a godsend, a safe place to stay for five months while they stabilized.
Laila and Jake had been homeless for four years. Addiction wasn’t an issue for them, but bad credit was. And saving up for an enhanced deposit to get them into a place seemed insurmountable.
The Elk Grove shelter gave them the opportunity to work towards paying off some debt and to qualify for a city subsidized apartment. While in the shelter, Laila would often say that she was terrified of getting her hopes up because so often those hopes had been dashed. She couldn’t stand the thought of going back to live in their car once the shelter closed. She fought despair.
While homeless, full-time jobs gave them the opportunity to stay in hotels occasionally, but their beloved dog, Ringo, was always an issue. That is no longer the case. Last week they moved into their very own apartment, fully furnished by Elk Grove HART with gently used items. But they were perfect for Laila. Even in the colors and style that she preferred.
“I don’t wanna leave,” she whispered. “I am so thankful for this place and love it so much. How can I ever thank you? I want to volunteer; I want to help others. In due time, my friend. But for now, enjoy the safety and security of your new home,” we replied.
In collaboration with the City of Elk Grove, Elk Grove HART has assisted eight families to get into apartments in 2024. Again, fully furnished with the assistance of local churches and service organizations. That’s the beauty of Elk Grove, we work together for those who are truly in need.
Can you help support us in doing that by contributing on May 2 to the Big Day of Giving? We would so greatly appreciate it.
Thank you to Dave Neves, HART Board Member for this original song as the Big Day of Giving approaches. "Who Are We" Elk Grove H.A. R.T. "Big Day of Giving 2024" - YouTube
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One person’s trash is another person’s … Treasure!
And that’s how Tina saw the matching leather loveseats, the antique armoire, dishes, and glassware - everything she needed for her new apartment. How much she treasured them was evidenced by the nonstop tears streaming down her face.
At first it was awkward for the men moving the furniture, but they soon realized they were tears of sheer elation. Tina had been on the streets for several years and had worked hard to kick her drug addiction. She had been drug-free for 18 months. Now, thanks to her full-time job, she qualified for a subsidized apartment. She couldn’t believe it was really happening. Living in her car had seemed like her destiny, until now. Now it was real. She had her own beautiful apartment, new carpeting and all!
As we gathered around her to say goodbye, she put into words just how much it meant to her. It wasn’t just the apartment, she said. It was the love and care that was shown to her by so many. She had felt like she was forgotten for so many years, unworthy of anybody’s care or concern. Now she finally saw that she was worthy of all the attention and treasures that she was receiving.
Watching people like Tina overcome the struggle of drug addiction is a privilege. This time it was Sun Grove Church helping, but in the past few months it has been Sunrise Laguna Rotary, Creekside Church, and Good Shepherd Church that have fully furnished our newly housed friends’ apartments. Elk Grove has shown these people who were once destitute that they are valuable and are worthy of being helped. It’s amazing the empowerment that you can give someone when you encourage them. Without financial support none of this would be possible. Please continue to partner with us on not giving up on people that others have left by the wayside. Big Day of Giving is May 2nd. Please give generously.
As a supporter of Elk Grove HART, you will soon be receiving email messages with more details and a link to a donation site so that you may donate online. We can also accept personal checks in advance of the online donation window if you prefer to donate that way. Checks should be mailed to our P.O. Box 1343, Elk Grove 95759 to arrive no later than April 30.
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Mark your calendars now. Big Day of Giving is just a month away.
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Donations of everyday essentials support the homeless
In partnership with the Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART) and its ongoing community efforts to address homelessness across the region, SMUD is sponsoring Giving Monday at Cal Expo, an effort to collect needed personal care items, including:
- socks
- hand/foot warmers
- ponchos
- gloves
- shampoo
- toothbrushes
- toothpaste
- floss
- water
- snacks
- deodorant
- tissues
- hand wipes
- bandages
- lip balm
- cotton swabs
WHAT: SMUD Giving Monday Personal Care Drive at Cal Expo
WHEN: Monday, December 4 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
WHERE: Cal Expo Main Gate
Donations from members of the community are welcome from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. at the Cal Expo Main Gate. Just drive on through and drop off your items or donate via Amazon here.
"From our canned food donation drive to our efforts to collect school supplies, SMUD Giving Mondays are an important part of our commitment to supporting all communities," said Rhonda Staley-Brooks, director of Community Engagement. "This winter, we are partnering with HART to help gather crucial assistance and resources, especially during the holidays, for our most vulnerable community members. The overwhelming spirit of giving shown by our employees, partners and customers is truly inspiring."
SMUD has led successful e-waste, coat and school supply drives at Cal Expo. These drives have benefited non-profits such as the Sacramento Children's Home, the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps and the Elk Grove Food Bank.
For more information about SMUD Giving Monday, visit calexpostatefair.com and to learn more about SMUD's community work, visit smud.org/community.
About SMUD
As the nation's sixth-largest, community-owned, not-for-profit electric service provider, SMUD has been providing low-cost, reliable electricity to Sacramento County for more than 75 years. SMUD is a recognized industry leader and award winner for its innovative energy efficiency programs, renewable power technologies and for its sustainable solutions for a healthier environment. Today, SMUD's power supply is on average about 50 percent carbon free and SMUD has a goal to reach zero carbon in its electricity production by 2030. For more information on SMUD's Zero Carbon Plan and its customer programs, visit smud.org.
