To the community,

A gracious thank you to those who participated in the Faces of Homelessness on Oct. 26 at Valhalla, especially our primary event sponsors Temple Bat Yam and the Tahoe Chamber.  It was warm inside the great room, with a fire roaring behind our presenters; however, their accounts of being homeless were quite chilling. Six adults and local middle school and high school youth provided touching accounts of their personal stories of homelessness to an audience of strangers.  A common theme the adults echoed was the desire to be recognized and seen, and to find assistance with understanding what caused their homelessness.   

The Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless’ mission includes promoting awareness related to the causes of homelessness. We know that homelessness can affect anyone, homeless individuals are people who matter, 26 percent of warm room guests from the 2016-17 season were employed, and 87 percent of our warm room guests from the 2016-17 were Lake Tahoe residents when they became homeless.  

Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless is appreciative of the donors and sponsors of this event, including: Tahoe Chamber; Temple Bat Yam; Liz Muckerman; Dr. Kandra Yee and Mr. Andrew Zachary; William A. Downey, OD; Tiffany Hetherton Grimes, Chase International Real Estate; William B. Cherry, attorney at law; Bonnie Driscoll and Dave Carneggie; Sacramento Homeless Speaker’s Bureau; David T. Mori, photographer; Valhalla Tahoe; Chimayo’ Street Grill; Tahoe Party Rentals; Harrah’s and Harveys Lake Tahoe; and Girl Scout Troop No. 143. Special thanks to the Boys and Girls Club for use of their van to shuttle guests to the Valhalla event.

TCH is a 501(c)3 charitable organization.  Donations are welcomed to aid in funding the warm room 2017-18 season. Checks can be made payable Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless and mailed to PO Box 13514, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96151.  Donations can also be made on our website.

Marissa Muscat, Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless