INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – On Monday, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church officially launched The Sally Fund, a community effort that will provide flexible funding to Sierra Community House and Tahoe Family Solutions. Named after longtime Tahoe resident Sally Jane Hammel, the fund will provide housing assistance and rapid re-housing to those in need.

Sally Jane Hammel was a Tahoe resident for over 30 years and was a member of St. Patrick’s as well as a U.S. Postal Service worker. When she died in 2020, she willed her condo to the church, and a portion of her gift is the seed money for the fund.

Senior Warden at St. Patrick’s Connie Skidmore said, “We wanted the love in her house to live on for others.”

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The housing committee did a listening tour with different organizations in the north shore, as they wanted to do more with the generous donation Hammel gave. Equal shares of donations to The Sally Fund will go to Sierra Community House and Tahoe Family Solutions.

Now, the fund is sponsored by the Tahoe Trucke Homeless Action Committee (TTHAC), the Offerdahl Foundation, the Truckee Lutheran Presbyterian Church, the Fellowship of Compassion and St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church.

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Cathie Foley, who is a volunteer and member of TTHAC, spoke on how homelessness in the area is often invisible. “It can look like a car parked near the lake, a family doubling up in an apartment, a worker sleeping on a friend’s couch for the night, a senior camping in their car.” According to previous Point in Time counts, more than 50 people in the region spend each night unhoused.

Foley spoke of people like Max, who lost his rental and slept in a truck near Donner Lake, still working and trying to find a place to live. To get housing for himself and his dog, he needed assistance to get money upfront—which he was only able to access through programs in the area.

But not everyone qualifies for rental assistance or low-income housing, and flexible funding like The Sally Fund could help cover people in those situations. And the need keeps increasing. Since 2023-2024, the number of households needing help went up by 61%.

“One missed payment can tip into homelessness,” said Foley. “The Sally Fund will help organizations be able to respond yes more often.”

Jody Wright, executive director of Tahoe Family Solutions, spoke about their support systems and providing emergency assistance. The organization is completely funded by donations, and since 2021, there’s been a 216% increase in emergency funding requests.

Wright, who has been with the organization for almost a year, says that unhoused people here work extremely hard, but still cannot afford living in the area. One of her staff members was even forced out due to her rent tripling, and now lives in Carson City.

Often, she sees 10 to 14 people rooming in two-bedroom apartments. “And if a roommate moves, you’re done. There’s no padding,” said Wright.

Wright also noted that domestic violence, which is a leading cause of homelessness, is an issue in this community. However, in Incline Village, there’s no shelters—survivors must go elsewhere in the north shore, or even out of Tahoe.

Sierra Community House provides transitional housing, safe houses and emergency hotel stays. In fact, advocacy integration manager Mayra Islas shared that over the weekend, they were able to safely house someone who decided to leave their abusive partner of many years.

That period is an especially critical time for survivors, as retaliation through violence is a real risk. This person’s bank account was tied to their abuser, who took all of their money—showing another reason why access to funds is so vital.

Disabled people may also benefit from access to funds—Alondra Delgadillo spoke about people like Joe and Rachel, who both had disabilities that made paying for utilities and rent challenging. However, neither of them qualified for assistance programs, so The Sally Fund could help provide them with much-needed help.

Elizabeth Bowman of Sierra Community House highlighted that risk of homelessness can be tied to other factors, such as race, sexuality and gender. She also noted that people may be afraid to reach out for services due to threats of having immigration enforcement called on them. Sierra Community House has immigration support and legal services, and receiving support does not disqualify someone from receiving documentation or immigration status.

Father Jorge Herrera of St. Francis said that he too, knew someone who was abused, undocumented and was at risk of losing his housing. However, through Herrera’s help, that man is now applying for his visa and has a job.

Herrera, as the first co-sponsor of The Sally Fund, donated $5,000 from St. Francis of Assisi, and hoped to continue donations in the future. “This is what the gospel calls us to do. Let’s become a force against injustice and evil and help our neighbors. I don’t care if they are Christians or not. They are all our brothers and sisters,” said Herrera.

Attendees to the launch were largely supportive and called for support from agencies like the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to support housing. Wright called for Incline Village landlords to accept vouchers from the Reno Housing Authority as another step to take.

Foley also noted the massive support in Truckee for the pilot warming center. They are currently fundraising $230,000 in the community, after receiving pledges of $360,000 each from Nevada County and the town of Truckee.

Linda Offerdahl noted that in Incline Village, there’s been momentum around Giving Tuesday, and this year, St. Patrick’s will have a tree at the Festival of Lights where donations will be directed towards The Sally Fund.

The night closed with Rabbi Evon Yakar, who has worked with the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless in the south shore. “We need to have these conversations,” he said. He spoke about how his grandmother fought for fair housing and no redlining in her neighborhood, and Jewish values of charity, righteousness and the right to dignified housing.

Yakar connected housing with the recent Jewish holiday of Sukkot. During this holiday, people typically build a structure outside, called a sukkah, that they eat, worship and may even sleep in. “But we’re taught that if it looks like sukkah, it’s not good enough for housing. Everyone is entitled to housing that lasts longer than a year,” he said.

Yakar closed with the Hashkiveinu, an evening prayer also recited during Shabbat and Jewish holidays. “Be a shelter of peace,” said Yakar.

You can donate to The Sally Fund and become a co-sponsor by visiting their website at tahoeepiscopal.org and selecting The Sally Fund on their donation page. Or you can write a check to St. Patrick’s Episcopal Churhc, 341 Village Blvd., Incline Village, NV 89451 with The Sally Fund in the memo line.

You can also ask your church, temple, organization or business to become an official co-sponsor /funder by contacting St. Patrick’s at 775-831-1418.

The Sally Fund will be giving its first donation to Sierra Community House and Tahoe Family Services on December 31, 2025.

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.