Outreach to Join Forces
Piccirilli went out to Pickett Park this past Saturday, reaching out to other volunteers, inviting them to join Washoe Food not Bombs, which serves healthy vegetarian and vegan community meals at Wingfield Park on Saturdays from ten to noon.
Sadly, she wasn’t surprised others in Reno are seeking to force people out of parks. “I think that it's definitely reflective of a larger attitude in the Reno area where people don't understand the root causes of homelessness and housing insecurity and think that the simple solution is to displace them even further,” she said.
While some in Reno believe there’s always room at the main downtown shelter, that’s not always the case. Piccirilli also knows many without the means to afford stable shelter try to avoid the shelter like the plague, due to a myriad of reasons, most notably insecurity.
“Like it's terrifying. And I would rather sleep on the streets and stay there,” she said. “So like it's really clearly by people who don't understand what's happening.”
This original threat sparked outrage from many online, and led to the #BringSomeLove counter action. The Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality, meanwhile, is recirculating a petition to establish an officially sanctioned Safe Ground for those without shelter.
Humans Helping Other Humans
Piccirilli stresses the need for more affordable housing, and more variety and quantity in terms of shelter space. More people should see people struggling as humans, as well, she says. She used to work at the Eddy House, helping youth living on the streets, and gaining perspective on the need for compassion.
“As a community, people need to think of homeless people as human beings. If there is somebody panhandling … give them two dollars. Like, that's a really good way to help somebody … Like just see people as human beings I think is the biggest first step,” she said.
She said the Saturday at Pickett Park was like a big rally, with “everybody all fired up”, but she hoped the momentum would continue.
“[It shows] there’s people out there who care and want an outlet to help. And this was a very good way for them to get this outlet, which is really cool and I'm very excited about it,” she said. “But what are you going to do tomorrow? And what are you going to do the day after that? I think that it's important for organizations like us to come here and be like, here's an outlet for this feeling that you're having. You're feeling things are wrong and you're feeling you want to do something to help. Like here's an outlet for that so that tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that, you're still continuing to do this work.”