A Texas Native Finds Himself in Reno with Long Odds
Tex says he’s struggling to get a job because he keeps getting injured, which isn’t an easy situation to deal with while living on the streets. With the coronavirus breakdown of the economy, that hill just got much steeper, but tough climbs are par for the course for this Texas native.
Tex and a friend decided to move to Las Vegas over a decade ago but then ended up in Reno to be in a less crowded place. However, Tex’s friend left him in Reno and he’s been homeless off and on since.
“[Reno’s] alright,” Tex explained, “I mean the way they treat homeless and everything. I mean it's even worse in Texas. It's against the law to be homeless in Texas. They'll put you in jail.”
Tex said he sleeps where he can in Reno, but avoids crowded shelters for health, sanity and sanitary reasons. When we met him, he was staying near the downtown courthouse, which isn’t an option anymore after it was cleared out following anti police brutality protests and unrest.
Tex said that he had more stuff but it was gone after he got out of jail recently.
A Cancer Diagnosis and Getting Hit by a Car
“We have nice people that come and help us, you know. They bring us clothes, gloves, stuff like that … I mean a lot of people help out the homeless,” Tex said of when he stayed by the courthouse. He is among those who prefer to sleep in tents outside, forming their own small communities, protecting each other and their belongings, until their preferred spot gets swept up in cleanups coordinated by the city.
Tex says over the years he’s worked different jobs in restaurants, in oil and gas fields and in a sawmill. When we met him, he was looking for work but said that he kept getting injured. He said he recently got hit by a car and a recent diagnosis could signal a sooner rather than later finish line.
“I'm fighting pancreatic cancer and I just found out while I was [visiting] in Texas. They started giving me a timeline, I walked out and said, 'I don't care,' I'm going to roll until the wheels fall off,” Tex said.