Dana Searcy previously listed as the Division Director for Housing and Homeless Services shown here giving a media tour of the Cares Campus in one of our archive photos is reported to be no longer a county employee.
“On September 19, 2025, Dana Searcy resigned from employment with Washoe County,” Bethany Drysdale wrote in an email to Our Town Reno confirming what a source told us in a text message this morning. “Washoe County thanks Ms. Searcy for her service and wishes her well.”
We will try to look further into what caused this departure. There had been commissioner concerns previously expressed about expensive office space she had used in downtown Reno away from the shelter compound.
In September 2023, it had been announced that “in support of Washoe County’s strategic plan priority to serve vulnerable populations, effective September 11, Housing and Homeless Services (HHS) under the continued leadership of Division Director Dana Searcy, will transition from the Office of the County Manager to become a new division within the Human Services Agency (HSA).
In the works for several months, the move is a natural progression to harmonize the delivery of services across our homeless facilities, which include Our Place, the Cares Campus and our Safe Camp. HHS’s move will provide economies of scale for much-needed resources and collaboration opportunities as we pursue our mission to end homelessness and expand affordable housing in our region.”
Two years after that announcement, there was no mention in today's email we received as to who would be replacing Searcy, who was still listing that position on her LinkedIn.