David Smith, Out of Work, Homeless and Injured

Photos and Interview by Jose Olivares for Our Town Reno

Smith, a 19-year resident of our community, is homeless because he doesn't have a job. He sometimes gets work in construction during warmer months, but he's had health problems, dealing with ruptured disks in his back.

On our community: "People have good hearts. They tolerate us. Some people don't.... If we don't have greed in front of us and we help each other then everything should be allright."

Photo and Interview by Jose Olivares for Our Town Reno.

On city leaders: "I think they need to make a place, not just the homeless shelter, where people can be safe, where they can camp."

On his health problems: "You can save your money, put it into a bank account for 20 years and have it wiped out in a second due to medical problems. That's what you have to understand. You can have a life and be on your feet and not be homeless your whole life and then have something wipe you out."

Photo by Jose Olivares in downtown Reno, January 2016

On sticking together: "If you don't have friends and you don't have a lot of family that starts another set of parameters. Then you're dealing with people who don't know you and that's when you start having issues... We're a community. Everything in this community, one thing will affect everything else. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. We just need to deal with it."

Nick, Devoted to Helping Homeless Youths in Reno

Nick Tscheekar is the Initiatives Director with the Community Foundation of Western Nevada. Photo by Jose Olivares

Last fall, Nick, a 2014 UNR graduate, helped coordinate the Streetsmart 4 Youth Restaurants program which raised $14,000 to help homeless youths in the Reno area. The money was distributed to the Children’s Cabinet, the Eddy House, Planned Parenthood, the Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality, and the Sierra Association of Foster Families. With the new year upon us, Our Town Reno wanted to find out more about what Nick was doing and planning to help homeless youths in Reno. This includes coordinating a new mentorship program. Listen to Nick's interview with Our Town Reno's Nico Colombant or read excerpts here to find out more.

Outside Nick's offices in downtown Reno. photo by Jose Olivares

What do you do exactly at the Foundation?

We connect people who care with causes that matter so we work with a lot of donors and connect them with different philanthropic causes they’re passionate about. The other area of our work is with community initiatives, which is more specifically what I do. Since early 2014, we’ve been doing our Youth Network Initiative and that’s a community project addressing needs of youth who are homeless or runaways or aging out of the foster care system.

Last year, Nick sat at "The Circle" in downtown Reno during a 48-hour living on the street activist event as part of outreach efforts with at-risk youths.

What is your personal motivation to do this type of work?

I’ve always been interested in community development work but I didn’t really know about the issues with youth homelessness in Reno. Once I started looking more into it, and when I saw there were over 3,000 students who are homeless in the Washoe County School District that was something I wanted to get involved with.

Nick works with colleague Camille Glanzmann at the Foundation on homeless youth issues.  Photo by Jose Olivares. — Nick works with colleague Camille Glanzmann at the Foundation on homeless youth issues. Photo by Jose Olivares.

Can you tell us more about the homeless youth problem in our area?

Youths who are homeless they tend to stay in groups and I think a lot of them, the main reason why they are invisible is they don’t want to be seen. It could be they are minors and that if they are caught that could mean being put back into the system, if they were in foster care, and they’re trying to avoid that. There are (also) issues of incarceration, so really they just want to blend in as much as possible.

Nick and other activists slept by the river in the cold as part of the 48-hour outreach. Many homeless youths avoid sleeping at night or find very hidden places.

Does your work sometimes break your heart?

Absolutely, it is heartbreaking... The one thing it really relates to is a person’s privilege. For many of these youths. it’s not that they’re lazy, that they’re not hard working but perhaps they didn’t come from a good family, or they are victims of abuse. If they had been given the same opportunity as myself or other people, they wouldn’t be in this situation. I think sometimes what it comes down to is the luck of the draw.

Nick says homeless youths often avoid shelter areas or free food distributions to avoid becoming victims of older homeless.

A New Mentorship Program

I’m talking to a lot of youths and looking at where there are gaps in the system and mentoring is something that’s highly valued. Many of the youths would like to have a mentor. Upon researching the reality of mentoring agencies, many of them have a shortage of mentors. So we recently created a new website called NevadaMentors.Org. That’s designed for prospective mentors to look and see what opportunities are available, what suits their interest because it can be somewhat difficult to find the opportunities that are available if they want to help a vulnerable young person.

Why is it so important to help homeless youths?

I think it’s probably one of the biggest issues in our community. For many of these youths right now they are still at a point when they can turn their lives around if given the proper network of people, the right opportunities and resources but if we ignore it and they continue along that same path they can end up becoming chronically homeless and that puts a lot of future social and economic burdens on our community later on.

Hector, the Activist: "I'm a Solutionary"

Hector is among the community activists who helped the homeless at a now fenced-off tent city in Reno, NV.

On being an activist: "What drives me is my family, my community, my people out here. Things should be different and I'm not a complainer. I'm a doer so I go out in the field, making sure everyone is alright, and doing something and coming up with solutions. That's what I am, a solutionary. I like to change things. There's a lot of stuff happening but no solutions."

Hector is one of the volunteer activists who help organize healthy food distribution around Reno for those most in need.

On listening to the homeless: "We want to hear their voice. I think that's what's important, not what we have to say but the voices of the people and the stories of the people out here. We are giving food and clothes, building a comunnity. We are trying to find solutions instead of saying, 'oh, just leave, get a job like the rest of us'."

Hector says cell phones have changed the way activists can organize and protect themselves.

On the importance of cell phones for community activists: "Police target our community, black and brown mostly, but it happens to poor white people too. It happens out here all the time. We film the police just to make sure everything is ok. Cell phones are a big tool. We can organize and mobilize on cell phones and we can also catch video. Every time I see police, I just film anytime I can just to make sure I'm ok, everyone else is ok and that's our right."

Hector sets up music before a food and clothes distribution community effort begins at a now fenced-in former tent city in Reno.

On how police should change: "They need to be out here with services to the people, rather than harassing. Catch the killers, catch the real criminals, catch someone doing corporate corruption. Out here, we are just trying to survive. People are just trying to live."

Activists reach out with healthy food and conversation at a now fenced-off former tent city in Reno.

On the dangers of gentrification: "I don't think it's good for all these new businesses to come in here downtown, and try to kick all the poorest people out. All the services are here. Gentrification, that's another fancy word for relocating people out of the community."

William "Mountain Man" James Wright, Surviving the Winter

"Some people maybe hate the homeless, because they're afraid of becoming homeless themselves."

Warehouse Injury Leads to Chronic Pain and Homelessness

Reno-born and raised, William James Wright, also known as "Mountain Man", has been homeless for about 15 years. Now 51, he has a blown-out knee, a creaky hip, a shaky ankle and "arthritis all over his body." William injured his knee working in a warehouse at his last job, when he slipped while cleaning up an oil spill.

William doesn't like panhandling or dumpster diving, so he prefers canning to make some money.

Cold But Not as Bad as Several Years Ago

William says he can't do physical work anymore and doesn't have the education for a "sit-down job." He's looking for doctors who will take his Amerigroup health insurance card to help him. He collects cans and syringes along the Truckee river to make about 50 extra dollars a month, but has a harder and harder time walking around. He doesn't like dumpster diving because one of his friends got a big cyst on his neck after doing it repeatedly. William says this winter is cold, but not as bad as one several years ago, when it was twenty below with three feet of snow on the ground.

Authorities fenced off the park last fall after more and more homeless had created a tent city near a bridge on Wells Ave.

Staying At Wells

William says even before the tent city sprung up by the Wells Ave. bridge between 5th and 6th, he'd been staying there since he's been homeless. When it became too crowded of a spot and turned into a tent city this past fall, authorities fenced it off. "You can't really blame the city for cracking down because it was becoming a health problem but still we need someplace to go."

William has been living near this intersection for most of the 21st century.

On being woken up repeatedly by cops in the middle of the night: "This morning at two a.m. a cop came by. Cops asked me why I was sleeping on the sidewalk. told him because it's wet and there is snow on the ground. But he said 'pack it up and get out of here.' Then he started derogatory statements towards me, telling me to get rid of my dog, go to Sparks, which is a usual thing. They have the gun, they have the power. You do what they say. We're not doing any crimes, we're trying to sleep. I think they make it so that you give up and start doing crimes."

On Living Under Bridges with His Dog: "It's the only place you got if you have animals is underneath bridges. We keep each other warm. She gets me motivated to get up and do things. It would be nice if on cold nights, there would be a way for homeless to have shelter options with their pet."

William has remained at the Wells Ave. location even though it has been mostly fenced off.

On Other Reasons He Avoids Shelters: "It's like going to jail or prison. There's violence, there's cliques, there's people stealing everything they can, a lot of bad stuff going on there. Sometimes, they say it's full. It would be nice to have lockers for people to put their stuff so they can look for work or if they're unable to work they can get their daily stuff done. The city's always needed more porta-potties, also places where homeless can bring their trash like dumpsters set around town."

"There are a lot of good people who help us." William enjoys healthy food.

On good people: "There's good people out there. They bring us tarps and panchos and gloves when it's real cold. They also bring food. I don't drink alcohol. I like it when they bring healthy food. "

Bryan, the former "Mayor" of a Fenced Off Tent City

Bryan Pettibone, a homeless man with two dogs, found a nice spot last year to put up his tent next to a bridge on Wells Avenue in Reno. Drugs and alcohol weren't tolerated if you wanted to join him and pitch your own tent there. Soon, it became a "tent city", with more and more homeless. Many had pets, which aren't accepted in homeless shelters. But when the temperatures started dropping at the end of October, the homeless and their animals living there were evicted and the spot was fenced in. #OurTownReno will document this eviction in an upcoming mini-documentary.

Bryan Pettibone was known as "The Mayor" of the Wells Avenue tent city before it was fenced off.

On his homeless situation: "I'm on Social Security. I make $733 a month minus bank charges and whatever. I'm looking at $550 / $600 that I can spend. You can't find an apartment even a real good studio for less than $700 and it's getting ridiculous."

The eviction notice he was served the day before police came in to disband the tent city.

On cutting the weeds at the location of the "Tent City" and being evicted: "We tried to hide, that didn't work. Now we're exposed that doesn't work. What else is there? If I had the money I'd go build a place where homeless people can go stay with dogs."

Tent city residents receive a visit from workers of the Nevada Humane Society who check up on their pets.

On not being able to keep your pets at homeless shelters: "That's a lot of people's problems now is that they are homeless with their animals and the homeless shelter does not take animals so they have no resolution for the homeless with animals."

One of his two dogs got a new collar, the day before the eviction took place and the spot was eventually fenced in. It was a small consolation for Bryan and the other homeless living there with their pets.

Breaking Stereotypes, by Reighan Fisher

Note: As a student journalist, Reighan Fisher has done extensive reporting about the homeless. She contributed the first audio story to our audio page in December 2015. This is a blog posting she wrote about "breaking stereotypes" when reporting about the homeless.

Former UNR student Megan Parsons and current UNR student Reighan Fisher pose with Robert Basham after interviewing him in 2014.

One of my goals in life is to break stereotypes of the homeless. One of the first questions I asked Robert Basham was how he came about his situation.

An Honest Man Trying to Stay Sober

Robert was an honest man who admitted that he had been struggling with alcoholism for a long time. Although he has been sober for two years, when I asked him what his biggest goal in life was it was to simply stay sober.

An Impressive Resume

Now at first glance I'm sure you wouldn't expect this man to have copies of his resume on him along with an impressive educational background. In 1985, Robert graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor's Degree in electrical engineering and according to his resume has only been out of work since 2013.

Furthering our discussion about education he said: "You don't learn an idea in college and make a million dollars off of it. You go to college to learn how to learn. "

Facing Judgments and Fighting Battles

Robert was very well informed with issues going on in our country as well as the judgements people like him face everyday. His response to that : "I can't help what other people think of me, I'm working on my own life."

So here is what this comes down to. I'm sure you all know of somebody that is currently dealing with or has suffered from alcoholism. Just because they may be "well off" and not homeless like Robert, does not mean their addiction is any less from his.

So many people are fighting battles and so many people choose to take the step towards recovery everyday, and yes this includes the homeless.

Do Good With Your Life's Path

Robert went to college, earned a degree and even though he did everything right up until that point, he was still faced with this battle that any of us could encounter. I hope you all get something out of Robert's story. Never let society judge you off of your weakness, instead be like Robert and show society that it's okay not to be perfect.

Because the people who change the world are the people who inspire us to get out there and embrace the path life has shown us and do good with it. #breakingstereotypes

This was adapted from Reighan's website page, "Capturing Culture". For this original posting and more of Reighan's reporting and insights visit http://theproductofpeace.weebly.com/capturing-culture.html

Stephen Oakie, A Teddy Bear for His Granddaughter

“This (teddy bear) is for my granddaughter. She’s seven years old. I got her a little gift, it’s beautiful. She lives in Carson City. I’m going to send it to her because I don’t have a car or nothing.”

“I’m from the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. Please send these pictures to my address so my son can see what I look like. I want my son to see me.”

Photo and interview by Jose Olivares in Reno, NV.

Albert, On the Streets Trying to Provide for his Baby Girl

Albert Vasquez Jr. was released from jail about a month ago. He and his wife had a baby daughter at around that same time. She is less than one month old. Albert’s wife and daughter are living in a family shelter in Reno while he struggles to find income in order to improve his family’s situation.

Albert Vasquez, Jr., out in the cold in Reno, NV.

On Being Homeless:

“Having to look at myself in the mirror and say ‘Hey you’re homeless’ is hard. I lost my job, went to jail, came back out here and I came out to the cold weather and the snow. I’ve been trying to get on my feet. It’s kind of hard. I’m not stuck on drugs, I’m not an alcoholic, but with the cold weather and my criminal background it doesn’t make it any easier [finding a job]. Any penny I get or any dollar goes to them [my family] so they can get whatever they need; coats, jackets and anything else my daughter needs for the winter.”

Albert's message to other Renoites:“If there’s any funding or any people that want to come out and help. Please do.” — Albert's message to other Renoites:
“If there’s any funding or any people that want to come out and help. Please do.”

On the Happiest Day in His Life:

“The happiest day of my life was seeing my daughter born. I was in jail and my wife was having contractions. I was like, I’m willing to give up my prior lifestyle in order to be out there to see my daughter born. That’s my pride and joy, right there.”

Photos, interview and text by Jose Olivares

Alden, In His Own Words

On being a musician: “I started out playing the drums and then I ended up playing the guitar. My mom ended up marrying the man who owned the only—the only—music store in Scottsdale, Arizona at the time. That’s how I learned how to read sheet music, chords, everything.”

On being homeless: “I don’t have a home now. I got evicted from where I was living. This was about a month ago. Oh well. All of my stuff is over there, too, I don’t know where to put it. I don’t have any money for storage.”

Alden's note from December 30th, 2015: I Eye Love U! U Love Me! That's the way it's meant to be!

He also wanted to show us his shoes.

“I bought these shoes about a month ago. Look how they look. Take a picture!"

Photos and Interview by Jose Olivares, at the Reno bus depot, December 30, 2015

The 2015 opening of the Eddy House - 48 Hours on the Streets

This project started when journalist Nico Colombant and several UNR Reynolds School of Journalism students documented the opening of the Eddy House for homeless youth in Reno. The opening was preceded by an outreach event hashtagged #thisishomelessness, when activists and social workers lived on the streets for 48 hours. The following is a pictorial for some of those 48 hours.