Annette and Doug, Working on Love, Sobriety and For Tesla While Living on the Streets

Starting a Janitor’s Job and a New Relationship

When we met him, Doug, 49, was getting ready to go to Tesla for a graveyard shift.

“Today will be my fourth day,” he said. “I'm doing janitorial type of work, which I'm really happy for because that's all I do out in the street is pick up the trash everywhere I go. I've been doing it for free for since I've been here pretty much 25 months and this is my third winter outside,” he said.

He says his life got derailed when his two kids got taken away from him by Child Protective Services in Colorado.

Maintaining a relationship and having intimacy while living on the streets is no easy feat. “There's no sanctuary,” he said. “There's no time to have a relationship. I'm not talking about sexual… I learned that sexual relationships do not make a relationship because we've walked in this relationship for several months now without any sexual activities and our relationship is stronger. “

“This morning when I went to work I was so tired I couldn't even keep my eyes open,” he said of working and then trying to sleep on the streets. “People could see it. I kept smiling and I kept doing my job… I'll keep moving forward.”

Getting Sober and Fleeing Abuse

Annette, 46, who also has two children, has been sober for nearly a year. She used to work in housekeeping, but has a debilitating heart condition, which prevents her from still working. She collects disability payments and keeps her kindest words for her dog Kika.

“I got her in 2010,” she said of her best friend, who is now 14. “She's my survivor right here, you know … She's my great protector. It just kind of hurts me to have her out here so I cannot give up on her. I'm originally from California and I moved up here in ‘88 so I've been up here since I had my boys here growing up.”

She said she fled abusive situations in the early 90s, and that since then her life fell apart. Death in her family, including a brother who died in his 30s of alcoholism, made her spiral further downward. Now as she gets better, she says it takes most of her energy to deal with constant harassment on the streets.

“It's just hard to do anything out here like money wise and stuff like that, but we'll be spending time together,” Annette said of spending more time with Doug.

Love and No Regrets

“Just be honest with each other … and just support him no matter what,” Annette said of her message for Valentine’s Day.

“Treat others how you want to be treated,” Doug said. “Love is being empathetic, compassionate, patient, loyal, honest, kind, gentle.”

Whatever the hardships in her life, Annette said she has no regrets. “There wouldn't be one thing I can change because everything has a story or a memory and that’s what brings life. “

Reporting by Jordan Blevins and Prince Nesta for Our Town Reno

Paul Espinoza, Cracking Whips for a Community's Protection

Not Your Usual Whip’s Use

The web’s dictionary definition of a whip is a strip of leather or length of cord fastened to a handle, used for flogging or beating a person or for urging on an animal.

For those living on the Truckee River though, lashing their whip against the bike trail has a whole range of different meanings. 

Paul Espinoza, who is in his 40s and a veteran of Reno’s streets for over 10 years, says the whips are a form of community signaling, warning others of possible dangers. This includes visits from police or of suspicious people.

Espinoza says police repeatedly disband tent cities he lives in or shoo away those trying to hide amid trees, so the whips warn others of their impending arrival. He says women also use the whip to protect themselves in what can be a very dangerous predicament at night on the streets.

Thankful for His Friends On the Streets

Espinoza says he makes whips for others and uses the end of baseball bats to get the most force and loudest sounds.  He says there is nothing illegal about cracking a whip to communicate with others.  He says it’s also something to make as a gift, and to use as an art form, or to pass time. 

He says even though he has health issues and can’t afford rent, he’s thankful for all his homeless friends he looks out for.

Reporting and Photos by Jordan Blevins and Prince Nesta for Our Town Reno

Steve, On and Off the Streets after Losing His Mother

Aid Resistant or Trying to Survive?

Politicians sometimes call those who prefer to avoid the homeless shelter “aid resistant.” Steve, says he nearly died the one time he tried the downtown shelter and had to go to the hospital, so that’s enough reason for him to stay away.

“I haven't been back. They never opened the windows… So if one person gets sick it goes through like, you know, wildfire,” he said.

The 47-year-old who says he never really recovered from losing his mother says he would like to see more low income housing and less police harassment for those living outside. “There used to be a whole bunch of people camping here,” he said of spots near the Aces baseball stadium. “And they moved them out of here, so they chase them up and down the river, you know, write them tickets for anything, you know, anything they can. Not all the police, but a lot of them.”

Steve has his own spots downtown he prefers not to reveal, as he says he’s remained hidden from both police and violence.

“Canned food helps a lot, you know, even just talking and saying hi and just speaking, you know, a lot of times that helps. Yeah,” he said of how people can help those living on the streets.

A Rise in Homelessness, Addictions and Mental Illness

The recovering alcoholic says he’s seen more and more people on the streets of late.

“Over the last few years that I've been on the streets, definitely there's more homeless,” he said. “Absolutely. Main thing is drugs and alcohol. The cost of housing has also gone up in the last couple of years. Like the motels, like Jacobs Entertainments tearing them down. They were supposed to put low income housing and that was the rumor, but they still haven't started.”

He says even if some homeless are “aid resistant” like he is, it’s ultimately sad people don’t get the help they need.

“I think the person who's homeless has to deal with their problems first… with addiction, mental illness. We see a lot of mentally ill out on the street … you know, they're not getting the cure, you know, the help they need either, and there's been a lot more of the mentally ill homeless that I've seen … that's been a big increase in the homeless population.”

He says he feels terrible for women who are homeless as well. “They are harassed all the time and you know … they got to deal with a lot of bullshit out here…I feel bad for them.”

Reporting by Prince Nesta and Jordan Blevins for Our Town Reno

The Greek, Dreaming of Other Lives

Envisioning Another Life

Like many of us who are stuck in a rut, the Greek is not short on dreams of another life, and they keep him going it seems.

“I have another calling. I want to get into the boat industry. I want to start being in the lake on a boat. That's what I want to start doing. And I want to live in hot weather too. I like warm weather. So my life, that may change,” he said wistfully.

“I like boating, fishing, water skiing. I like the ocean,” he continued. “See now that's another thing. Because if I think of these two things, the lake and the ocean, maybe some day I'll make a lot of money,” he said.

But he says the longer you are homeless, the harder it is to break the cycle of homelessness. He says the lifestyle gnaws at you and grips you and keeps you down.

“I am a survivor and I don't drive a car and I barely take the bus and I walk,” the Greek said of the importance of having good shoes. “But I'm starting to get older. My feet are kind of hurting a little bit now. So I have to pay attention to how many miles I'm walking because it gets too much…”

Health Problems and Risking Death

The Greek says years on the streets are taking a toll on him, with his feet hurting and his eyes getting cataract he thinks.

He says he almost died in the cold last year. “I had too much alcohol and I passed out. It was like 25 degrees and some people found me on the ground. I wasn't breathing…. Now, I feel good about myself but I'm not sober yet. I can't say that I'm sober yet, but I'm starting to turn.”

He once hoped he could be a baseball player but he says injuries derailed those early dreams. “This shoulder right here has a pinched nerve and I got a slip right here on the back from batting practice,” he said.

Before ending the interview, he wanted to share another dream he had, to start an after school program for kids for dirt bike racing.

“I was going to get two vans, come to your house and pick up your kids and you pay me some money and I take them out to a track … I can charge them a little bit of gas money, you know, for the gas, you know nothing to get rich off of. But that was one of my big dreams,” he said.

Reporting by Jordan Blevins and Prince Nesta for Our Town Reno

Georgia Russell, Coordinating Compassionate Solidarity For Those In Need

A Living Charter for Help

From asking for a skillet to emergency rental needs, the Compassionate Neighbors of Northern Nevada Facebook page has become a post-it, listening and direct caring board for some of those struggling in our community and local heroes lending a hand.

The group, which has over 200 members and counting, has a living charter, emphasizing safety and banning harassment or judgment.

“We are active in the community and we were also noticing on Facebook there were a number of groups out there purporting to be there to help people in need. What we were also noticing was a lot of judgment. So people would come to those groups and say I'm in need and they would be getting lectured instead of helped and it was troubling to us… So it actually kind of came out of anger. There was one particular post that was troubling to me and so I said, you know what, I'm just going to start my own group. And so we started Compassionate Neighbors of Northern Nevada,” Russell said.

“I just put an extra bookshelf,” Russell said. “I put it behind my house and labeled it free pantry and anything I have that's extra in my home I put out there and other people in the neighborhood drop stuff off and there's kind of a constant give and take. I try not to do food because I don't want to deal with messes and what not. But there's been clothing, there's been baby items, there's been furniture, just whatever. Again, the same thing rather than me taking it to Goodwill or the Salvation Army.” Photo by Jordan Blevins for Our Town Reno.

From Babysitting to Home Cooked Meals

The group’s headquarter where the free pantry is located is at Russell’s home. The 40-year-old single mother does planning and logistics for a protein bar company and calls this her “passion project.”

She says people have asked for babysitting while they need to go to an important appointment, or sometimes food for emergency situations.  

“There was one young woman who lives in a weekly with her baby and she was saying my kids never had a home cooked meal. And I said, ‘well, I'll just cook you a home cooked meal’,” Russell said.  “Just any little thing that we can do. The main thing is about pooling all of our resources, and rather than, you know, if I have some extra clothes taking it to the Salvation Army so that then they can turn around and sell it, I can just give it directly to the person who needs it. I feel everyone should care, especially now when we're just one disaster away from being homeless . It wouldn't take much. I'm very lucky in that I have this house and I have this job where I can work from home and that allows me some time, that I can do stuff like this … If it wasn't for a few amazing people in my life, I'd be living by the river right now,” she said.

Sometimes just a little help can go a long way. “We've had people who are homeless,” Russell said. “They needed money to get a hotel room for the night and everyone kind of chipped in five, $10 here and there and it didn't take much. It didn't hurt anyone… You know, five dollars. A lot of us can come up with five dollars and enough of us can do that and they were inside for the night.”

In Support of Growth rather than Gentrification

In general, Russell would like to see more low income housing in this area, and more growth for those already living here, rather than gentrification which she views as efforts to bring new, wealthier people in.

She says the “downtown homeless issue” as it’s called by many is not being described through the right lens, and that much more could be done with what we already have. “Homeless people are people, you know,” Russell said. “They are often talked about as if they are not a sentient being, that they're a problem, that they need to be moved out of the way. The problem is our community that hasn't given them a home, not the people who don't have the home. I think there's a lot that can be done. There's a lot of wealth, not just financial wealth, but skills and knowledge and understanding in this community that could be shared better,” she said.

On a day to day, moment to moment level, outside of social media, she would like people to also be more compassionate.

“As far as the people of community, I would encourage them to recognize the humanity in everyone. If you see someone on the street who you think is homeless or someone you see asking for help, say hello and smile even if you don't have anything to give, even if you don't feel like giving, just acknowledge them, you know… it's a scary and lonely place to be. Remember that they're a human being and just say hello and maybe you'll make a friend.”

Reporting by Prince Nesta and Jordan Blevins for Our Town Reno

Brandon Gaeta, Aiding the Youth in Need at the Point in Time Count

A Place to Sleep During the Count

Gaeta along with Eddy House staff, members of Our Center, the Nevada Youth Empowerment Project and other volunteers are organizing this year’s Housing and Urban Development required homeless youth Point-In-Time Count running 24 hours from midnight tonight.

The buzz of activity for local youth in need is at the old converted home on east 6th street, which usually closes at 5 p.m. On this night though, it stays open.

“I am glad because...this [Eddy House] is the central intake facility for at-risk and homeless youth,” Gaeta said. “So the youth are already familiar with this area. Also, it gives them a chance to sleep here, sleep in a safe environment, which is probably the biggest bonus.”

Free haircuts, hygiene products, and three meals will also be provided. Gaeta believes that, unfortunately, the count will yield the highest numbers of homeless youth yet. For statistics compiled in 2017, HUD reported that Nevada had the highest rate of unsheltered youth in the country.

Challenges to Reach All Unsheltered Youth

Whatever the efforts, including the ongoing use of fliers and social media, Gaeta fears some youth will be missed during the count. Many social workers say the numbers are usually quite higher than what the counts indicate.

“During the count itself we’re going to be trying to find youth that don’t already know about the event or have trouble getting downtown,” Gaeta said, in an attempt to get as many concerned youth counted.

The count’s official page posted this notice: “Looking for young people sleeping in the following areas... On the street/outdoors/park/river … On roof(s)/in a garage/attic/basement/storage structure … A place in a house not a bedroom (kitchen, couch, bathroom).. In a friend’s house or family member’s house on a temporary basis … Sharing a living space with another family … In a Car/van/camper … Abandoned building… Emergency Shelter… Weekly Motel…”

“We have been handing out flyers downtown, little wristbands, informing youth and adults alike about the event so the adults can inform maybe other youth that they see out on the street,” Gaeta said. Photo and reporting by Lucia Starbuck.

Collecting Donations While Still Striving for a 24 Hour Facility

As the Eddy House collects donations for all its activities and resources, it’s also still working towards one day opening a 24-hour facility, where youth don’t have to fend for themselves every night when the doors at the drop-in center close.

“We want to be open 24 hours at the location that we're at but it's just not financially feasible and that's always hard, you know, to have to turn away our youth at the end of the day,” Gaeta said. “Hopefully with the new facility, if we do get that, that will change and everything will be great but, you know, it's always painful to have to do that. But I'm glad at least one day out of the year we can provide that comfort and a place for them to sleep.”

Reporting, Audio and Photos by Lucia Starbuck for Our Town Reno

Whatever Happened To? Delayed Local Plans to Ease Housing Crisis and Homelessness

Long Delays at the Village on Sage Street and Hope Springs

Signups are reportedly still ongoing for the $400 “Village on Sage Street” dorms. The all-inclusive living space for applicants making at least $1,300 per month seems far from finished though at this point.

What about the new “tiny home village” planned right next to it? Articles had said “Hope Springs” as it’s being called would have their first residents by the end of 2018. Their webpage as seen below from a recent screengrab remains a call for private donations.  

Much Touted Projects Extremely Slow to Become Reality while Displacing More

While there are glowing articles surrounding future projects when they are announced and buzzwords such as “village” and “tiny” to address the affordable housing crisis, the fight on blight, downtown decay and homelessness, which projects actually materialize? It seems matters are getting worse, not better, and that the pre-election sense of urgency is gone.

Jacobs Entertainment keeps trying to acquire more lots, even as some owners such as at the Gold ’N Silver Inn, the Desert Rose Inn or HBM Technology Partners, patiently wait for better offers.

In the absence of any new development or announcing plans, what Jacobs Entertainment has done so far is reduce the number of motel rooms, which many rely on when they can’t afford first and last month deposits, or pass credit checks, or don’t want to deal with utility and other bills.

We are still awaiting the grandiose Jacobs Entertainment development plan, which for now has led to many empty, dusty lots, with just some renovation inside the still standing former Crest Inn, but no indication yet on how much the new “Renova Flats” will go for. Photo by Jordan Blevins for Our Town Reno from inside a former Crest Inn room turning into the Renova Flats.

What about the Family Shelter Campus, Granny Flats and Reno Works?

What about the renovation of buildings at the Nevada Adult Mental Health Services campus in Sparks? The plan is to move homeless women and families there from the main homeless shelter on Record street, but a plan of that happening early this year now seems highly unlikely.

Meanwhile, long winded efforts failed last year to allow homeowners to build so-called granny flats or accessory dwelling units on 9,000 square feet or plus properties in most neighborhoods.  A subsequent effort to not allow these backyard units in historic downtown neighborhoods, but to go ahead elsewhere also failed. 

Finally, in October 2018, articles celebrated the 10th graduation of the Reno Works program, with reports that 65 people in all have graduated from the program since its inception. But is there follow through on how these 65 people are faring and if the program works?  Have there been audits on how much money is spent on Reno Works and if it does work well? That would be an interesting study, but has it been conducted?  

What is known as we begin 2019, is that there are many projects still unfulfilled, many lots turned to dust and a growing housing and shelter crisis.

Op-Ed by Our Town Reno in January 2019

J.D., Mourning His Father and His Broken Family

Feeling Disconnected

J.D. says he’s from a broken family and that he’s never recovered from facing his father’s death without the support of his relatives.

“That's the reason why a lot of people are homeless because there's broken families, they're fighting each other, brothers and sisters are fighting each other,” he said. “Wives and husbands are fighting with each other. That's what's going on right now in life. That's the reason I'm homeless because my family is dysfunctional…. broken….”

He tried to rebound with odd jobs for older people, raking leaves, helping with yard work, but he says he has had fewer and fewer opportunities.

“Like if somebody needs help, I do it for free, but sometimes they give me something, a little pocket change and I take it because I do need it but I don't ask or beg for it. They just give it to me out of their own heart.”

J.D. says he prefers to keep his belongings with him at all times. “I have food and clothes because I'm living outside. I have everything that keeps me warm inside the bag.”

Avoiding the Shelter’s Drama

Like others who have lived on the streets for a while he now avoids the shelter.

“I used to stay at the shelter the first time but when, my sleeping bag was stolen, I didn’t want to stay there anymore because somebody stole from me in the shelter. Then we would have like a long line, for feeding, people would cut in line and that's not fair for people who are waiting for one hour, if you know what I mean. And then people would just get angry and fight just, just for staying in line to eat. There’s just too much drama.”

He says people think people like him are lazy but he disagrees. He says he tries his best to fit in Reno and his family, but it hasn’t worked out for him.

“I just hope that things will be better for all of us. And one day we will, we will be all happy, one family and no more racism, no more discrimination. It doesn't matter what religion you are, what color you are. We're all human beings. I think everybody should welcome everybody. That’s what I think. There's no harm. Nobody wants to hurt you. I feel like I'm living in the wild, wild, west right now because I'm homeless.”

Reporting by Prince Nesta and Jordan Blevins for Our Town Reno

Lori, 43 Today and Freezing Cold on the Streets of Reno

Life at the Shelter, Waiting for Better Days

Lori’s job search in Reno got derailed as she says her new Reno boyfriend encountered serious health issues. At the time of our meeting, she said she hoped to pool resources together and find a place with him.

“He's been dealing with cellulitis in both legs,” she told us during our interview. “His legs look like an elephant's legs, and his feet, look like an elephant’s, but now he's better. So I'm hoping tomorrow he'll be out (of the hospital) and then … I won't be homeless anymore. We met when I kept asking him like a million questions because I'm new here and then that's how I met him. He lives in the shelter just like me. “

She has found shelter life in downtown Reno difficult.

“They try their best, but there's not enough staff,” she said. “There's not enough bathrooms. It's cramped, it’s crowded. People argue. You're thrown in with random people and it's like we really need more blankets and towels and I know the workers and the staff do the best they can, but there's just not enough of them. It is just cramped, crowded….”

Lori has been homeless elsewhere, but usually she says she is able to find a new job fairly quickly. “I always carry my hygiene products, like I carry miniatures, like a miniature shampoo, conditioner … When you're homeless you get dirty, you can't go home and wash up, you can't go home and change your clothes… It makes me feel like I'm a little kid in some ways because I'm so dirty. I'm like, oh my God, my pants are so dirty.”

More Resources Needed to Get Back on Track

Lori would like to have more resources on location at the downtown shelter if possible.

“My recommendation would be a larger homeless facility,” she said. She would like the shelter to have more computers so people can look up jobs quickly. She thinks it would also be useful to have a service for immediate access for job interview clothes.

“It's like you don't always have money to buy your interview clothes, but you need the interview clothes to get off the street and maybe have someone help people on their job interviews and stuff...”

She says her boyfriend did find housing before he went to the hospital, but it took him three months, due to the local housing crisis, and lack of affordability. Meanwhile, while her boyfriend sorts out his health issues, she is still homeless, dealing with getting kicked out of bathrooms, ticketed if she falls asleep outside, and hearing mean things said about her.

“They told me I need to be on the grass area and avoid restaurants,” she said of her interactions with Reno’s police. “It's ice cold out here and I'm fighting off all these germs from everybody (at the shelter)….”

Brushing Up Her Resume at the Library

Lori has been trying to write a new resume for herself, she says. She’s gone to the library to get help from books but says it only got her more confused.

“I was reading these articles and they're like, use this font and use that font. And I'm like, oh my gosh, you know, I'm not sure which one is the best,” she said.

She has had experience helping her Dad work on cars and motorcycles. She’s also worked in the fast food industry, and as a personal cook. If given the opportunity, she’d love to find work cooking for the disabled.

Lori also said she wanted to remind Our Town Reno readers that her birthday is January 6th, and that she hopes they will have good thoughts for her.

Our Town Reporting by Prince Nesta and Jordan Blevins

Bill Muck, Epiphanies of Empathy While Experiencing Homelessness

Experimenting Life on the Streets and Being Shunned

This past summer, Bill Muck, a former Air Force bomber pilot and graphic designer turned minister and homeless activist, spent a week living on the streets with the lead pastor of the New Life Christian Center Angelo Austria. Muck had previously done a similar experiment as a class project.

“That week literally, it changed my heart,” he said. “It changed my outlook… I used to be rather cavalier about the homeless thinking that if they just would go out and get a job, they wouldn't be homeless and if they weren't drug addicts and if they weren't alcoholics … I was very arrogant about it. I would be the guy that would roll down their window and yell at some guy, ‘Hey, get a job.’ That week showed me so much about what it means to be homeless and to have nothing and how our society looks down on homeless people,” he said.

He said people avoided him because they were afraid he would ask for money. His first experiment was in March in frigid temperatures.

“Over the course of that week, I walked into 11 different casinos. It was freezing cold, it was snowing. All I wanted to do was just warm up and 10 of them kicked me out and the record was 16 seconds from the time I walked in because I had a big beard. I had a big backpack. I looked like I wasn't there to gamble. I looked like I was there to, you know, maybe beg money, I don't know, but they, they, they're not only escorted me out the door, they escorted me off the property. I couldn't even be standing outside on the sidewalk. I never experienced that before. I never experienced walking into a convenience store and having literally the clerk walk just a foot or two behind me to make sure I wasn't stealing things from him. That was so foreign to me and it made me realize how our community regards people just based on how we look,” he said.

“The numbers that we encountered were just exponentially higher than what I had seen the first time out,” he said of his second experience of living on the streets this past summer. “And I knew that because I've been out in the homeless community every Monday morning, so I know that the problem is growing and not getting better.”

From Chapel Services at the Pit Back to the Heartbreaking Streets

After his first revelatory experience living on the streets, Muck began leading chapel services in what’s called “the pit” outside Reno’s main downtown shelter.

“The pit is the one area in Reno, where the homeless people can kind of hang out without fear of being run off,” he said. “And so for five and a half years, I became intimately aware of our homeless population and I will tell you that over the last year or two, the numbers have just exploded.”

He then tried the living on the streets a second time, but this time in entirely different weather conditions.

“This time it was just miserably hot. Everyday was over 100 degrees. So I can say that I've experienced Reno from both ends of the spectrum now. It was smoky, it was hot, it was just miserable,” he said.

A screengrab from his new organization. Muck said he is open to help all who seek assistance. “They can contact me either by phone or email and I would encourage anyone that has a homeless person or that knows a homeless person to let us see if we can do something with them. Generally we are able to find places that we can help them with to either make things easier or to get them into some sort of a substantial stable environment. They can also write me on bill@upreachreno.org.”

The Get A Job Line Does Not Make Sense

While back on the streets, Muck said he came to understand yet again why the ‘hey, just get a job’ line just doesn’t make sense. “We stunk and there was no place that we can get a shower,” he said. “So I'm thinking, how are they going to go get a job when they got to carry this backpack with him, they got to carry everything they own and, and, and they stink, they don't have a change of clothes. And then you're gonna fill out an application and you're going to come down to that point that it says address and you're going to put none. And how likely is that person going to be to get hired?”

He said he came to realize the complexity of being homeless. “I mean, for that whole week, we looked at it from the point of view of the homeless. We got close to them. We talked with them because we looked the part. We looked like we fit in with them, they were able to open up and give us some amazing stories about what they had been through, why they were homeless. These people people feel overwhelmingly that nobody cares about them. Their families walked out on them, their friends have left them. They feel like God has walked out on them. And as a pastor, that's what really broke my heart, was they feel that they weren't even good enough to be able to talk to God because he was ashamed of them or they were ashamed of what they had done.”

“We slept in the streets. We found a park and we were there for a week. What we didn't know was that the city of Reno turns on the water sprinklers at 1:00 a.m. every morning. And so we got baptized. So we had to find a particular place in the park that was outside of the range of the water sprinklers. A couple of times we thought we were going to get moved on by the cops because they would drive by. Fortunately we had a pretty good hiding place so I don't think they ever saw us,” he said.

Helping Beyond Food

Muck says he’s seen progress lately, with better ideas to help in the community, new projects orchestrated by government agencies, and more acceptance of the homeless population.

He says feedings have not been a problem in Reno, with plenty available, and that his new organization is trying to address other issues.

He listed recent examples, including someone needing shoes. “He was a big man and he needed size 15 shoes. We were able to find some for him. Someone came in and said my electricity is going to be shut off. You know, they're not homeless. They're making money, they're just not making enough. And so, many times they come down to … do you buy food or do you pay your electric bill? And that's where we're able to help out a little bit with and do some things to either defer payments or work with them.”

Muck would like to see more available services, to really help people get to where they can start thinking of trying to apply for jobs. He listed more examples of what’s needed: “places to shower, places to change clothes, places to put your bag, while you're out doing a job interview, places to get a decent looking outfit or suit where you can go and present yourself in an interview, in a respectable manner. These things are vital to these people and they're life changing. We have goals down the road of having training for job skills training, for resume writing, for job placement, for medical insurance, and, you know, being able to apply and qualify for insurance here.”

Reporting by Prince Nesta with Photography by Jordan Blevins for Our Town Reno

Jacobs Entertainment and Its Local Globe of Influence

Doodling while Waiting for Information

The lack of information surrounding Reno’s emptied out lots owned by Colorado-based Jacobs Entertainment has led to many guessing games, including wild goose chases over the company’s similarly growing number of trademark acquisitions.  

What are We Talking About Exactly?

Fountain District?  But wait could it be the Reno Eye with a Ferris wheel?  Or the Glow District with some sort of revitalization of decapitated motel signs? We’ve heard many theories, from the possibility of mixing in more casinos with senior housing to ensure disability and social security checks go straight to slot machines, or simply leaving the lots empty, waiting for the next economic upswing. 

At a December Reno city council meeting, Garett Gordon, representing Jacobs Entertainment, presented this slide and said the company would announce within 90 days a “multi-million dollar, world class public space”, complete with Burning Man art and housing. Previous deadlines to divulge the Jacobs Plan for Reno’s west 4th street have come and gone unfulfilled.

Resistance and Disputes

This has coincided with some owners resisting to sell, waiting for higher prices, while there have also been apparent disputes with a still not moved business over an alleyway, new codes imposed on motels and a restaurant owner angry she is now operating within an apocalyptic dust bowl of sorts. 

There were tears and hugs recently as Jacobs Entertainment announced the 46-room Crest Inn would … gasp not be demolished …. but instead converted into the new Renova Flats. 

A photo from inside a room of the Crest Inn as renovations got underway. Photo by Jordan Blevins for Our Town Reno.

A Renova Going on?

“The name Renova comes from the combination of ‘Reno’ and the latin word for new, ‘nova.’ It is our hope to bring something completely new and vibrant, yet still have it stay true to Reno’s spirit and contribute to Reno’s growth,” Jeff Jacobs was quoted as saying in a Jacobs Entertainment press release marking that occasion.

Some on the Reno Reddit thread thought that sounded too much like a pharmaceutical product with way too many disclaimers.

“The renovations will be done by Reno Real Estate Development, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jacobs Entertainment, Inc,” the press release continued, indicating yet another name acquisition. 

A redone room inside the Crest Inn shown to visitors. Photo by Jordan Blevins for Our Town Reno.

A Mission to Provide?

“Renova Flats is another component of our mission to provide higher quality living conditions to the area,” Jonathan Boulware, vice president of Nevada operations for Jacobs was quoted as saying in the same press release.

Owing to his last name starting with B last we checked he was first on the list of the downtownreno.org Board of Directors list.  

“We also anticipate announcing our plans for additional green space as well as streetscape for West 4th St. before the end of the year,” Boulware said.  Green space? We are now dancing by the countless fenced in dusty lots, full of environmental anticipation and glee. 

We were offered an interview by the Abbi Agency with a former Crest Inn resident but she seemed petrified during the interview.  Was she afraid she would say the wrong thing jeopardizing what she may have been offered as relocation assistance?, our reporters wondered.

A man who said his name is Jacob and who said he has lived at the Crest Inn and the Mardi Gras spoke at the end of our recent live journalism event Who does the City Belong To? He said media ignored what Jacobs Entertainment was doing to help people, and said there was “heart” to the changes. He said he was being helped to get an apartment, including to cover the needed deposit and application fees. He said Jacobs Entertainment was helping many others including “ten senior citizens” he said for whom they were paying all rent, and said the company would do this for the remainder of their lives. Fact check?

Who is Listening to Who?

At the same event (as above) at the yet unsold Desert Rose Inn, Mayor Hillary Schieve got a tv camera interview but then chatted in the background and didn’t seem to look at or listen to any of the motel residents, who said they felt afraid their homes, which is a motel room, would be the next to go.  This led to some angry comments on our Facebook page. Could she not bear to listen to the testimony of long term motel residents who feared for their future? 

So in the absence of knowing what Jacobs Entertainment is planning with all its empty lots, all we can look into is some of the company’s vast network of connections, not surprising since it already operates the Sands Regency Casino Hotel and the Gold Dust West Casino, but still impressive in scope and influence.

Former mayoral candidate Jessica Sferrazza counts Jacobs Entertainment among her clients.

Numerous Ties

The Mayor’s close friend and ally Jessica Sferrazza (“Madam Clerk, in the interest of full transparency I am disclosing the fact that I have a personal relationship with Jessica Sferrazza,” Schieve says at many Reno City Council meetings, including when a Jacobs-related plan is discussed) is a local lobbyist who has worked for Jacobs Entertainment through her company JESSCONVLLC. 

The daughter of former long time mayor turned judge Pete Sferrazza, was blocked from running in the 2014 mayoral race herself when the Nevada Supreme Court sided in favor of a lawsuit by erstwhile candidate Eddie Lorton over termed out council members.  Last we checked, Sferrazza’s Facebook page for her aborted mayoral campaign run was still alive with an endorsement for Schieve and the recurring use of the #Renorevival hashtag. 

An important moment in Reno’s city politics happened when Hillary Schieve emerged as the frontrunner in the 2014 mayor’s race following a court decision.

From the Abbi Agency to Former Managers and Motel Residents

Abbi Whitaker, the president and founder of the Abbi Agency was Schieve's chief campaign consultant during her 2014 bid for mayor and helped her with her successful 2018 re-election bid as well. Jacobs Entertainment has also been an Abbi Agency client. 

Former motel managers working for motels now bought out and former residents have been hired as consultants, movers, influencers, relocation helpers, janitors, etc… the list is long.

A note by council member Jenny Brekhus expressing her concern over terms set out by Jacobs Entertainment in its bid to obtain an option to buy city-owned property on Keystone Ave.

Many Questions and Links, Few Answers

The motel demolitions have led to relocations and displacements, creating more people in need of housing, since motels are often a last resort or a first resort in terms of shelter.

Jacobs Entertainment has also purchased land from the Reno Housing Authority in exchange for donations, and they’ve donated to nonprofits also offering a larger pledge in case of equal community fundraising.  A private-public partnership between Jacobs and the Housing Authority is reported to have led to a condo being used to house a graduate of the city’s much touted Reno Works program.  Those occasions were marked by glowing initial media coverage, but where are the follow up stories?

As we searched the Internet for connections, we also doodled on a napkin some of the spheres of influence we were able to identify, which we found impressive even for a developer/ casino operator, while looking out at all the empty lots, thinking of the recently displaced, and sensing the fear of those whose motel rooms may soon vanish as well. 

Our Town Reno Reporting, December 2018

Gary Foote, A Historical Family Businessman's Perspective on a Changing Reno

In the Middle of a Buying Spree

HBM, with a showroom filled with decades old technological equipment, could soon be swept up in the Jacobs Entertainment buying spree, as the Colorado-based gaming company buys up motels, old stores and lots in and around the west side of 4th street in downtown Reno. This has caused concern of displacements and worsening the affordable housing crisis, which Foote understands.

“They bought the property, wanted to ‘improve the neighborhood,’” Foote told Our Town Reno during a recent interview. “His perception of improving the neighborhood was getting rid of those motels,” he said of Jeff Jacobs the company’s CEO. “Does he have a specific responsibility to replace those residential dwellings If he makes representations and promises to do so then probably, but … I don't know that the city has the purview or wherewithal to force somebody to build something. So then it's a matter of some persuasion.”

Foote says he himself has been given an offer to sell, but that as is the case for the general Jacobs plan, the process remains shrouded in uncertainty. “Even with my own building they say, we may be interested in acquiring it at some point in time. But then they made an unserious offer and they have not been responsive to my reply to them,” he said.

Walking into HBM seems like going back a couple of decades. Photo for Our Town Reno by Jordan Blevins.

A Future of History or Low Income Housing or Neither?

Foote talked about what he described as an impossible task to both preserve history and low income housing.

“The properties on the West Street, Arlington block, were very marginally historical at all and the ones that maybe had some architectural appeal would have had to have so much money poured into them to get them to be of a presentable nature. And then you have those two competing forces of low income housing in historic preservation because if you're going to preserve it historically, you're going to pour a bunch of money into it and then you can possibly have it affordable for somebody with low income. So those are actually opposing forces,” he said.

Foote, though, doesn’t see too many of the bulldozed properties as having much historical value, contrary to vocal preservationists.

“The cinder block buildings have no architectural appeal in particular,” he said. “And then you have a scale, where it's like if there's a historical nature to sort of the 1950s motel culture if you will, there's some stuff on like East Fourth street that has a more open and architecturally appealing, sort of some art deco kind of elements and those types of things, then they can make a move to try and encourage the ownership to preserve it without them saying, ‘hey, we want to buy this or we want you to, to improve it so much that you're going to end up kicking people out there, living there now,’” he said of possible city of Reno strategies going forward.

A screengrab from HBM’s website tracing back the company’s family inception.

In the Dark about the Jacobs Downtown Expansion

Foote said he doesn’t mind the change that’s happening, for himself or his business. He says some people always wanted to avoid certain parts of Reno, including where his business now stands, but that, evidently, he never shared those feelings. However, as others in Reno, he says he remains in the dark as to what exactly Jacobs Entertainment is planning to do with all its lots.

“I think the primary issue I have is that they seem to be fairly secretive as to what their real intention is,” he said. “Whether I agree with it or not doesn't really make any difference… There's some elements of public relations that I think they lack. They're fairly casual in terms of ‘we've got some great plans but we can't reveal them as of yet.’”

One plan Jacobs is pushing for he has disagreed with is the company’s bid to take over an alley that runs on the side of his store.

“Jacobs is, I guess for lack of a better word, petitioning the city to abandon the North South alley or to have the city abandon the property and basically sell it to Jacobs,” Foote said of an alley that runs next to his store. “It doesn't make any sense to abandon the alley,” he said.

The Price Isn’t Right Yet

When we met him recently, Foote said a sale of his location to Jacobs was not happening yet.

“It's one of those cases, that for the right price…. yes. And then it's a matter of what sort of commercial building can be found of a comparable size, location, etc…. that would make sense to move the business to…”

Location is not that important though for Foote, at this point, which also means he isn’t bothered by everything that’s happening around it.

“We're not a tourist business, we're not necessarily that much of a retail business,” he said. “We do some retail sales, but it's for people that find us and 80% of our business, we go to our client. So where we're at ….doesn't really make that much difference to our business,” he said.

Interview by Prince Nesta and Jordan Blevins for Our Town Reno in December 2018

Pack Provisions at UNR Helps Financially-Challenged Students

Smiling Volunteers and Coordinators

Due to rising rents and tuition costs there is an increasing need for easier access to affordable food and other daily necessities for students at the University of Nevada, Reno. Pack Provisions, on the third floor of the Joe Crowley Student Union, has been around since 1993, but coordinators say the need for it now is more apparent than ever.

The window leading into the pantry is bordered with green and red tinsel. A smiling volunteer sits in the middle waiting to help students get what they need.

Student coordinator, Karissa Mendaros, gives a tour of what Pack Provisions has to offer, which is more than just food.

In the closet there are shirts on mismatched hangers and stacked tupperware. Pack Provisions’ pantry is lined with canned and boxed food and a big bag of onions. They also have a microwave on site and tall coolers holding frozen foods.

Mendaros, a nutritional science and chemistry senior, is enthusiastic about the attention Pack Provision has been receiving. Her goal is to break the stigma surrounding asking for help.

“We have people who would come in and be like, “Oh I don’t think I should get this, I feel like more people deserve it,” but you need it so you should get it. Right now I don’t have a limit on things that people can get,” she said.

Pack Provisions tries to be as welcoming as possible to students in need. Pictured here is Thomas Libang. Photo by Lucia Starbuck.

More and More Visitors

Over 400 students have used Pack Provisions so far this semester. This is a big leap compared to the 78 visitors Mendaros saw her freshman year.

According to Pack Provisions, for their most recent study, in 2016, 21% of UNR students were food insecure.

“I am definitely one of those college students that is facing a little bit of food insecurity,” Vera Miller said.

Miller, a 23-year-old photography and videography major, believes Pack Provisions is essential to campus life. She has a campus library job but she says it’s not enough to cover all of her needs.

“I am currently living paycheck-to-paycheck,” Miller said.

Miller describes her own experience using Pack Provisions as positive and welcoming.

“Let me just walk you through the process so we’ve got like all kinds of boxed and canned food items which are really yummy and really good, we’ve even got Annie’s Mac and Cheese which is really cool, but they also sometimes have fresh produce, they sometimes have orders of Burger King which is super nice, fast food is pretty cool sometimes,” Miller said.

Vera Miller says Pack Provisions has helped her with accessing food during her studies. Photo by Lucia Starbuck.

Anxious Students

Other students at UNR feel less inclined to ask for help. James Long, a senior Psychology major, says he wouldn’t use Pack Provisions. He is currently unable to afford stable housing, but feels apprehensive to go to the free pantry.

“It’s just a social anxiety thing I think. There’s a long interaction process of walking up to a window, filling out a form,” Long says.

Long says it can be challenging asking for help.

“I think most people to one degree or another don’t like admitting when they need help. You know, it’s sort of a path of last resort and that’s not just about food that’s about anything. But food would definitely be a big one because that implies that you’re on particularly hard times,” Long says.

James Long says it can be difficult for students in need to ask for food. Photo by Lucia Starbuck.

Alleviating Those Anxieties

But Mendaros says even if students do have this type of anxiety to sign up they need to realize how much they can benefit by going.

“Let them know that we are college students,” Mendaros says, “We understand that it’s getting harder. I mean, at the beginning of the semester tuition is due already, books are much more expensive, those access codes are like a hundred bucks each. We are in college to provide and be successful and hopefully get out there and change the world but how can we do that if we ourselves are struggling?”

Pack Provisions has also implemented Mobile Mondays, a farmer’s market that occurs about once a month, where students can get fresh produce for free on campus.

Photography and Reporting by Lucia Starbuck for Our Town Reno

David Jhonattan, Leading Motel Kids in Direct Action

Taking the Protest Around Downtown

It’s a cool, crisp, Sunday after Thanksgiving in downtown Reno, and David Jhonattan is leading ten or so kids from the Wonder Lodge motel to the Truckee River, parading their large “Stop Rent Greed” sign down Virginia Street, engaging in conversations with curious residents, handing out free pizza and getting pedestrians to paint their names on the back of the protest art.

While one city ambassador, RTC workers and motel employees shoo them away, several cars honk in favor, and many passersby give a thumbs up. Jhonattan, an activist by day with a graveyard shift by night, engages with everyone he crosses, both in Spanish and English.

“Every single place has a value, you know, and sometimes people that own these properties take advantage of people and lie about the value and that’s what rent greed is when they take advantage of it,” he says to a kid just joining the group. All of them, except for one, Jhonattan says, currently live in motels, where long term stays are also going up. “Rent control is where the city gets involved and tells these companies you can't be raising these rents without, you know, proper procedures. So that's why your Dad’s not home … or your mom's at work all the time.”

One of the first pedestrian to sign wrote “Love is Truth” behind the big ambulatory protest sign.

A Joyous Carnival

At one point, the kids throw their basketball in the Truckee River, and Jhonattan takes off his shirt, shoes and socks to retrieve it.

One of the kids carries a bluetooth boom box while another picks upbeat songs to play loudly as they move along the river walk, getting a welcome break from their cramped motel existence.

Jhonattan knows them all through the Team Learn non-profit he manages, which aims to reform education. Their parents have all given their approval for their participation and the kids seem to be having a great time. Jhonattan says it’s also good education for them.

“You know, when they grow up, they’ll think back, back in the day this guy did this, I should do this too, you know. It kind of goes back into their DNA, into their form of living.”

The sign made its way across downtown Reno as kids alternated holding it.

Are Rent Control and Regulation the Solution?

If legislated, rent control and rent regulation are administered by a court or a public authority. Controls limit the amount a property owner can charge for renting out a home, apartment or other real estate. There are also eviction controls.

Currently, California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and the District of Columbia have localities with some form of rent control. Thirty-seven states prohibit or preempt rent control, while nine states allow their cities to enact rent control, but have no cities that have implemented it. Nevada does not have any rent control laws, meaning landlords may increase the rent to any amount.

When previously brought up on #ourtownreno rent control concepts have elicited angry comments from some on social media.

The sign got a warm reception and many new signatories outside the Sierra Tap House.

More Empathy and Protests Needed

Jhonattan says those raising rents should have more empathy for people, but they don’t. “The people that own properties and make a good living out of them, they're already making money. Even if the rent's cheap, they'll make a lot of good money. It's just they're making a whole lot more money by raising rent.”

At the basketball court, he had the kids gather around and say they were soldiers fighting for their parents, education and immigration. He says he hopes to continue the protest on a daily basis in the afternoons to keep building awareness. “Any awareness is good,” he said, “because you never know who's passing by. It could be a government area, it could be a casino owner. You never know. You know one person can make a difference. So two, three, four, or five people … maybe something's going to change. If you don't do anything, you never tried and nothing's ever going to change.”

Photos and Reporting by Our Town Reno on Nov. 25, 2018

Derek Bray, Feeling Home at the Castaway Inn

A Change of Life

“It's really nice here. People are really respectful,” Derek Bray says of the Castaway Inn.

The small motel room Bray lives in is cramped with possessions, including family pictures with children.

“I was married for 30 years to a good Mormon girl and after the marriage I wanted to see what it was like to be me, you know, because it was always against the rules to show anything feminine inside of me because I was born a boy and a girl. I've had surgeries and to show that to anybody, it's like, would be disgraceful and I understand that. But being single it’s like I'm just me. I'm not gay. I'm a boy and a girl, you know, that's what I am. But people misunderstand that. I tried to explain it to them, but I don't think they believe it or something, but if I get right down to the point where I have to show them my scars and stuff like that, I would do that.”

“My breasts grew in junior high school and I wore bandages, you know, and I didn't even think anything about it but one day or so, I was at one of my girlfriend's house and they were like, Holy Shit, what's wrong with you? I had breasts. It's like, it didn't even dawn on me. I have the scars for all that stuff,” Bray said.

Working at the MGM Grand and Feeling Reno’s Magic

Bray got married in 1980 in Lake Tahoe wedding chapel and then after moving to Reno, went to work at the MGM Grand, the predecessor of the Grand Sierra Resort.

“That was spectacular,” Bray remembers. “It was so exciting to come here to Reno, making five bucks an hour. That was just like big money, you know, but going into that MGM Grand for the first time, it's like God, it was just like being in a movie. It was just amazing. Every day I went to work it was like that. It's still like that from me now. Even in Reno, it just has that magic about it. It just doesn't have the fruit trees along the side of the road or any of that, but there was that magic to it, to just like, it's hard to get away from it, you know?”

“This was the only place that would accept me and my cat, you know, because I wasn't about to let my best friend go,” Bray says of moving in the pet friendly Castaway Inn.

Helping in Churches and Avoiding Gambling

Bray lives on disability income and helps at local churches.

“I have brain damage and they call it bipolar but it's brain damage. I have short term and long term memory issues remembering things,” Bray said.

One downside of Reno, Bray talks about, is rampant gambling addiction.

“I see people going to shelters and stuff and I see people living at the river, but I see people with addictions and the biggest one seems to be gambling,” Bray said. “That gambling stuff just destroys them. I didn't realize it was such a powerful drug, gambling. With some kind of programs around that kind of thing, it would make a big difference for them because I see it all the time. I see my friends going from friends to just like robbing you and stuff because they need to put five dollars in the Cleopatra machine or something. It's like, I don't understand. That doesn't make any sense, you know.”

Bray is hoping to get a bigger room at some point, and have a bath.

Seeking Simple Pleasures

”I'm going to talk to the owner within the next couple of weeks about getting like a bigger place,” Bray said. “A place over here that's got like two bedrooms and a bathtub. I haven't had a bathtub in like three years. I would like to soak in it. It It’s gotta to feel so good. It's been a long time.”

Before we left, Bray also talked about having more space to cook. “My favorite dish would be biscuits and gravy with sausage and strawberry shortcakes.”

Reporting by Prince Nesta with Photos by Jordan Blevins for Our Town Reno

Heroes of Reno: Julie Dunlap and the Big Coat Drive

With already frigid temperatures at nights and in the early morning hours, volunteers with the Nevada Alumni Association were in full force today on the UNR campus trying to do their part in helping those less fortunate who need extra help during the cold months.

By midday already over 100 coats had been donated.

“We’re having people walking over and some pulling over and opening up their trunk and we can be able to take their clothes and put them in the bins,” Dunlap explained.

The initiative was part of the overarching Big Reno Coat Drive with details here: http://bigrenocoatdrive.org/

People donating were being given a 25% discount in the Nevada Wolf Shop, with extra meaning this year with a strong finishing Nevada Wolf Pack football team and a highly touted basketball team.

“We’re doing our part to hopefully get as many people to come by and drop warm coats,” Dunlap said.

Reporting and Photography by Prince Nesta for Our Town Reno

Ahmad, a World Traveler Who Lost It All But Not His Brain

A Man Broken Off from His Past

Ahmad, a native of Egypt now in his mid 60s struggling with alcoholism, lived for a decade in France, where he worked on houses as a contractor. In the early 1990s, love brought him to the United States. For a time, he was married with two kids living a good life in in Santa Cruz. But then with his relationship fraying due to alcoholism, he moved to Reno, where he initially worked as a cab driver, painter and landscaper.

His life slowly deteriorated here, though, from working less and less to living in motels to now fending for himself on the streets. He said his new girlfriend was too messy to live with in a motel. “I put one garbage out, she brings three in. So I couldn't keep up with her,” he said.

Anyway, he says, motels are out of reach for him financially now. “The motels used to be like $300, $400 a month. Now it's over $700 or even $900. How can people with fixed income afford that?”

Ahmad is trying to apply for assisted housing programs, but finding the process difficult. “I just want to move out of the streets,” he said. “I don't want to die in the streets.” He says he gets $376 a month in retirement money, which only gets him so far.

Regrets and Feeling Old

Ahmad says he’s given up in some ways, and feels he’s too old to find work. “I'm an old man. Who'd want to hire me? Nobody. They'd rather hire a young person whose got more energy than me to clean the place or do something. I'm turning 65 very soon,” he said.

He’s totally broken off from his childhood in Egypt and his own family. “My problem is when I turn my back on something I forget it because it brings a lot of pain I guess,” he said. He misses his children as well. “I really miss to see them grow up. That's the best gift as a dad, to see your kids grow up,” he said.

“I can say that maybe I was stupid, a fool, kind of arrogant when I had it. Please don't be arrogant when you have it,” he added.

“We've been together helping each other. I care about her and that's why I'm around her,” Ahmad said of his girlfriend. He says he gets food stamps and goes to food lines from time to time as part of their survival together.

Angry with Politicians, the Shelter and Local Police

As local elections near, Ahmad doesn’t believe politicians really want to help the homeless.

“It's all about money,” he said. “Do you know how much money is gonna be spent in this election? They do all this fundraising because rich people want to get some contract or something to build something. They contribute to them thousands of dollars because they know they're going to make it back. Look at all these politicians and look at the people around them. They get money to make money because they know a politician can sign a contract here or there.”

He prefers to avoid the main downtown shelter. “I've been in the shelter and I don't like the attitude of the people who work in the shelter,” he said. “The shelter is full of bugs... I prefer the bugs here, but not in the shelter. I'd rather breathe fresh air than get intoxicated down there. The people they hire, I know what their problem is, they think they're better than everybody ….”

He also has stern words about local police. “When you put somebody in uniform … you’ve got to make sure that they treat the homeless people or people in general with respect. Or you're going to get a revolution. Police brutality is wrong . Hey, I'm a homeless guy. They gave me a ticket while I'm just sitting there drinking…. Where am I going to find this money from? They want to put me in jail to get money? When tourists come out, you go put homeless people in jail? Lock them up and harass the homeless people? We don't steal from nobody so why do you condemn me for that?”

“A good dog,” he said of Buddy. “Very gentle. It’s a sad life out here. Believe me,” he said. Dogs aren’t allowed in most shelters, which is why many homeless prefer to stay on the streets with their trusted companions.

Urging Others to Vote

Any advice for people encountering the homeless? “A little respect elevates our spirit but when they look down upon you, you feel crushed. Just say ‘hi’ and I'm good. I don't need your money. But if you look at me like I'm down your wrong because it could happen to you,” he said.

“I'm trying to help myself. I'm trying to get a job but I can't. I'm too old. I'm upset, but I'm not mad. I'm upset about the action and reaction. And the system is corrupt. It's up to us the people to make a movement. Vote and choose the right person. Vote vote vote. Don't miss the opportunity to choose someone who will make a difference,” he concluded.

Photos and Reporting by Prince Nesta and Jordan Blevins for Our Town Reno

Mika, An Anagrammer, Struggling with A Past of Abuse and Bad Relationships

A Survivor

A Texas native, living off $600 in monthly disability payments, Mika says she’s been homeless in her home state, as well as Colorado, Arkansas and California. She’s been on the streets of Reno since June, trying to find quiet places and avoiding the main shelter.

She says it’s difficult when homelessness is criminalized, and that you can get tickets for camping or cooking. But she says whatever the risks she still prefers living outside on her own.

“I like the camping lifestyle. I prefer nature, you know, because when I do have my chance in my camps, it's like a little mini apartment. I have what I need, you know, I'm self sufficient. I love being out here. It's just against the rules. I keep my area clean, I don't bother nobody. But … some of the others, they trash the place, they make, all kinds of ruckus, cheat, steal each other.”

But she says being around troublemakers is even worse at the shelter.

“They're against each other instead of building each other up …. they are against each other. So it's hard to be in a place like that when you're trying to get back up and can't seem to get back up because even your fellow female is against you. . We're supposed to be together to rise up, not to put each other down and keep each other down because I hurt just like they do and I know they hurt too … So I just can't stand that. Too many hens and not enough roosters …”

“This is all I have left right now. Just some clothes, some food and blankets, a book, crossword puzzles, that kind of thing. I finished out my crossword books so I do my own anagrams. I take a word, a big word four letters or more plus with the letters they give me, just anagramming. I do it for hours.”

On Watch Duty and Frustrated by Housing Vouchers

Sometimes she will watch other people’s stuff and sometimes they watch hers, so she can go shower somewhere and check her mail. When she is on watch duty, she says she works on crossword puzzles or her own anagrams for hours on end.

Mika says she tried to go through government channels to secure affordable housing but ended up frustrated with the process.

“I had gotten my housing voucher after about five years and every time I went to sign up for places that took it, it’s one more waiting list and the voucher only last three months. So I kept having to start all over again…. Sometimes they have to stop the waiting list because it's just too full,” she said.

“I wish I had done this. I wish I hadn't done that. But what I would say is, ‘what don't kill you makes you stronger.’ This too shall pass. You know. And sometimes it's like, oops, I wish I had known. What was I thinking? Sometimes I get depressed about it, sometimes I get mad with myself, but then just hopefully learn from that mistake.”

A Gambling Problem for the Homeless

Mika says having so many casinos around Reno is a problem for those like her, who always hope they can turn their luck but instead lose their government money.

“If the casinos were not here, people wouldn't be gambling their money away. If there would be no casinos, they would have their check. And I'm guilty of it. I've been guilty of it too. I didn't grow up around gambling, so I did not know how to gamble. In Texas, it's illegal…”

She said gambling isn’t her only addiction.

“I love to drink beer and I battle other things too …. drugs, alcohol, pills, men. I guess sometimes I do drugs but it’s not like my forte and my niche, but out here I'll rationalize myself to go to sleep, to forget, to feel better, to make the pain go away. It doesn't take it away, just for a little bit and I get caught up in that whirlwind of just wanting it to go away. and so sometimes it temporarily takes the pain away. That's the battle with it.”

Mika says she’s always looked for love in the wrong places. “When I was younger, now I'm not gonna do that hardly anymore, but I would go from relationship to relationship looking for real love. If you loved me, everything will be all better. It's how I was raised up. I watched my mother go through a lot of relationships. She's had several marriages. So that's what I saw … man after man…. Marriage after marriage. My natural father deceased since I was about eight and a half and the one I called my dad, he died in 2006, but I was real close with him. He died from the West Nile virus in Fresno.”

Up and Down the River

Her recent life journey has taken her up and down the Truckee river. She’s thought of getting all her paperwork in order again to try with housing vouchers but sometimes feels that would be hopeless.

“I've been up and down the river from (downtown) and then all the way down to what they call the end of the world. I've lived all up and down this river. “

She said police often ask her to move and that she does. “They're just doing their jobs. Some of them are used to some really rude people and combativeness and so they have to treat everybody like that. You know what I mean? It's not talking about abuse or anything, but they have to use that tone of voice with everybody. No one's like tasering me or anything. . Just follow the rules. Yes sir or no sir. If they ask me to move on then I move on.”

As we near the end of our interview, she opens up about her youth. “When I was young I tried to commit suicide three times. I guess I didn't understand. I didn't want to die. Just wanted the pain to go away. It was the pain from the things that happened to me as a child, as a young girl. Stuff like molestation, abuse and most of the time it was my mother's guy friends. With the sexual assaults happening I felt abandoned and unprotected by someone that I feel should have protected me.”

Tears for Others and Her Mother

She has tears in her eyes as she gives advice to others who might be in her predicament.

“Rise up. Don't give up. You're not alone. If I can do it, you can do it. Rise up. You gotta reach out. You gotta ask for help. The worst somebody can say is, no. I'm pretty sure we've all heard the word no many, many times in our life and we're still alive today So don't kill yourself. Say something. Don't keep it to yourself. Don't hide. Don't be afraid to say something.”

She also has tears for her Mom even though she says she has nothing to say to her.

”I've forgiven her, but she knows why I'm out here. I know the story. She knows the story. She knows right where I'm at, and we know the story. She's still my mother, I miss her. I miss her,” she said.

Photography by Jordan Blevins with Reporting by Prince Nesta for Our Town Reno

Does the Homeless Population Vote?

“I am going to vote in the elections. I haven’t followed the issues, but I am concerned about health care,” said Lynn Liebeck, who came to Reno about three years ago from Swan Island, Oregon. We met her at the main downtown shelter. She was the only person who gave her name.

“I’ve never voted in my life.”

“No, I’m not going to vote in the city election. I don’t trust anybody.”

Photos and Interviews by Michael S. Graham shared with Our Town Reno

Jonathan, an Injured Logger who Self-Medicated

Recovering from a Broken Back and Trying Rehab

Jonathan Brewer, says he comes from a long line of loggers in the state of Washington, including his grandfather and father and all his uncles. But after his injury, and self-medicating, his life veered away from logging.

“I've been labeled an addict and I've been through rehabs and jails, America's reprogramming or whatever you want to call it and I accepted it and went through it but … it's just another mind trick. They want you to …. enslave yourself too. I've been in jail for different things. I was a spoiled brat.”

“These people have given up, took losses, detrimental blows that were hard to mentally recover from,” he says of others living without housing. “There's vultures, you know, there's creditors out here. They prey off the weak. Even I, even I prey offr the weak. we all do….” Photo by Jordan Blevins with reporting by Prince Nesta for Our Town Reno.

A Family Man with a Broken Car

He says he has five daughters and the hardest is when he can’t find food for his youngest who he says is seven.

“When your seven-year-old daughter asks you what you're gonna have for dinner and you can't answer her and she's hungry,” he said his is toughest challenge. “Asking a stranger for some food or change because your baby's hungry. … and you ain't got shit to feed them….”

He says he found the car he’s currently working on. He said he wants to fix it and get out of Reno. “I found the car on the side of the road. It was abandoned… about to be towed by the city,” he said.

“I've had several cars and I had to do my own maintenance. I didn't have time or money to pay mechanics so I had to figure it out on my own,” he said of trying to fix this car so he can leave Reno. Photo by Jordan Blevins with reporting by Prince Nesta for Our Town Reno.

Reporting by Prince Nesta and Jordan Blevins for Our Town Reno