Healing From War With Art, In the Spirit of a Fallen Soldier

Giving Back after Losing Her Son

Art, performances, literature and more---that’s what one foundation brings to veterans in hopes of helping them with their reintegration into the community. The David J. Drakulich Foundation For Freedom of Expression (DJD Foundation) got its nonprofit status in 2011 and has different programs like open art studios, writing workshops, performances, and community discussions for veterans and their families. Tina Drakulich founded the DJD Foundation after losing her son David Drakulich. 

"My husband and I, and my family, my two surviving children had experienced loss from war. My son, their brother, David J. Drakulich, was killed in Afghanistan in 2008 and he had been an artist,” she said.

“He had really believed that the thing that he had to give to his country, was his military service after being attacked on 9-11. After we experienced that loss, my first instinct as a mom is, well, he's not here to build the legacy that I would experience as a mother living with a living son, so, it became my job to do that. That was a removal from my grief so that I could work constructively towards a positive outcome for others," she said.

Drakulich said processing trauma through art can be healthy for veterans and their families. When Our Town Reno visited the DJD Foundation, Drakulich was partaking in Combat Paper Nevada, a process in which old uniforms are turned into paper, an art form Drakulich said can be therapeutic.

“I just found that although it was a very scary thing to try to do, once I had completed my first set of paper made out of David's uniforms, I really started to feel like it was empowering and healing and I wanted to share that with everyone else,” Drakulich said about her first creation for Combat Paper Nevada.

Folding Papers into Art to Heal

After losing David, Drakulich found herself folding old papers that belonged to him into paper cranes, which she considered to be a part of her healing process. She also said art can help veterans share their own stories and experiences.

"It's helping veterans who are wishing to reintegrate. I know that a lot of our veterans have got disabilities of both mental and physical, and they seem to get the most immediate benefit from all of these activities,” Drakulich said.

She also wants people who aren’t in the military to get a better understanding of veterans’ experiences through a program called Dialogues on the Experience of War, which supports study and discussion on issues raised by war and military service.

“We aim to really bring the civilian community into the conversation because we have learned that, number one, a lot of civilians don't really have any idea as to what it was that these current serving soldiers face,” she said. “We figure that, that's the citizenry that votes and that's the citizenry that's going to be accepting reintegrating soldiers. So, that's the community that needs to be knowledgeable about what is going on in our world today,” she said.

"I believe in the arts. I believe that our community needs the arts. I believe that an artful community is a healthy community. I also believe that a world without art just might not be worth fighting for in the first place," Drakulich said.

Teaching and Doing

Drakulich said that the practice of humanities is often removed from people in order for them to perform their tasks in the military, and that humanities must be returned to them upon coming back.

Gene Hughes served as a missile repairman during the Vietnam era. He’s now the art director for a majority of the programs the DJD Foundation offers. He’s heavily involved in the Veterans Art Project, an open studio. 

"[Art] gives veterans a way to express themselves and to share with the world the things they've learned while becoming a veteran,” Hughes said. “Speaking as a vet, we need to share with our communities and our communities need to share with us. I've always felt that the best liaison between groups is art," he said.

Hughes has a distinct style of teaching. Instead of having the class follow his art style, which is graphite portraiture, he allows people to explore any medium they desire, so they can tell their stories the way they want to. Hughes strongly supports veterans’ freedom of expression.

"It's really important because that's the foundation on which this country was founded, freedom of expression. When I fought for this country, I wanted to come back and be able to express myself freely. I think artists appreciate that right more than just everyday people," Hughes said.

"What I've learned about myself is that I have a lot more to give. I thought that I was through being an artist and I was wrong. Working in this community and extolling the virtues of art, made me realize that I am still an artist and I think I will continue to be an artist," Hughes said.

Reporting by Lucia Starbuck for Our Town Reno

Annette, Holding On to an Ailing Dog and Finding a Supportive Community

Not Giving Up on Her Companion on the Streets

Annette finds company amongst friends, her old dog and her newly found community at Barbara Bennett Park, which she says reminds her of where she came from. Annette moved to Reno in 1988 from Richmond, California, a town of about 100-thousand people in the East Bay area. She’s been houseless on and off for the past three years. 

When Our Town Reno interviewed Annette earlier this year, she was with her boyfriend Doug, who worked at Tesla, but she says she’s no longer with him. She was also celebrating her one year anniversary of being sober, which has continued as she’s 19 months sober now. However, her dog’s health is deteriorating.

“Even though times get rough, don't give up. A lot of people said, ‘She’s just dog.’ No, I could have had a place or job or anything like that. But she's old, she’s got cancer and stuff like that and I'm not going to give up on her.”

“She's very protective over me and I try to be as much protective over her, maybe a little too much,” Annette said of her relationship with her aging dog. “One thing I'm afraid of is; I'm going to lose her.” Annette has had nearly 15-year-old Keika since 2010.

A Supportive Park Community

Annette has been sleeping in a secret spot nearby the downtown courthouse but spends the daytime at Barbara Bennett Park. Annette said community members often hand out food at the park. She said when other people living on the streets gather it makes life less stressful for her.

“Once everybody comes in [to Barbara Bennett Park], we all get in a circle and we all talk and everything. It just feels more comfortable when you're in a group than single,” she said.

Annette also gets food stamps. For Keika, Annette goes to a nearby church that hands out little bags of dog food. Annette mixes sausages in it. Annette also recently got a Coleman propane stove. She takes turns cooking with her friends, but the most important item they prepare, she says, is hot coffee. 

Annette travels by foot and was recently told by police she can’t have a shopping cart to carry her items. She emphasizes the importance of having people she can trust to watch her stuff or Keika if she has to go somewhere.

Annette’s message to the world is: “Pay it forward please. You see somebody out there, even just a sandwich, you know, help them out. If you see somebody who needs a pair of shoes, help, donate.”

Photography and Reporting by Lucia Starbuck for Our Town Reno

Chris Davis, Pursuing Dreams of the Screenwriter's Life

Crafting a Screenplay About Vampires

From singing and acting to screenwriting, Charles Davis currently incorporates his own life experiences while writing a trilogy about vampires. Charles Davis is 35 years old and is from Reno. He’s had a range of different jobs throughout the years including, Walmart, Round Table Pizza, Hollywood Video, Blockbuster Video, Burger King and Goodwill. He used to study singing and acting.

“I used to be in singing for a semester and then I had two throat surgeries and while on voice rest, my grades were declining from an A to a C. I had to do something to bring it up obviously. So I started writing and sure enough, it took up and it went from sentences into a story.

His current trilogy includes a musical called, ‘Drake a Vampire’s Journey.’ Davis doesn’t want to publish his work online due to fears of his ideas being stolen. His favorite movie is, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ directed by Gore Verbinski in 2003. He enjoys doing voice impressions of characters.

The questionnaire we are passing out at the downtown library as part of Share Your Story Mondays from 10 to noon. If you’d like to share your story, don’t hesitate. You can also bring favorite pictures and mementoes of yourself and Reno.

Surviving Depression and Sexual Assault in Reno

Davis says that he’s a loving and caring person. He enjoys helping people and volunteering. He said that people in Reno can be standoffish and he wishes people made more efforts to get to know each other. Davis says that he puts his life experiences into his writing. He said that he’s lost people in his life due to depression and is also a survivor of sexual assault.

“In 35 years, people just think it's just a normal life, but I've had a lot of past bad experiences with exes, life and family. I was born four months premature,” Davis said. “Biological mom left me, adoptive family wasn't so great. They just wanted me as a paycheck versus the love and family I should've gotten. But you can't always get what you want, so you just gotta roll the dice and go with it.”

Davis said that he enjoys sharing his story with others. His advice to writers is, “Be true yourself and just go with what you know.”

Photography and Reporting for Our Town Reno by Lucia Starbuck

RISE, Reviving the Push for a SafeGround for Neighbors Without Shelter

Countering Vigilante Threats

The Reno Initiative for Equality and Shelter non-profit is currently reviving the push to establish a SafeGround, which by definition is “a legally recognized land area for use by people experiencing homelessness.”

“Essentially instead of continually running down camps, we would provide the needed infrastructure to make them more functional. So, porta-potties, waste management, and then security,” Benjamin Castro from RISE explained to us. Find the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/board-of-county-commissioners-washoe-county-dedicate-land-to-a-safeground-in-washoe-county-07d9c205-d625-4908-923d-3e493de0558c and read a Q and A with Castro below on this and other projects to help those without shelter.

Q: Why the need for a so-called SafeGround and how would it help our neighbors without stable shelter?

A: “Our philosophy is, look, these people are already managing to survive on their own. All they need is just a little bit of support and a little bit of, permission essentially. If there's complaints about waste management, if there's complaints about, you know, no bathrooms, well then let's provide that with minimal infrastructure and let's get them the protection they need from other community members. “

Q: What are the immediate needs now for the homeless population as winter approaches, and what about other much talked about ongoing projects to help with the affordable housing crisis?

A: “We're calling for the overflow tents again. At Sage Street (Village on Sage Street dormitories), we’ve heard dorms are only at 50% occupancy. And I'd say that's probably because of their high qualifiers . The Tiny Homes (HopeSprings Tiny Homes Village) project is still in its fundraising phase, so that hasn't kicked off. And then in response to the recent vigilante actions by QOL, honestly, we think it's time to, to start endorsing some of these camps and make them functional and give them the same protection that every other citizen in this community deserves.”

Castro on the right of the photo hopes the new community volunteer meal location could be combined with the SafeGround, all the while empowering those being helped. “Maybe they can help clean up, maybe they can be the security, so that we don't have to kick them out at 7:00 AM. They can also set the tone for how these dinners are gonna go. If you give them ownership of the project as opposed to just being a recipient, then it'll grow. It'll give them them more incentive to get involved. So we’ve pitched that. The new dinner location should go in tandem with either an overflow tent or some sort of sanctioned camp ground, or the SafeGround we are pushing for.”

Uncertainties over Shelter Location for Women and Children, Community Meals and Overflow Winter Tent

Q: What about the idea for a new, separate campus for women and children in the Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services campus? 

A: “We do have an update that that's not happening this year. So again, another year where things get delayed and I'm not trying to give grief to the organizations that are pushing for those projects. I absolutely understand that delays happen. Money is everybody's problem. But this is our third year now to where we've talked about hosting people at NNAMHS. We've talked about putting people at the Tiny Homes and then none of those have happened yet and it's winter 2019 and we need to start worrying about, besides just the elements, now we have to start worrying about vigilantes who maybe next time they won't make a Facebook event about going around and breaking up camps. Maybe they'll just do it without telling anybody. So that's what we're afraid of. Besides just trying to survive the harsh winters of this area, we're also afraid that people might start being harassed by community members.”

Q: What about the new proposed location for community meals across from Hooten Tire company on 4th street?

A: “I really appreciate the Truckee Meadows Water Authority for offering up that space. My issue with it is that by my understanding it's a very short term lease agreement. It's only two years, and it has to be renewed every year. One of the biggest reasons why we were on board with relocating the dinner services, was that we really enjoyed the idea of having a park or a parcel that was being underutilized. And then once all the meal providers get together and start serving there, start setting a tone that over time it would be a public park where this is where service providers go. So it seemed like a great legacy to leave behind, you know, 20, 30 years from now, after we're all done serving and other people have come in and they started serving again that we have a nice park with nice benches, maybe some fruit trees that was once just a dirt lot. But only having a two year lease on that lot is kind of discouraging because anything we build there is just gonna end up getting wiped away anyways.

I'm hopeful that if we do this right and we get a lot of community engagement and we engage the people that we're serving that yeah, we can beautify that area. We can make it nice. We can make it somewhere where you want to go and you want to reach out and you want to perform outreach, as opposed to we'll just put you over here for now and then hopefully in a couple of years we'll figure something else out.

I'm hearing the move will happen as early as November 1st. I know that other meal providers have some issues with the location as far as transportation. We still haven't seen benches, for people to sit down and enjoy their meal. There needs to be better coordination.”

In October, RISE meals were still taking place Saturday nights on Record street. There are ongoing discussions going on as to where a new overflow shelter tent will also be placed. “It made much more sense for us to have the overflow tent and the dinner site for the dinner services performed at the same site,” Castro said. “If we don't like the new site, and we've told them this before too, at of the first preliminary meetings that if we don't have the infrastructure that we need to be successful, which is again, porta-potties, waste management, parking, lighting, if you make us fight for our own, then we will choose a park of our own accord that's convenient for us, that's convenient for the people we serve. Don't be surprised if a tent city just pops up there. So we either do this together and we do it right. Or we do it on our own because I'm not going to be set up for failure.”

Q: We are seeing a court case from Boise and efforts in Las Vegas to make camping illegal. Is poverty being criminalized?

A: “Absolutely. You know that we do have a lot of friends in the county and there are some friends in the city who genuinely want to help, who are in my opinion, actual problem solvers who are compassionate. And they have the connections to kind of connect all the dots, but it's also an image problem too. I think for the city, I think it's obvious that they don't want to deal with this issue or that they spend a lot of money on the Community Assistance Center on Record street. And they think that that should be enough. It's hard to say, but honestly I would say that, yeah, it definitely feels like there's a lot of community resources out there that we're not taking advantage of as a city, as a community really. And it's making it harder for people to get involved.”

Q: What about the recent #BringSomeLove movement at Pickett Park to counter the vigilante threats?

A: “I definitely see it as a catalyst and that's part of the reason why we've revived this petition. It’s definitely a catalyst for people who didn't know where to start or didn't know how to get involved. And one of the biggest things for our organization is just giving people permission to get involved. And I think that's what a lot of organizations lack. You can join us, you can see what we're doing. But honestly, if you see a problem out there, and nobody's addressing it or nobody's fixing it, then that makes you in charge. You don't need anybody's permission to get involved, to help your neighbor. So hopefully we're trying to garner some of that support. The petition is an easy one. Hey, there are people out here surviving anyways. Instead of spending a bunch of money to stop it or to try to hide it from the public eye, why don't we just endorse it? It would be half the cost to get to get some dumpsters, and some hand washing stations and some port-a-potties. And they would appreciate the support and wouldn't be so resentful and their neighbors, community members wouldn't be so resentful as well if we facilitated their growth as opposed to always trying to stomp it out. I mean, honestly, if we spent half the time actually facilitating this community's growth as opposed to shuffling them out of public eye, then we'd probably be in a lot better spot.”

“We usually set up around 4:15 to start distributing clothing and hygiene products,” Castro said of the Saturday night setup. “Then we'll share a meal and break some bread and share some smiles. I think really the more important thing besides feeding the body is just letting people feel normal for a moment. Actually recognizing them as a person, letting them understand how much pain they're actually in and then just asking them to keep fighting.”

Photography by Scott King and Interview with Our Town Reno in October 2019

Devon Reese, Concerned About QOL, Winter and Delays with New Housing and Shelter Projects

Q: What are some updates on what the city council has in store to address homelessness or the lack of affordable housing in the area?

A: The city council has a number of different things that it's working through, and it's one of three or four different regional governing bodies that has some role to play in housing or homelessness. As a city we're challenged by our finances. Certainly, we are challenged by the fact that as far as the city's powers … we are fairly limited. So we try to find the areas where we can work within the opportunities that we can create here in the city. I think we've done a good job of taking on a project-by-project analysis of the problem. We haven't done a really good job of looking at the entirety of the situation. We have different boards within the city; for example, the CDBG (Community Development Block Grants) board is tasked with looking at the federal resources that come into this community that can be used to help people who are dealing with housing insecurity or homelessness. At the end of the day, I think our city council believes very strongly that people need a roof over their head. Sometimes that's in immediate shelter needs, sometimes it's in temporary housing, and oftentimes it's in long-term goals and transitional programs that can help people get to that goal. So we're doing a lot with very little, but there's obviously more we can do.

Q: Could you elaborate more on the CDBG (Community Development Block Grants) board and what it does?

A: So this is an area where we have a sub-committee of the council as a whole. It meets with local partners that include Washoe County, Sparks, and I believe the health district has a seat on that board as well. It's just a pool of money from which we as a council make choices about how we're going to prioritize how we spend those funds. Some of that has gone into rapid rehousing dollars, some of it has gone into programs to keep people from having to move from their home as they age, and there's a really great program that's part of it that allows people to have their homes renovated and at times retro-fitted in order that they can stay there. I think this is an important project because it means that people stay where they are. They shelter in place, they have a home where they can age gracefully, and yet it allows them not to become a part of either the homeless community or in a different kind of shelter situation. This last time around we provided funds through that entity to cover some of the landlord-tenant rights and seminars that have been offered by the city. Some of the money in that particular fund has gone to … housing like the Willie Wynn housing project (the Willie J. Wynn Apartments now run by the Reno Housing Authority, which broke ground in May, are named after a local preacher and will specifically be for struggling senior citizens), just off Sutro and Wells and money for that project came out of that fund.

Reese’s view on the city and multiple housing projects being worked on, some slower than hoped for.

Q: What are some updates on the HopeSprings tiny homes project?

A: That's a great project. That is really a good example of a public-private partnership because it has drawn interest from governments, Hopes- which is essentially a health resource in our community-, and then it was some land that was owned by the city. It's been a little slower getting out of the dirt than I had hoped, but it's coming on-line. I think you won't see people living there for about another six to nine months is what I understand. But in concept, gosh, it looks amazing. It looks like something that could really benefit our community and I'm hopeful that it might be a model for other kinds of projects of a similar nature. This is a project that I think hits a particular target audience but could be expanded to include lots of sub-communities, like homeless veterans, for example. I think that this project is being replicated successfully in other communities, as well. If you are paying attention to the national landscape, it appears that villages of this type and sort of the smaller housing units which have a cluster around a central meeting place and a place where people may engage with one another seem to be successful in other communities and I believe it will be successful here.

Q: For those that may be on the streets and interested in taking advantage of this opportunity with the project. How do they go about doing that?

A: Well, as I understand it, there is a waiting list for the project but I don't know what the status of it is. Of course, I’m sure that there are resources online. I know that our own Housing Authority and different entities within the city that connect people with services are excited that it would come online because that'll provide the opportunity to really push it out. The other major project that we had here locally was the village on Sage Street. It was another project where it had a very long waiting list, but then when it came time to actually have people housed there, some of those people had moved. Some were very transient in terms of lifestyle, so their phone numbers had changed or they may have had an opportunity to get into other housing arrangements. So these waiting lists are a good starting point because they're an indicator of need, but they don't necessarily tell the entire story about the depth of that need, if that makes sense.

Previously, according to his City of Reno bio, Reese “served as the Vice President and General Counsel for a large, regional builder-developer. He was also the former managing attorney of the Reno law firm, Curiale Dellaverson Hirshfeld & Kraemer, where he focused on products liability, wrongful death, and professional claims defense litigation.”

Q: There is a project in place for a new campus for women and children without shelter. Some community members are feeling that it's coming out a little slow as well. What is your update on that center moving forward?

A: Yeah, so the movement of the women and children over to the Galletti campus (from the Record street downtown shelter) is going to be awesome and hopefully transformational for people's lives. Everything moves slower than anyone would want, and I am concerned that we're going to have winter bearing down upon us. Obviously, it's getting colder and it might not be up and running by the time that people have a need for it, so that's concerning. I will say that the campus is very large and when you look at the overall services and the comprehensive range of things that can occur on that campus, you can't help but be excited about it because in the end it really does focus on a group of people who have a considerable amount of need for services and I think it's going to be a good one once it gets there.

Q: We’ve heard the Sage Street dorm-style living is at about 50% occupancy. What is being done to try and increase the occupancy rate right there? 

A: Well, I have not spoken to the VOA folks who are on site in a couple of months, so I'm not sure if that occupancy number is true today. If it is, that is somewhat discouraging because I do think it is a good opportunity. But it's just a matter of telling people what's available. It's about connecting people with services where they're needed. Ultimately, I think that they have been making some choices about income levels that perhaps are not reflective of the community that is the target need. I know that there's some thoughts about adjusting those downward so that more people can be eligible for housing there. I think too that some people are very interested in living there, but it's difficult at times to put together that first and last month's rent because when people are living paycheck to paycheck or without a paycheck, that can be very difficult. My understanding is that some funds have been made available through our rapid re-housing fund in the city to help people secure down payment assistance. 

When you think about a place like the village on Sage Street, and the need that people have to get in to that type of housing, it can be very difficult if you are facing an emergency situation or if your resources are very limited and you're choosing between food and shelter, or food and medicine and shelter. Those funds that are available through the city as a resource, while they're limited in some ways, at least they exist. Hopefully we share the positive word about those funds and it will help people see that as a viable option. The other thing is, I think fundamentally people just have to get used to the concept of a different type of living arrangement. Most people don't necessarily think of dormitory style living when they think about their ideal circumstances. But once you visit the campus and see what's going on there, I can't help but think that it's very inviting, very warm, and very friendly. There's a community on-site resource that is essentially a store where they can buy grab-and-go foods and there are classes that are available, too. There's laundry facilities, internet cafes, game rooms, and living areas outside of the dorm. They're small, don't get me wrong, but they're safe. For anybody who is looking for a home, I can't help but believe it would be a good opportunity.

Reese says safety issues and thin resources at the downtown shelter are forcing community meals out from there. Volunteers providing the meals are angry a new location might make the help much more difficult to provide.

Q: There are some activists and community members who are disappointed that the community meals are being moved away from the main shelter on Record Street. Why are those meals being moved and what's your reaction to that response? What would you say to them?

A: Well, I guess the first thing is to acknowledge the concern and frustration of those people who are out there doing the good work of feeding people. Undoubtedly people's hearts are in the right place and any time that one human being wants to help feed another human being, we should be finding out ways for that to happen. Of course, there are things that get in the way of that like health rules and concerns about the safety of people who are seeking that food resource. The Record Street campus is just stretched thin in terms of its physical space and also the provision of services there. When you have people lining up several hours before and staying several hours after, it creates lots of opportunities for unsafe conditions. The city has been working very hard and at least one community partner stepped up as a place where those meals could be served. The city attorney's office drafted as I understand, a release of liability and that really wasn't vetted well with the members of the community who were the ones actually doing the work and serving. So I'm not entirely sure if that has been resolved. I think it can be resolved, but I haven't been involved in it intimately. I just know that feeding people should be a priority for all of us and certainly it's a priority for me. I think that whatever the concerns are for folks who are in that community of providing food, we can work through those issues, whatever they are.

Q: Last weekend, the group Quality of Life-Reno made a motion to conduct citizens arrests on homeless staying in Pickett Park. The city police came in and notified the people that were staying there and now they are no longer there. The community responded by having a donation drive at the park. Are you familiar with what happened and what is your reaction to the whole thing?

A: Yeah, I'm broadly familiar with it. I wasn't able to attend the outpouring of love that was shown on Saturday so I don't know what happened on the ground other than what I read on social media. What I saw was a community coming together in love, strength, and support for our most vulnerable people. The group mentioned is one I'm vaguely familiar with, too. I think they're shady operators. They're not good people. I don't think that they have a heart for the citizens of this community. At times these fringe groups create a lot of commotion and a lot of stir, but with very little desire to really help. The response from the city of Reno was somewhat hands-off because it was not in a position to do much either way. I understand a Reno police officer was involved in trying to defuse the situation, but I don't believe he was there on city time. He was there as a concerned citizen and really just wanted to make sure that everyone was safe and that this fake event did not get out of hand. In the end, the Quality of Life folks wanted to take credit for what happened. Of course, no one believes that that was accurate or fair.

“What I can say is this community came together with an outpouring of compassion and love and stood up for what is right, which is viewing other human beings as deserving of grace, dignity, and respect,” Reese said of the #BringSomeLove counter protest. “There's no place in this community for anyone to hate or think less of another human being because of their economic circumstances or their lack of a home. It's heartbreaking. The truth is we have a problem that we need to address. We're undertaking efforts to address those concerns. But there's not one thing that's going to happen and all of a sudden we're going to have all the ills that we face fixed. We have a fundamental economic inequality in this country and it seems to be widening. Until we are willing to have a serious conversation about that, we're going to be continuing to treat the symptoms rather than the illness itself.”

Q: The US Supreme Court might eventually look at Boise vs. Martin, in which they may review the overall legality of sleeping in public spaces. There was an amicus brief that was written by a Reno attorney at one point in support of the case. What are your thoughts on all of this? ( Boise has formally asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider its appeal in the case, called by some the “camping lawsuit.” It came about due to a city ordinance banning people who are homeless from sleeping in public places.)

A: Well, no amicus brief was filed on behalf of the city of Reno. I think there was a discussion a few months back about whether or not Reno should support such an amicus brief and our council declined to participate. The reality is the Boise vs. Martin case is an important one. I don't know whether it will ultimately be heard by the Supreme Court. Either way, we have a fundamental problem that we have to fix and the courts aren't going to fix things for us. We have to fix things ourselves. So what we have to do is focus on ways in which we can provide adequate shelter resources. We have to focus on programs that help people to reintegrate into both everyday life and living things like hygiene, health, housing, jobs, and job-retraining at times. At the end of the day, cities, especially our city with limited resources and limited powers, are perhaps not the best problem-solvers. Nonetheless, we find ourselves in the position of trying to promote the health, safety, and well-being of the people who live here. So there are a complicated series of things that one has to ask when we decide whether we are being appropriate, loving, and compassionate towards those who find themselves without a home. At the end of the day, I don't believe that Boise vs. Martin decision is going to be heard by the Supreme Court. If it is, I don't think it will fix what we have going on here. So we ought to get busy with the process of fixing what we can on the ground now on our own.

Q: In relation to affordable housing prices, what are some strategies that the council is implementing to address this issue?

A: Affordable housing is often lumped into the conversations about homelessness. In terms of affordable housing and some of the things that we've done, our mayor has helped us to focus on the “A Thousand Doors in 120 Days” initiative. This is one in which the city of Reno can defer sewer hookups and connection fees to developers who are willing to develop within a particular geographic area called “Opportunity Zones” so that the developers are incentivized to build in an area where we need development. So we're not giving the money to [the developers], we're saying we'll take the money later in the project when you get a certificate of occupancy.

A second example is under the newest legislative cycle they passed, SB 103. There is a way for cities to use their judgment to actually waive those [development] fees if in fact we're getting a more affordable component to a project. This is something that we have to, as a city undertake, and in the coming months figure out how to plug that in. 

There are also ways to use the land that the city of Reno owns. Where we own the underlying land, earlier this year we conditioned the sale of a particular parcel on the agreement that would reduce the fair market value of that [parcel] if the developer builds a certain number of units. In this case, it ended up being 12 to 15 units of affordable or market rate housing in that project. Since we own the land we were able to discount the land in order to get affordable housing as a component. We're using those CDBG funds to incentivize and sometimes bridge the gap between what financiers have in their pocket, what they get from a bank, and what they can get from the city. So we actually place money towards those housing components. 

“These programs are all various tools and at the end of the day, we should be throwing everything and the kitchen sink at the problem,” Reese said of increasing affordability for Reno residents. “Some of them are not necessarily going to be absolute fixes, some of them are going to be seen by some as ‘too little, too late.’ But they're all part of a package of things that we can do. It goes back to that concept that the city is not in the ideal position to solve many of the social ills that we face, but we have a role to play and we're taking a very proactive role. This council is particularly concerned with meeting the needs of people in this community who are un-housed.”

Q: Early on in your term as the Councilman At-Large, you seemed to be pretty active on social media. Do you intend to continue to do that?

A: Yeah, I try to be engaged on social media in some small way all of the time. I have tended to always post about upcoming meetings. I try to give a summary of those meetings and when the meeting is concluded, I try to respond and say what we accomplished in the meeting. I think it is probably a double-edged sword. Some people think social media is the area where you go to complain, bash on people, and attack people's views. In my social and online presence, I have to believe that it's a place for us to communicate directly with citizens and to engage in the deliberative process of a democratic institution, so I'm on social media a lot. I don't know if I'm up and down in terms of usage, but I think if you look at my social media, I have tended to be very open and vocal in support of the projects and communities that I'm working with.

Q: You are currently running for election for this position. What are some new ideas for the homeless and affordable housing issues that you will run on, or are you running on a continuation of things that have been tried before?

Answer: My ideas are informed by necessity. I don't think that we are unique among communities in this country who are grappling with housing, affordable housing, and homelessness issues. I wouldn't say that I am doing anything other than what is necessary. I do think there are things that we have to do better. The truth is, when people are hurting and suffering, we have a moral obligation to act and respond. I go about each day trying to think about how I can improve this community. It's a community that's given me a lot and at the end of the day, if we are to move forward together into the future, we have to do that with all of us benefiting from it. If only the folks on the upper end of the spectrum economically benefit, and the middle-class continues to shrink and the people in that tail end of the spectrum economically, are just frozen out of social life and that's not right. That is not consistent with my values. I prioritize people over things. In the next legislative cycle, I would like to see us taking a more proactive and aggressive stance on taking an opportunity to fix some of these issues. [During] this last legislative cycle, our city's priorities were pretty small and I would like to see them expanded.

I’d like to see us get as aggressive as we can with seeking to find resources and opportunities to expand the program. We're going to continue to support housing across a broad spectrum of housing types. I believe that housing of all types, whether it's dormitory style housing, student housing, tiny villages, or apartments on all sorts of spectrum, and even entry-level housing and upper-level housing frees up housing stock for everybody. It's one of those things where economists and people who really study housing markets are very pointedly and adamantly in favor of developing more housing stock. So wherever that housing stock lies, it benefits people at different ranges in the spectrum. We should be doing that. 

“People have to be able to have a place to sleep,” Reese said of one of his priorities for his campaign. “I'm interested in exploring things like, the idea of a community-based camping ground. [It can be] a space where people can be safe, where they can camp if that's their desire or if that's their circumstance. I think people are camping in parks because that's out of necessity. I'd like to see some way in which we could find opportunities for there to be land that is set aside for the provision of that type of temporary housing. I don't think it should be long-term because I think people need the physical things that come with a roof, a toilet, a shower, and an address in a mailbox. But out of necessity, I'm interested in exploring that.”

Q: In closing, what message would you like to share to the city's homeless and those who are struggling on the streets?

A: Well, I don't want to be emotional in my approach to it, but I want to tell people that there's always hope. Love is the thing that will unite us as a community, as you saw … at Pickett Park. Everyone deserves the dignity and grace that comes with being a human being. People are not illegal by their circumstances in terms of being homeless. I want us to take a compassionate approach to people's wellbeing. At the end of the day, our priorities and our values will dictate our policy choices and that for me has always been people-first. If we come to accept that there are some fundamental inequalities in our society at-large and then we think about how that implicates our positionality here in Reno, I think we can come to a better understanding of the types of solutions that are necessary to make sure that people are safe, well, and have access to resources like food, medicine, and hygiene. All of those things are just part of the inherent dignity that people have. I hope people understand that that is who I am and I hope that's reflected in my policy choices. 

Reporting and Photography by Scott King for Our Town Reno (Note: Some questions and answers were trimmed for clarity)

A Quaint Campus Coffee Shop is Closed as Student Luxury Housing Spreads

Gone, Suddenly

“It came out of nowhere…going from expecting us to get an extension of sorts to the new landlords being like, ‘Oh hey, you guys gotta get all your shit out in a week,’” said 23-year-old now former barista Braulio Claro of the long rumored then abruptly realized closure.

“I feel like it’s … a very special place where I have grown a lot as a person,” Claro said on one of his last shifts. “Any time I didn’t want to be at home, I would find myself here,” he said, expressing a sentiment shared by many students, UNR staff and locals.

Rebecka Bethel and Grant Uba will miss their relaxing times inside and right outside Bibo’s, which felt to many like a grittier, more expressive and freer enclave than most other areas in and around the university.

“Character Destroying” Gentrification

22-year-old Rebecka Bethel explained that while she is sad, she is also frustrated with the deeper issues connected to the closing. “Over the past few years it’s been really apparent that Reno is getting gentrified,” she said. “All the houses on 4th street and Ralston are being torn down to build a ‘Neon district’…those are peoples’ homes.”

“It seems like there’s a lot of land elsewhere without having to destroy a lot of the character that is Reno,” said Bibo co-owner Paul Martin.

Old homes on nearby blocks, some with deep historical significance, are also being moved or destroyed to give way to new luxury student housing and UNR’s expansion. Bibo Coffee Company has other locations around town and is trying to reopen one near campus, but some former patrons say they feel it will be difficult to recreate the unique atmosphere it had in its Record street location, across from railroad tracks, with plenty of trees providing shade, and a view of Reno’s downtown skyline.

Listen to an audio feature on one of the last days of the coffee shop here: https://soundcloud.com/user-677215943

Reporting and Photography by Karina Dominguez shared with Our Town Reno

Olivia Piccirilli, Hoping the Momentum for Help Keeps Going after Resisting Vigilantes

Outreach to Join Forces

Piccirilli went out to Pickett Park this past Saturday, reaching out to other volunteers, inviting them to join Washoe Food not Bombs, which serves healthy vegetarian and vegan community meals at Wingfield Park on Saturdays from ten to noon.

Sadly, she wasn’t surprised others in Reno are seeking to force people out of parks. “I think that it's definitely reflective of a larger attitude in the Reno area where people don't understand the root causes of homelessness and housing insecurity and think that the simple solution is to displace them even further,” she said.

While some in Reno believe there’s always room at the main downtown shelter, that’s not always the case. Piccirilli also knows many without the means to afford stable shelter try to avoid the shelter like the plague, due to a myriad of reasons, most notably insecurity.

“Like it's terrifying. And I would rather sleep on the streets and stay there,” she said. “So like it's really clearly by people who don't understand what's happening.”

This original threat sparked outrage from many online, and led to the #BringSomeLove counter action. The Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality, meanwhile, is recirculating a petition to establish an officially sanctioned Safe Ground for those without shelter.

Humans Helping Other Humans

Piccirilli stresses the need for more affordable housing, and more variety and quantity in terms of shelter space. More people should see people struggling as humans, as well, she says. She used to work at the Eddy House, helping youth living on the streets, and gaining perspective on the need for compassion.

“As a community, people need to think of homeless people as human beings. If there is somebody panhandling … give them two dollars. Like, that's a really good way to help somebody … Like just see people as human beings I think is the biggest first step,” she said.

She said the Saturday at Pickett Park was like a big rally, with “everybody all fired up”, but she hoped the momentum would continue.

“[It shows] there’s people out there who care and want an outlet to help. And this was a very good way for them to get this outlet, which is really cool and I'm very excited about it,” she said. “But what are you going to do tomorrow? And what are you going to do the day after that? I think that it's important for organizations like us to come here and be like, here's an outlet for this feeling that you're having. You're feeling things are wrong and you're feeling you want to do something to help. Like here's an outlet for that so that tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that, you're still continuing to do this work.”

Reporting and Photography by Lucia Starbuck for Our Town Reno

Bram Buckley, Helping with Local Affordable Housing, One Meaningful Project at a Time

A Commercial Real Estate Broker Gives Back Through Affordable Housing

“I had just gotten into real estate and my degree was in geological engineering and I was attracted to it because I got to build stuff and commercial real estate was starting to slow down in 2005 and or 2006,” Bram Buckley, a commercial real estate broker with Avison Young, says about why he got into affordable housing. “I was approached by some friends of mine to join the board of Northern Nevada Community Housing, and contribute a little bit. As soon as I got on the board, I really sort of fell in love with the work and being able to give back. I was on a couple of other boards but nothing really sort of tickled me like this one. In that time we've built, I want to say about five or 600 units of affordable housing in the Northern Nevada area, most of it in the Reno-Sparks area.”

As part of our interview, Buckley also wanted to define the words “affordable housing”. “There's two definitions for affordable housing,” he explained. “There is housing that people can afford and there's housing that the government has stipulated, that's a certain percentage of the Area Median Income and has a legal definition as affordable. And people mix these two things up all the time, but they have two separate meanings. So when I'm building affordable housing, I'm talking about building by the government standard for people who are 60% of Area Median Income or less, but in Reno, in the newspapers and you know, people sitting around a coffee shop, they will talk about affordable housing, and say ‘what can I afford to actually live in? You know, I make $70,000 a year and I can't afford to live here.’ And so those are two separate things,” he said.

“We do at least one project a year,” Buckley explained of the oncoming project to save and upgrade Joseph’s Inn, where 26 previously chronically homeless people are reported to be currently housed, with one tenant having lived there since its opening in 1993. “Sometimes it's a rehab, sometimes it's new construction. Joseph’s Inn is just an older building and it is one of the only projects in the area that is for people who are literally homeless the night before. You literally had to be homeless the night before to qualify and Reno doesn't have anything else like that,” Buckley said of the importance of this project.

A 12-Month Race to Remake the Joseph’s Inn into a Better El Centro

The current project Buckley is helping with concerns saving and rehabilitating Joseph’s Inn, which provides permanent housing for individuals without any shelter. Units are subsidized by the Reno Housing Authority with rent set at 30% of their gross annual income.

It’s proving to be a big challenge. “The problem is the building, the bones of it are from the 50s,” he said of the old building which will get back its original El Centro name. “And even with the rehab we did in the 1990s, it's still starting to really struggle and fall behind.”

New regulations often mean more expensive construction which is part of the overall problem. “All our buildings are constantly reviewed every year to make sure they're meeting energy efficiency standards and basic living standards. And Joseph's Inn is really slipping behind the times.”

Northern Nevada Community Housing says it is going to rent housing for current tenants, and then add kitchenettes, redo the entire interior and exterior, and then bring everyone who wants to come back in, back in.

“The system will pretty much be the same as it was before,” Buckley said. “Once it's rehabbed, it'll be the same system, same people, same vouchers. If we can do it within 12 months, we won't lose anything. So we're under the gun a little bit on that one.”

But he says it’s gratifying to see the community understand the importance of this particular project.
”A lot of people were excited that we weren't going to lose it because we were getting a little close to losing it,” he said. “The government was not going to recertify it because it wasn't meeting the standards and we would have lost all that and those people would have been back on the streets.”

Buckley unsuccessfully tried to get the at-large Reno City Council seat which was up for grabs through an application process earlier this year when the previous councilman in that seat started another job. Buckley said he won’t try again. “I wanted the open council seat because I didn't have to run, because I wouldn't owe anyone anything and I could tell them exactly what I thought,” he said

Views on City Council Fees and Nevada’s Misguided Tax Structures

Buckley says he believes a newly released plan by Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve to incentivize 1,000 new homes in 120 days by pushing back city fees such as sewer fees, road infrastructure, impact fees, to the end of the process instead of the beginning is “an okay step.”

“I'm not sure it's going to drive more projects, but it sure won't hurt any projects,” he said. “Some of the things that slow developers down, especially in a booming market like this, would be blighted properties that have been owned by say a family for a long time and they have no incentive to fix it up because our tax structure is a little backwards. Our tax structure taxes you based on the age of the property, not based on the value of the property. So if you've got a building in downtown Reno that's paid off and it's an old warehouse or something like that, and it's been there for 70, 80 years, your tax bill is so low that there's no incentive to go out and fix it up and try and find a tenant and get good rent for it or sell it off … So that's one of the downsides of our kind of backwards tax system in Nevada.”

He says the sewer fees and impact fees also should be lowered for projects offering lower rents. “That would be a little bit of a seesaw. You give something, you get something,” he said.

“This map is where all of our current projects are,” Buckley said of a large mural inside a Northern Nevada Community Housing meeting room. “It is updatable. So as we add projects, we will be updating our map here. Our project that's currently under construction, is in Valley Springs in Carson city where we're adding 70 units. We have land under contract in Fernley, Carson City and Sparks right now. As the real estate guy, my job is land. By the time we build it, I'm usually kind of out of the project. So I'm thinking three or four projects ahead,” Buckley said of his specific role.

Liking Ideas of Upzoning, but Criticizing Granny Pods

Buckley thinks Reno and other cities looking at denser zoning possibilities is a trend in the right direction. He says local authorities have been open to going beyond current zoning.

“As long as you can prove that the infrastructure can handle it,” he said, building can happen. “So if you're building an area where the schools can take it and the sewer system can take it and there's water, you can go denser, you'll most likely get that upzoned.”

The proposal for allowing granny pods that came and failed, though, he views as an “absolute joke” and waste of time. “How many units do you think they would have produced? 500. I mean, what do we have? 17,000 people moving here a month. I mean it's absolutely just the wrong scale and it's a total waste of time. I'll continue on that granny pod thing because it drove me nuts with the amount of people we have moving here and the number of single family homes they're building. Single family homes is the answer and … new apartments and density. “

Buckley says he’s also doubtful about rent control. “I know that there's obviously upsides and downsides and they haven't worked super well in a lot of the places they've been in,” he said. “I'm a pretty liberal guy, but I feel like that kind of thumb on the scale can have pretty serious consequences.”

“The federal dollars are not going to solve our housing crisis. There's just not enough. It's not even close,” Buckley said of using federal money to start more affordable housing projects such as Joseph’s Inn. “We need to encourage a regular developer to build more affordable housing projects.”

Getting a Dwindling Amount of Federal Money

Buckley says there just isn’t enough federal money to solve the affordable housing crisis. He says the funding that does make it to Nevada is attributed by population size, giving the Las Vegas area the biggest share.

“Washoe County gets the next largest bucket and the rurals get the rest,” Buckley explained. “And all of that money that Washoe County gets, that we usually win, translates to a 44-unit complex that we build every year or purchase something. Last year we built a 50-unit complex and added 22 more units to it on 4th street. But that's all of the dollars that come into the state. Right?”

Buckley explains federally-funded projects are also more expensive. “We have to be absolute top of the market energy efficiency. Every single one of my units has to be Americans with Disabilities Act adaptable or accessible in a normal apartment complex … There's a million little rules like that, that make my projects 20 to 30% more expensive than a normal developer, in my opinion.”

Has there been a Tesla effect to our affordable housing crisis? “Obviously there's a correlation to the companies that are coming in,” Buckley said. “And for every Tesla engineer, we need two bartenders and a dry cleaner, right? I mean, there's primary jobs, then there are secondary jobs that come along with them and then people move here and they bring their families. And there's a reason why so many people are moving here, because there's jobs to do. There's lots of work. I mean, our unemployment is basically nil.”

Understanding the Anger

While low income residents see motels getting torn down, apartment buildings raising their rents, and other new developments catering to a more affluent clientele, Buckley says he understands the anger around affordability.

“If an apartment complex gets purchased and the rents were $600 and the new developer wants to,
they come in and rehab everything and then the new rents are going to be $1,400. And the little lady who lived there doesn't have a home anymore. She literally can't afford the new rents anymore. That is a problem. Reno has an affordable housing crisis …The only solution is more units that people can actually afford. If someone comes in and buys an apartment complex and puts millions of dollars into it, they're doing it for one reason, and that's to have more money fall out of the bottom of it at the end of the day.”

”I think that there are solutions,” Buckley said, wanting to finish our interview on a positive note. “I think there are little local solutions that will help. I liked [the mayor’s recent] idea. It's a step in the right direction. I think there are things we could do to make this better, but when we get tied down with the granny pods thing, which is just ridiculous, I mean it just doesn't meet the scale of the problem. There has to be some incentive to build more affordable housing because otherwise, with all the risks the developer takes, all the problems you have to go through, no one's going to not get top of the market rents unless there's some incentive. It's just not going to happen.”

Interview with Our Town Reno at the Avison Young Offices

Laika Press, Keeping Printmaking Alive for All in Reno

Creating Access to Printmaking

“Once I graduated, there wasn’t any access to the tools and equipment that are required to do [printmaking],” Nathaniel Benjamin recalls of what spurred him to start Laika Press. “So we got together to start a community press and make all of those resources publicly available to everybody so that not only can we practice ourselves, but also get other people involved in this thing that we love so much.”

Laika Press offers services in screen-printing, an art form commonly associated with t-shirts but also used to create print products themselves. Laika Press has two traditional-style printing presses that can produce work using a wide range of techniques from copper-plate illustrations, etchings, woodcut, relief printing, and lithographs to name a few. The presses provide members of the community an opportunity for a hands-on experience in the work that they create. 

“It’s been really fun to get people into the space, we do workshops to teach people how to do these techniques from beginning to end and we have all the supplies to be able to do that,” Benjamin said, showing examples of produced work.

From the Community and for the Community

Much of Laika Press’s equipment has come as community donations. Consequently, Benjamin feels that Laika Press already has a strong connection with the Reno community that enables him to give back through its services.   

“The intention all along was to have [Laika Press] be a resource center for people to do this specific type of art practice which isn’t accessible to everybody,” Benjamin said. “We wanted to make [printmaking] available because not everyone can afford to go to UNR or purchase this kind of equipment. We were in that subset of people that were able to get educated in this and we wanted to disseminate that information to the community.”

Benjamin values the role art plays in a community. But in Reno, he says, it’s a role that is becoming more complex.

“We’re in a really unique place because there is a lot of emphasis put on the arts in Reno,” Benjamin said. “But we also have a lot of tech companies coming in and changing the social dynamics of the city. There’s this interaction between these tech companies with big money and the art community which doesn’t have a lot of funding. The presence of those companies kind of changes the landscape here.” 

Benjamin remains confident in keeping printmaking relevant, as he says it’s an art form unlike any of the others. “[Printmaking] is an interesting thing because it’s in between having an original item that you produce and having multiples,” Benjamin said. “You’re in it with your hands from beginning to end creating a multiple that is still unique because your hand was still involved in it. So it plays to a lot of our expectations in our culture where multiples are expected, but is also still grounded in that aspect of originality that I think is so important to art.”

Reporting and Photography by Scott King for Our Town Reno

David Layfield, On Creating a Database for Affordable Housing, Upzoning, Government Action and Higher Wages

Q: Why is there a need for the vast affordable housing information your website makes available?

David Layfield: (Because the system we have) is unnecessarily complex. The way the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher system has been constructed, it's created this complex system where every single housing authority that manages the Section 8 Voucher Program has its own timetable, its own process, its own set of software. So you have, I don't know, approximately, I think there's 2,300 housing authorities in the country … 2,300 different waiting lists and 2,300 different times those waiting lists open or close. And if I'm working 50 hours a week trying to make ends meet, I don't always have the time to pick up the newspaper every day and check for public notices or check every community bulletin board or go online and search for my local Housing Authority waiting list opening up… We have about 400,000 Americans who get an email from us a couple of times a week with a rundown on all of lists that are open right now. We're the only one that's doing it other than copycat website that just uses our data and republishes it.

A popular term and idea currently being tried as a solution is called upzoning, to allow more density in residential areas.

Q: What about upzoning as a possible structural solution?

David Layfield: In New England, in Silicon Valley, where there is an extreme shortage of affordable housing, and there are very expensive land costs, it becomes nearly impossible to build affordable housing just because of the land costs alone. And so if when a developer decides to buy these lots and build housing, if there isn't [anything] that requires that developer to include affordable housing, they're not going to go to affordable housing. They're going to build whatever development model generates the most profit. If you have a density bonus awarded to that developer where they can build more units if they include affordable housing, that's a viable way to get housing resources in some markets that wouldn't have otherwise had it. There's other parts of the country where those metrics don't apply, where land costs aren’t exorbitant.

There have been repeated protests in Reno over rising rents, blaming both landlords and also politicians for not doing enough.

Q: Are there any particularities to the affordable housing crisis in West Coast cities, such as Reno, where tech companies are expanding and long term renters are being priced out?

David Layfield: I think the biggest player in all of this is the local economy. When it comes to housing opportunities, it's you know, how hot is the local economy? Let’s take Seattle for example. There is a serious affordable housing crisis in Seattle and it was almost, most of the locals will tell you that it was almost, totally created by Amazon. Some would say it's a good problem for a city to have, but if you create so many jobs, so many high paying jobs, then all of the housing resources that are currently there get absorbed by high paying individuals. And that's where gentrification comes in… If it's a place where you see high tech industry relocating or other high paying jobs coming into town, if you're not keeping pace with building your affordable housing stock, you're eventually going to have some of the same problems.

Q: Our local politicians here in Reno will often say their hands are tied in terms of their potential impact and there is only so much they can do to help with rising rents? Is that a cop out?

David Layfield: I guess I'd have to understand what they mean when they say they can't do anything. Do they mean they don't have the money? ... It would seem that there's always something that someone can do at a local level to manage the prices. If in Reno, one of the problems with creating affordable housing is the cost of land, then upzoning might actually help a little bit. I hate the idea that any municipality or any local official would just say, ‘we have no control over what's happening in our backyard… We need Big Brother to solve the problem for us.’ I hate to think that we've come to that.

Some residents find subsidized housing such as here at the Hawk View Apartments, but others say they are being pushed out of Reno.

Q: In Reno, the affordable housing crisis seems like a very difficult spiral, or a mountain to climb that seems to be getting harder and harder. Is there any room for optimism?

David Layfield: [Know that] it takes years to address some of these issues, once the problems present themselves. I'm a positive person that would never encourage someone to give up on their town or give up on progress. But you know patience will be required. Action will be required on the part of the local officials and others involved.

Our country has been in the midst of an affordable housing crisis for 25 years. And we have as a people, we've never really given enough attention to it. We have not invested enough in it. There are lots and lots of programs out there, but all of the programs are underfunded, underfunded every single year, whether it be at the state or at the national level.

It’s nice to see [current] presidential candidates talking about it more. Those conversations need to be happening… They also need to be happening in city halls to bring more attention to the lack of affordable housing that we have. The other part of that too is just something to think about is, if we had a living wage where a worker wouldn't need to be subsidized to afford an apartment, the problems that we're facing would be significantly less than what we are facing now. There are very few places in this country where a minimum wage worker can come close to affording a decent apartment. If we saw a higher national number, a higher minimum wage, we'd start to see some of the softening of this crisis.

Interview in September 2019 with Our Town Reno

Meghan Simons, Individualizing Help for Substance Users at The Life Change Center

Really Listening to Help Those Seeking Help Make Progress

A simple black sign hangs on a white office door, stating: “Meet people where they are.”  The message is the personal mantra of Meghan Simons, a substance use disorder counselor at the Life Change Center in Sparks.  It’s a message that also embodies the organization’s mission in helping those struggling with substance abuse to take their life back. 

People come to LCC, which specializes in opiate use, for a variety of reasons. Some arrive for external reasons, such as encouragement from a family member, friend, or a place of employment; while others come for internal reasons out of their own initiative.  

“First and foremost, what we do is set individualized treatment plans [for our clients],” Simons said of her work . “A counselor sits down with the patient and sets a collaborative treatment plan.”  This collaborative plan serves to find out what the client’s goals and expectations are going forward, what they want to get out of treatment, and what’s been tried before and didn’t work. 

The ultimate goal, Simons explained, is to find a long-term solution for recovery.

A Variety of Strategies including Medication and Harm Reduction

The Life Change Center offers a variety of strategies to aid in recovery, including medication assisted treatment using Methadone, Subutex, and Suboxone.  

“Our goal, especially with the medication assisted treatment, is to treat the actual physical symptoms of withdrawal and addiction while we build those relapse prevention and coping skills on a collaborative level with the patients,” Simons said. 

A large focus in their treatment strategies is building their client’s internal motivations to stay clean while they begin the recovery process. There can be a misconception in the public, however, behind the role medications like Methadone play in the recovery process.  

“We titrate them off [Methadone] safely and when they’re ready,” Simons explained. “After they’ve had the opportunity to build those relapse prevention skills, those coping skills, [they] get treatment for the chronic underlying condition that might be causing them pain.” 

The primary goal LCC has for its clients, of course, is abstinence from opioid and other substance use. But The Center is also realistic about the struggle of overcoming addiction. 

“We do employ the principles of harm reduction here,” Simons said. “If people are going to engage in risky behavior and if we cannot get them to abstain or they are not ready to abstain, the least we can do is give them the tools to reduce the harm.” 

These strategies are in place to ensure clients understand what they’re getting and where they’re getting it from, as well as always keeping Narcan on them.  

Lots of help is given once you walk through the doors of this modest building in Sparks at 1755 Sullivan Lane.

Narcan Kits for Free and Showing You Care

The importance of harm reduction strategies and understanding the inherent risk of opiates has played a prominent role in the recent news cycle, as the mixing of opiates and alcohol is what was determined to have killed Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs in July. Skaggs had been an integral part of the Reno Aces’ 2012 championship team.

The Center says it wants the public to understand not only the dangers of opiate use, but also the role a bystander can play in saving a life. It gives out Narcan kits for free, no questions asked. It’s a measure taken to fight the stigma against substance use. 

“I think the most overarching, challenging part of our jobs is combating the stigma associated with drug use, specifically with opioid use and getting people to understand that bystanders can save a life,” Simons said. 

Opioids provide a challenge for users that non-users often struggle to understand, because it changes your brain chemistry. Many who have used long-term are no longer using to get high, but use to take the withdrawal away and feel normal. 

More people are affected by opioid use than people realize, too. Many don’t realize the role they can play in getting those struggling the help they need. 

“I can just about guarantee that anybody reading this knows somebody who is in treatment or somebody who is using and they have no idea,” Simons said. “But you can’t force them to come [to us], the least you can do is encourage them.” 

Even if the response is hostile or dismissive, the important thing is that the person struggling with opioid use would know that somebody cares.

Every day is a busy day at work, and crucial to helping someone turn their life around. “You’re going to at least validate them that, ‘Hey, I care about you.’ Because a lot of folks come in here and they feel like nobody gives a damn about them,” Simons said of when she gets new clients.

A Holistic Approach

There is also a holistic approach LCC takes toward caring for their clients, including providing transportation, housing referrals, and even finding childcare. 

Simons believes this approach in connecting with patients personally is what makes the organization so effective in its mission. It’s a mission she has a personal stake in, given that she has been in recovery herself for nearly 13 years. 

“It’s very gratifying to me to be able to save people from that same struggle I went through, because it’s not just being off the drugs, it’s about recovering your life and who you are without the drugs.”

It all starts, like the sign on the door says, by simply meeting people where they are. 

Reporting and Photography by Scott King for Our Town Reno

Jaren Hutchings, Leading Reno's Youth Climate Strikers

A Youth Organized Fight

Youth around the world are coordinating a strike action today to convince more politicians and companies to create policy to save our environment before problems worsen further. In Reno, the Nevada Youth Climate Strike will be held at City Plaza in front of the BELIEVE sign at 5:30 pm. One of the local organizers is 17 year-old Jaren Hutchings, a senior at Davidson Academy.

“We really want our politicians to know that we care about climate change and that this is the most important issue for us and not to take our future for granted. We hope that people go away [from the strike] with renewed motivation to help mitigate the effects of climate change and to join climate activism groups. We really hope we can start a movement here in Nevada, which is one of the most vulnerable states to climate change,” Hutchings said. 

Hutchings is president of the Green Earth Community Knowledge Organization, an environmental club at his school. He said that he would like to major in some type of environmental studies and continue to be a climate activist his entire life.

“I've noticed my generation, in general, feels kind of a grim resolve towards climate change. I don't want to say it's unfair for us to have to like protest for our own futures at the expense of going to school, but I do think there is a broader motivation to end climate change because we recognize that this is our future as well,” Hutchings said, as high school students prepared posters for the event.

Ideas for Nevada to Be a Sustainable Model

Hutchings doesn’t want the conversation regarding climate change to end after the strike. He said that Nevada can be a leader in the fight.

“Nevada and Reno and even down in Las Vegas specifically could be the poster child for clean energy and for a carbon neutral future,” he said. “If you think about the resources we have available: we have 300 plus days of sunshine per year, we have endlessly windy valleys out in central Nevada. We really have no excuse to still be extracting energy from fossil fuels here. So I think Nevada could become the model, not only nationally, but globally, for how to have a sustainable carbon free energy system and still have a successful economy.”

Hutchings said that it’s important to act, especially in Nevada. In 2016, Reno was named the fastest warming city according to Central Climate. In 2019, Las Vegas got that title and Reno was excluded from the ranking due to inconsistencies in the data from the city’s weather station.

“I think in general with climate change, and this has been changing for the better over time, but people especially in privileged scenarios like those in Nevada who don't necessarily have to face direct effects of climate change yet feel really distant from it. They see other issues as potentially more important and more pressing,” Hutchings said.

“While I don't want to deny the importance of any other political or social issues, at the end of the day, if we don't fix climate change, none of those issues will have meant anything because our society will grind to a halt,” Jaren Hutchings said, taking a break from helping organize today’s protest.

Gen Z Ready to Soon Vote for Change and Taking Responsibility

As students get ready to participate in the march they say they feel a heavy responsibility on their young shoulders.

“The youth are really passionate about this issue and that to those politicians who discount the importance of climate change or to those politicians who say it's an issue, but that we have more pressing matters to deal with first: We're going to be voting soon,” Hutchings warned.

“I'm voting next year and I know everyone at my high school is going to be voting before 2024. So if you really want to stay in power and if you really want to be reelected, you have to begin to treat this issue seriously because I know the youth care because this is our future,” Hutchings said.

Hutchings has taken his own steps to lower his carbon footprint. He has switched to a plant-based diet since the beginning of high school.

“Barack Obama said that we're the first generation to feel the effects of climate change and we're the last generation who can do anything about it. And so more people need to wake up to the fact that if we want a secure world for our children and our grandchildren and our great grandchildren's generations, we really need to act now for our sake and for theirs,” Hutchings said.

Photos and Reporting by Lucia Starbuck for Our Town Reno

Darcy, Holding a Light of Hope in Our Community's Battle Against Addiction

Addiction Can Affect Us All

The night featured several community speakers, some of whom are several years in recovery and others who have lost a loved one to substance abuse. Each one had an intimate story to share, often times bringing the audience to tears. Although their stories varied, there was an underlying theme that resonated with each one: it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, addiction can affect us all.  

“It was said on the podium [tonight] that the face of addiction is different for everybody,” said David Rutherford, who attended the event with his wife Susan. “There are people with very successful careers, family people, everybody battles with it.” 

“I was very blessed to be here,” Susan Rutherford said. “It is comforting in a situation where you are feeling isolated and alone to be surrounded by other family members who have either lost someone, or who are still in the battle for someone else’s life due to addiction.” 

At the event, handcrafted tributes for members of the community killed due to addiction were prominently displayed.

Coming Together to Break the Stigma and Empty Loneliness

“It was amazing to see so many people come together to fight for people addicted, whether it’s to alcohol or drugs’” said Cindy Gollahon, whose son is currently battling addiction. “To have a community of people come together for something like this and to hear everybody’s stories was heart-breaking and heartwarming at the same time. It gave me hope that maybe before it’s too late for my son, that there may be some hope for him.” 

A member of AL-ANON who attended the event but wished not to be named, believes events like these are an important stepping stone toward breaking the stigma about substance use and addiction. 

“The stigma is that addicts should stop what they are doing or shouldn’t get started, and all they have to do is stop. Truth is, they can’t,” she said. “It’s a snake that lives inside everybody that’s affected and never goes away. The only thing an addict or alcoholic can do is to get it into remission and keep it there. It is a struggle beyond anything anybody can even imagine. It is so terrible to even try to get out of it and so many never can.” 

“Addicts should be treated much different than they are; they should be treated with compassion and with love,” she said. “If the only thing you can do is send out that kind of feeling to someone you know that is an addict: we need that, they need that.” 

Attendees could also take home a memento. Patterson, the organizer, was pleased with the turn-out and the bond the audience seemed to form with each speaker.

“I think the event was well-attended. People were very connected with those who were sharing their stories. We’re getting the word out to more people and reducing that stigma and shame. We’re letting our addicts know that we love them and that we have compassion for them as they fight this disease,” she said.

Candles and Hugs

As the sun set and night fell, the event proceeded with a candlelight ceremony in which members of the audience had the opportunity to share their story or the name of their loved one affected by addiction. 

Afterwards, attendees sang Amazing Grace in memory of lives already lost.  Narcan kits and training on how to use them were provided. A reception concluded with new and old acquaintances embracing each other in support before going their separate ways.  

Patterson hopes to see Lights of Hope continue to grow. “I hope [people] know that addiction is a disease and it’s okay to talk about it,” she said. “We need to be strong for our community because we’re losing kids every day and I want them to be aware and remember the kids that we have lost, those that are in jail, and the kids that are out there suffering and in recovery.” 

“Just don’t think you’re going through it alone,” David Rutherford said. “There’s a lot of people going through it. Even if you’re not going through it and you know someone who has, just be there to support them. You don’t need to have the answers, you just need to be a shoulder to cry on sometimes.”

Reporting by Scott King for Our Town Reno

New Location Identified For Future Volunteer Community Meals but Questions Remain

A New Location Further East

A new location on East 4th street next to Threlke street across from Hooten Tire Co. has been picked for future volunteer meal services in Reno, moving these activist services away from the main shelter, but creating a whole new set of concerns and confusion.

The land is owned by the Truckee Meadows Water Authority and is being leased to the City of Reno for three years, with an option to renew every year.

A meeting to discuss these changes was held on September 9, at the Regional Public Safety Training Center on Spectrum Blvd.

Reno Deputy Police Chief Mac Venzon, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam and Amber Howell, the Washoe County Human Services Agency Director, and volunteers who provide meal services also discussed the new mandatory “contract” that was recently sent out making volunteers responsible for security, safety, cleaning bathrooms, and trash before, during and after the meals. 

The new location won’t have help from shelter staff, as it’s a 25 minute walk away from there. Details remain hazy as to when and how the location will be used. It’s on a bus line, but buses in Reno are notoriously infrequent. Beyond accessibility, volunteers are also concerned there isn’t any lighting there. They would also want chairs and tables to be permanently available for all of the different volunteer groups to use.

More Anger About New Contract

As Our Town Reno reported previously, volunteers are angry and confused about a new form the City of Reno is asking them to sign before being able to serve community meals.

At the meeting, law enforcement officials told them they will be able to prepare food at the new site just not cook it there. They also said volunteers will not have to clean the bathrooms, as seemed to be indicated in the form that was emailed earlier, but just make sure that there is no one left at the site after 8 p.m., when the gates will be closed.

While the site is being prepared, groups are continuing to serve food at the Record St shelter.

According to its website, RISE and Dine happens every Saturday (except the second Saturday of each month) from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. Pictured is Benjamin Castro, the RISE Board of Directors President, in an archive Our Town Reno photo at one of the meals.

Much Needed Meals

“At the end of the month we'll serve 400 people dinner,” Barghouti another member on the RISE Board of Directors for RISE said. “A lot of these people are working, they have jobs, they have a place to live, they simply don't have enough food. And so, you know, people don't want these kinds of programs in their neighborhood. But the reality is that food insecurity is in every neighborhood in town. If you're concerned about your neighbors who are unsheltered, you should be more concerned if they haven't eaten.”

Before its Saturday evening meals, RISE also distributes clothes and toiletries.

“None of us know how many days we have and all we know is that we have one day less today than we did yesterday,” Barghouti said of her now three-year commitment to RISE. “If this is something I can do to help someone else, then it's time well spent. I'm not a religious person. I always said if there is a God, they expect us to take care of one another. And if there isn't, we're all we've got,” she said.

Many questions were asked at the meeting. “I want to be sure that the people who are in wheelchairs or walkers have access to it,” Barghouti told Our Town Reno. “I understand that we may not get everything we want right away but we have to have access for people who have mobility issues and a place to sit while you eat dinner rather than sitting on the ground, you know, adequate lighting. I’m not as hung up on the aesthetics of the place. I do understand [if] it’s pretty, people like it's an uplifting thing. I think that's very secondary to: does it serve the need and does it treat you as a human being?”

No Timeline Yet

Another meeting is expected to be held in a month for more information, about when the move will be made, and whether some of the volunteer concerns will be addressed.

Barghouti for one would like to see more volunteer meals at more locations, finding people where they are, neighborhood to neighborhood.

“I would love to see multiple dinner sites around the city,” she said. “I think because there are people who don't have access, who wouldn't necessarily come down to 4th St, who could probably use the meals. I would like to see the town, the whole area, working together to meet the needs of our neighbors.”

Reporting and Photography by Lucia Starbuck for Our Town Reno

Residents Bringing a Community's Diverse Culture to a Bridge Underpass

A Work in Progress

Changes are happening under the highway overpass of US-395 and Wedekind Road and people are starting to notice. 

What used to be an underpass caught in a cycle of being tagged with graffiti painted over by abatement teams is now turning into a large new canvas.

After coordinating five new public murals in the Reno area over the past couple of years, Kyle Chandler-Isacksen, the executive director of “Be the Change Project,” an urban homestead and learning space, is teaming up with local mural painter Asa Kennedy for this latest project.

“We’ve had our eyes on this one for years,” Chandler-Isacksen said. “Asa and I met about a year and a half ago and talked about the possibility of doing [a mural here] and raising some money. We heard about the “Art Belongs Here” grant project that’s run through the city by their Arts and Culture Commission.”

After receiving a grant, they started work on the project in late August, while also starting a GoFundMe fundraiser page.

The mural, in its early stages at the time of this picture, will be depicting vivid imagery and vibrant colors fitting to the theme of Día de los Muertos, otherwise known as “Day of the Dead.”

A Metaphorical and Literal Gateway

“It is an underpass, so we saw that as a kind of underworld-a physical gateway between Reno and Sparks, people’s homes, businesses, and schools,” Chandler-Isacksen said, explaining the theme. “It’s also in a diverse neighborhood with a lot of Latinos that live here, so we thought the idea of a Día de los Muertos theme would be very appropriate. It can serve as both a metaphorical gateway that the ‘Day of the Dead’ is, but then can also serve as a literal gateway because of what the physical structure is, itself.”

He says the community has had a lot of input in what will be depicted on the mural.

“We worked with the students for a couple of days and got their ideas [for the mural],” he said of visiting the nearby Rita Cannan Elementary School to hear from its students there. “Coincidentally, they had ‘Day of the Dead’ themed artwork up that day, so Asa has been incorporating what he’s been hearing from the community onto the walls.”

The community involvement has gone beyond just the ideas, however.

“We had a bunch of kids from Hug High School out here yesterday, impromptu, just helping paint the mural,” Chandler-Isacksen said. “Asa just showed them what to do and they were out here for about 45 minutes. We look forward to seeing more of that. The location is a perfect place to get a lot of people involved and I think we’re going to have a really good time with it,” he said.

On the GoFundMe page, Chandler-Isacken proudly announced Kelly-Moore paints on Market Street is donating all of the paint. He is seeking help from other businesses as well. If contributions are made at the $500 or $1000 levels, the donors name will be painted on a side panel displaying the mural’s supporters.

Hoping to Include More Intimate Elements

The mural, which aims to be completed by November first during Día de los Muertos, will have panels consisting of dance, music, celebration, and iconic graphic imagery representing the holiday. It will be filled with bright and lively colors, such as the prevalence of marigold, as a way of bringing the culture of the neighborhood to life.

Additionally, Asa is inviting community members to incorporate a more personal element to the mural. 

“The centerpiece is going to be an ofrenda, which is an offering altar. This is going to be an open space where anyone willing to participate can contribute something to the altar piece.”

This added element, Asa believes, will bring a more personal connection between the community and the mural; one where it can really tell the community’s story.

“It is asking people to be vulnerable in a way, to put their losses in the public. But it’s also inviting them to be a part of a greater meaning of the project. It’s their altar, so if anyone wants to come down and paint they can, or I can help them paint their personal passing on the altar.”

Due to its location in a heavily-trafficked area, word has been getting around about this new project. The response they’ve been receiving has been nothing but positive, according to Chandler-Isacksen .

Positivity Vibes and Opening Dialogue

Many pedestrians, bikers, and drivers have been signaling their approval as they pass by.

“I feel like it brings an image that no matter how ugly a thing is, in the future you can always make it pretty or change a person’s life. It used to be a dirty underbridge, and now it’s a mural that we can actually be proud of going to school,” Hugo Lucatro, a student at Hug High said.

Daniel Barnes, another student at Hug High, thinks the mural can be the start of something even greater. “It can motivate people to do what they like, because I guarantee a lot of people like to paint,” he said. “It’d be awesome for people to do that and see a lot more murals in Reno.”

“Given the current climate around anti-immigration, we see this mural as a celebratory effort of diverse peoples who all contribute to the mosaic of what it means to be an American,” Chandler-Isacken said. “So if we can shift that conversation and that thinking in our city and our neighborhood, then that feels really good.”

“Art opens dialogue,” Asa Kennedy said. “It’s something people can start talking about and it doesn’t just stop here at this location. People at the grocery story, a restaurant, their kid’s sports games, anywhere within the community [the mural] can be a source of dialogue. It is something that can open communication between people that might not have communicated before.”

Reporting and Photography by Scott King for Our Town Reno

Uncertain Future of Heated Nighttime Tent at Downtown Shelter Worries Volunteers

Different Interpretations of a Recent Meeting and an Indirect Answer

Volunteers recently attended a meeting on Friday, September 6, at City Hall to discuss the uncertain future of maintaining the heated tent at the Record St. shelter’s parking lot next winter for those living on the streets.

Members from RISE (Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality) and Monica Cochran the Management Analyst for the City’s Community Development were among those attending.

City staff said there will still be a place for people to sleep inside the shelter at Record St. and that the overflow shelter on Washington street will also remain operational.  But following the meeting, volunteers told Our Town Reno they were under the impression the overflow tent, which had 45 filled beds throughout last winter, will no longer be an available option. 

After we reached out to Cochran, Jayna Litz, who signed her email Management Assistant / Housing and Neighborhood Development wrote back saying: “The City of Reno fully intends for our winter shelter plans to be as robust as ever. We are finalizing funding for the tent operations, and we have no doubt that our residents will be safe and protected during our coldest time of the year.”

Last winter, the heated and well organized tent became available in November 2018 and was an option for those seeking nighttime shelter through the end of March.

Is There Enough Money for the Tent this Upcoming Winter?

According to several volunteers and homeless advocates, they said their impression is that the City of Reno does not yet have the available funding for the tent this upcoming winter.

Volunteers said they could fundraise but that it might be too late now to get enough money before temperatures start dipping.  They said they’ve been told last year’s cost of having the tent, blankets, other supplies and doing the laundry cost in excess of $100,000. Our Town Reno did not confirm this amount independently.

These new worries come amid other uncertainty over the future of the Record street campus, including plans to no longer have volunteer meals served there and also new usage of the parking lot for a health care community triage center to be run by the Well Care Foundation. 

Bob Jones was also a volunteer last winter. “I look at it like maybe if I don't show up, 50 people won't have a place to sleep tonight. I can't do that,” he told Our Town Reno at the time.

Should Downtown Ambassadors Help Out?

Volunteers said if the tent does resume its operations as they hope, they would want the person who watches over to get paid or to maybe have Reno downtown ambassadors in charge. Wiglesworth said she would still volunteer for free every night if it comes down to it.

“[It’s] like I'm making 50 more people smile. I got 50 more new friends, I made a point in the meeting to say I would staff it every night because it needs to be done,” she said. 

Wiglesworth knows from experience. She says she played a similar role while being homeless herself along the Truckee River.

“When I lived outside, I was like the overnight person. I would go and make sure the old cats had their blankets, the youngsters were hidden so the cops didn’t see them, everybody woke up before the cops woke them up. Cause that's a ticket and then that sucks. Possibly jail, if you have a warrant that you can't afford to go and get because you're homeless,” she said. 

Volunteers said they are hoping another meeting will be scheduled soon to ensure the tent overflow shelter is indeed revived. 

Reporting by Lucia Starbuck for Our Town Reno

Morgan Green, Helping Break the Stigma of Substance Abuse

Remembering Those Lost and Celebrating Those Here

Last week, before the start of the Labor Day weekend, a crowd of people marched from the BELIEVE sign in downtown Reno to Wingfield Park to mark International Overdose Awareness Day. During the event, organized by Join Together Northern Nevada, people drew messages on craft flowers dedicated to loved ones lost and inspiring notes for those still here. Many, including Morgan Green, who was one of the speakers, wore a purple shirt with #EndOverdose written on it.

“I come from a family of addiction, so this is my way of being able to kind of give back and bring that light to other people, that you can overcome a lot of this,” Green said. She said she stays positive despite losing a loved one to overdose. “I've also been lucky enough to see a lot of my family members make it through and really be able to step up and come together.”

The loving flowers were planted around a tree. People held hands, cried and stood together. Photo by Lucia Starbuck for Our Town Reno.

Using Grant Money and Naloxone Kits

Green is currently a project coordinator for the Opioid Crisis (STR) and State Opioid Response (SOR) grant programs. The government grants aim to increase access to treatment, and reduce opioid overdose related deaths through prevention, treatment and recovery. Green also works on trying to change the way that law enforcement see individuals struggling with substance abuse.

During the event, Green urged everyone to grab a free naloxone kit, which can save someone’s life. She talked about how to use it, what to use it for and how to notice signs of an overdose. She says that everyone should carry a kit with them.

“I'm really excited to see just the wide breadth of people who are here,” she said. “We have treatment providers, we have law enforcement, and we have people in recovery themselves, and people who are currently using. Just seeing everyone come together under one house and for one purpose really gets that conversation starting and it breaks those barriers in our society.”

“Community is only as strong as its weakest link and so I think really just having that compassion and awareness that these are still people. [...] We exist as a community and we are not going to be able to survive as a community if we just keep leaving all of our people isolated,” Green said.

Getting People into Treatment Sooner and Building Compassion

Green kept stressing how important it is for those suffering from substance abuse not to feel isolated. She said these types of events make everyone feel closer.

“This really breaks the stigma around substance use,” she said. “It brings recognition that people are willing to step up and help if they see someone struggling. And when you know that there's people out there who are willing to help you, it makes you a lot more comfortable being able to admit when you're struggling and ask for that help. So, it encourages people to get into treatment sooner. It also just brings the community together so they're not shunning someone who may really just need that comfort.”

Finally, Green said she hoped people’s biggest takeaway from taking part in the march or finding out about it is to not see individuals as their addiction or disability but as people.

Reporting and Photography by Lucia Starbuck for Our Town Reno

Volunteers Dismayed at City's New Liability Plan for Community Meal Services

Protracted Negotiations Suddenly Gone Wrong

This past Spring, local officials announced volunteer organized meal services for those living on the streets would be moving away from the downtown Reno homeless compound, alleging overcrowding and security issues. At first, a date of May first was given for all the meals to change location, but then that deadline was pushed back giving more time for negotiations.

But now after weeks of discussions, and the sudden release of a new Reno protocol for these meals, the impasse between the city and volunteers has widened. Friday, immediately after receiving the new form, the Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality board of directors issued a statement saying in part, “we cannot sign at this time and await a collaborative solution while we and the other volunteers who serve this community continue to provide lifesaving resources to our neighbors.”

The new protocol would have volunteers be responsible for cleaning the new meal space, including the restrooms, by 8 p.m. nightly, maintaining “order and safety”, ensuring no one is lined up before 5 p.m. and that everyone is gone by 8 p.m., and being responsible for calling law enforcement if needed, among other stipulations.

The We Care Volunteers followed up with their own statement on Saturday, which was very clear in its opposition in the first paragraph: “We are appalled that while for nearly 10 years we have provided over 2500 meals per month, without any City of Reno support—that at this time you would burden our volunteers with the “program roles and responsibilities” of cleaning bathrooms, disposing of our guests trash, being present hours before we serve to ensure guests don't gather earlier than 5 pm, and have the sole responsibility to "maintain order and safety" by acting as first-responders to contacting medical and police services.”

Part of the new liability protocol the city of Reno recently put forward for volunteer meal services.

New Scheduled Meeting but Still No Exact Site Identified

An email sent to volunteers, signed by the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy of Operations, Greg Herrera, indicates a new lease has been signed with the Truckee Meadows Water Authority, for a site on 4th street, to serve as a new location for the volunteer meals.

“I’m happy to report that the City of Reno has identified and signed a lease with TMWA for an alternative site on 4th Street where your groups will be able to safely provide meals to the homeless population in our area,” he wrote in the email dated August 27th. “I don’t have all the details right now, but we will be coordinating a meeting with you in the next week or two to get you all of the information. “

The “Meal Delivery Release” was sent by Hettie Ploeger, Management Analyst for the City of Reno, on August 30th. “Please keep in mind that each volunteer will need to sign the release,” the email read. “We will be happy to discuss this further at the meeting on September 9th.”

Lacking Proper Spirit

As part of the We Care Volunteers statement, it said the new protocol “would cause undo concern and instead of starting our meal service with a positive spirit of cooperation, it would instead create a menacing atmosphere and further demonize and purport our guests as dangerous, disease ridden, hazardous individuals who may not deserve our service.”

Other volunteers pointed to inconsistencies in how the city is framing the issue. They said the reason the meals were being moved was allegedly for security, but if the volunteers were now responsible for security, they thought it seemed to indicate city officials had no interest in the security of those being helped, since volunteers did not have any of the security resources which are currently used at the Community Assistance Center in downtown Reno.

Angela Handler, who coordinates the 80 or so volunteers with Loka Cares, said she would soon forward them the new protocol, but was initially stopped in her tracks expressing “utter disappointment.”

She said her group served its community meal as it normally does this past Friday at the downtown compound and vowed “to continue to create meals for those in need as food and compassion is an absolute right.”

Saturday, Lisa Lee, a recovery specialist and advocate for those living on the streets, wrote an email to “the compassionate army of volunteers,” stating: “I am appalled at the direction the City of Reno is moving and hope that meal service volunteers will stand in solidarity with RISE and We Care in refusing to sign on to these harmful, denigrating, and outrageous terms. I also hope that each volunteer group will continue to serve our amazing community members, friends, and neighbors facing poverty and homelessness in the radically inclusive spirit you all exhibit.”

Reporting by Our Town Reno in August 2019

Marilou, Holding on to Her Dog after Being Assaulted and Robbed

Fending for Herself

Marilou Gallegos has been living on the streets and relying on food stamps since March of this year. When we met her, she was staying along the railroad tracks with her dog Nikita. Originally from the Philippines, she grew up in California and moved to Reno in 2014 after a bad divorce. She has friends in the Biggest Little City but for the most part, she says, it’s just her and her dog.

“I love Reno. I love some of the people that got a heart. Really, it makes me feel welcome because my dad died 17 years ago,” she said. “My mom has a heart problem back home. So pretty much it’s just me and my dog because my kid is in the Navy,” she said.

Gallegos spends her days walking with her dog, checking in with people in other homeless encampments and smoking marijuana to relieve her back pain.

Gallegos says she doesn’t want the memories attached with her old wedding ring, which she says was recently run over by a stroller. She says she plans on selling it to a pawn shop as soon as she can.

Dealing With Police and Attacks While Living on the Streets

Gallegos says she has been dealing with police in more ways than one. She recently got a ticket for camping near a different part of the railroad tracks. She says homeless people are treated unfairly and discriminated against.

“I'm not saying that I'm making excuses for me, but in my situation, we need help,” she said of the repeated sweeps and early morning warnings. “You should not push them away. You should ask them what's wrong or anything.”

Gallegos has also filed police reports of her own. She says a man sexually assaulted her while she was camping with a friend. But she says her report went ignored. Additionally, she says she had some of her most important belongings stolen one night while she was going to the bathroom, including her cellphone, drivers license, jewelry, knife, baby photos, cash, and cards stolen.

After being robbed, Gallegos says she doesn’t leave her stuff unattended anymore.

Difficulties in Getting Her ID Back

Without a car, and storage for her belongings, it’s been a difficult task for Gallegos to replace her ID.

“How am I supposed to go to the DMV?,” she asks. “I don't have no place to put my stuff.” 

Gallegos says she especially cherishes the shirts and dresses she has from the Philippines and keeps them in her tent. Once Gallegos gets her ID she says she hopes to get a job. 

“Some of it I brought home, you know, like clothes from the Philippines, but other than that it can be replaced. But the memory, no.”

Photos and Reporting by Lucia Starbuck for Our Town Reno

Kristine, In a Motel but Afraid to be Homeless Again

One of Many Feeling the “Growth Pain”

Reno is going through a difficult transition from a simple, welcoming western town to perhaps a city of the future. "Growth pain" is a phrase often used by politicians and media to describe this current stage of economic development. Yet, what is the human experience of this "growth-pain"? Who feels it?

 I first met Kristine Lawson, in December 2017, while I was reporting on homelessness in Reno. On a chilly winter afternoon, she seemed to enjoy herself at a community dinner organized by the local group ACTIONN. Kristine appeared open and warm, but a little self-conscious. We kept meeting at her tiny room at the motel and eventually she let out a river of emotions and stories about her past: her comfortable middle-class upbringing, the subsequent separation of her parents, the emotional and practical chaos she felt because of it, her very personal struggle with dyslexia as a teenager, and later, in a grown-up world, her constant struggle to stay close to her six children from two failed marriages. She said she worked several jobs to support her family until a disability induced by acute asthma and sleep apnea made her unfit to work.

In happier times, Kristine on the left in with her mother.

 The Beginning of Homelessness and a Derailed Family Reunion

Kristine became homeless in 2015 in Sacramento, CA. Her daughter and son-in-law, who were living in Hesperia, CA, took her and her young son in. But, she and her son-in-law did not get along. Kristine said she then drifted for a year and then found her way to Reno. When I first met her in 2017, she seemed hopeful for her future. She said she looked forward to reunite with her son on Christmas Day that year. She yearned to rebuild her life to get back the middle-class respectability of a home and family.

 How has her life been all this while? Did her wishes come true? What worked and what didn’t? I recently reconnected with Kristine to find out.

Her family reunion she looked forward to started off on a good note in December 2017.

“My ex husband paid for me and we stayed in the same hotel down there in southern California. I took Amtrak, which was awesome because I've never even been on [a] vacation. I saw my son. He wanted me there for Christmas.”

But she said the reunion turned out to be traumatic. It brought to surface a lot of resentment and anger within the family.

“My son blamed me for losing our place in Sacramento, which wasn't my fault. He blames me right when I was talking to a woman who was staying [at the hotel], for a minute. They say I’m crazy, I’m depressed, I’m on drugs. I do not like drugs … I do not like alcohol. I don’t like to gamble. I smoke cigarettes, that’s all I do. It’s not against the law to be depressed, you know. People are set up, they went through what I went through and they just can’t...” Kristine choked up.  

Kristine carries around several cards to get the help she needs.

“I Don’t Know Where My Feet Are”

Kristine says she tries hard to stay positive by going to church and believing in God.

“I thought I would be on my feet by now,” she said. “But I don't know where my feet are. When money was coming in, you know, the child support was coming in with disability [checks], we would have made it back to California. The child support stopped coming in when I lost my phone [in March].” This year her son became an adult. He lives in Reno. He visited Kristine at the motel but they had a fight as he kept pushing her for money and support she couldn’t give. “My son doesn't want to move back in with me ’cause he has a girlfriend now. I understand. And I thought what I’m gonna do? I cannot stay in a hotel for the rest of my life!”

Kristine is aware of the many different programs to help out the homeless but said they are hard to understand and access

"Kathy [a friend who is also homeless] is the one that told me about a program for senior disabled citizens. Now the program just started like three years ago, I guess. And it was for disabled people too. And it's run by the federal government, I guess. Her place is a one-bedroom apartment. It's eight floors high, just got a balcony. You know what I mean, this is a real home! She loves it. I was there for two days. I didn't want to leave. And you get dinner every day, one dinner once a day and then you can cook in your own house in your own room. You have a full kitchen.  I have signed up for it but nothing has worked out so far,” she said.

Kristine has tried to get Section 8 housing or help from local churches as well.

“You have to go out for like a couple hours every day and put your name on all these forms,” she said of trying to get help. “But my problem was I couldn't keep walking. I barely could carry my backpack.”

Grateful for her Motel Room

Her motel room, she says, doesn’t feel like a home, but neither do the streets of Reno.   She used to take rests by the central bus station but says that has changed.

 “You can't just hang out at the bus station, you can't just hang out in the casino,” she said. “So, people have to walk constantly. Before, when I first came here, you know, like three years ago, you could at least sit at the bus station and then they changed their contract and the new people [are] like, no way [you can be here]. So they kicked people out. So, you gotta keep walking.”  

 Kristine feels that regardless of her health conditions and changing rules for outdoor spaces, she has to keep trying to find a way to get better housing. She has been requesting bus passes from different charities to move around more, but has found that more difficult as well.

Kristine says she gets $771 a month for her disability but then spends $650 on rent, leaving her with very little for day to day expenses. 

“All my money goes to the room,” she said. She said she collects food stamps and sometimes gets food with Christian charities.

Kristine feels that motels are essential for her survival in a housing market such as Reno's. “They [her motel] have very good managers. They're in their seventies and eighties, real good about keeping riffraff out of here. They keep an eye, you know.  It's really neat because if there's any big cars parked here, unless it's people that are actually working for a cleaning or doing repairs, they'll make them park over on the other side. Because at nighttime, I worry about riffraff walking by. They keep this place clean. There's no bugs. That's why so many people want to be in this place.”

When told about other housing options, Kristine explained why renting an apartment via the market scares her. “I hear these horror stories where people pay all this money for credit checks and they never get to know. Or, like I've heard stories about the students who go to school [at UNR] and then all of a sudden you've got to go and move out for the summer for three months … whatever, and then find a new place.”

Fears for the Future

Kristine said that in the three years she has stayed at the motel the rent hasn’t gone up. “Right now I feel faith because God has got me stable right here. Nobody kicked me out as long as I pay.”

However, she will need to move after a year, she said, as the motel allows four years of stay, at the most. We didn’t get independent confirmation of this but could feel her worry.

“I'm going to die here or I'm going to find a place that's going to have me for the rest of my life,” she said of her options.

Photos and reporting by Sudhiti Naskar shared with Our Town Reno