Gentrifying Reno, A Personal Essay and Picture Series from a Student's Perspective

Reno, Nevada, is constantly changing and proceeding with new construction plans almost every day, with barriers and bulldozers in every corner. But what does this mean for the older buildings that are being pushed out by the newer buildings? What does this mean for the people who lived in torn down motels and can’t afford new apartment buildings with fancy names. A student journalist at UNR Alexandra Rush writes about her own experience watching the Midtown and Downtown area change throughout the years.

I have lived in Reno, Nevada, for almost two decades–which means the change I have seen in not only the buildings, but the population has been astounding. I began college in the Fall semester of 2018. It was my first time living in Northern Reno versus Southern Reno and I was struggling to get used to the busy streets that were filled with many people and old buildings that looked like they were decaying.

That same semester, they began construction in Midtown and it became a one way street. That construction continued for longer than I expected– over a year. Every time I went down to the area, I saw more and more change happen. I saw people who were homeless with their carts of living supplies walk down the streets that were abundant with workers, orange cones and construction vehicles. Of course, this was a shock because even before this construction, Midtown was a very different place. I had only been down there a few times when I was younger, in middle school and high school, and these upscale, modern buildings like the Acai Cafe and Pizzava did not exist.

Honestly speaking, many people I know, including myself, really didn’t want to go to Midtown because it wasn’t the young, hip place it is now. Now my friends and others I know go there on the weekend just for fun. When I see someone pushing a filled up cart amid all the change, it makes me wonder about their story. Was the person a victim of inflating rent prices in the area? Are they being pushed out by newer businesses? It could be anything. But I know for sure that this scene happens almost daily as this area continues to transform and modernize.

A variety of advertisements among the streets of Midtown during construction. Many diverse buildings are seen, both modern and old. Photo by: Alexandra Rush

I am certain that parts of the old Midtown still exist, but are slowly being pushed out. A new type of spirit embodies it now– one filled with hip bars, trendy thrift shops and new age restaurants. It is exciting to see this change and to see this new life instilled into part of the city, but what does it entail for the older residents and businesses there?

To me, gentrification means historic buildings that have meaning being overtaken by more corporate, more expensive businesses. As rents rise, it sometimes becomes impossible for the older buildings to hold their place. This also affects the older residents that are being pushed out by apartments with insanely high rent. These apartment buildings that I have seen seem to all look very similar with dull colors and matching square windows overlooking the city.

When I look over West Street, I see these apartment buildings called the ‘3rd Street Flats’ that are green and grey. It’s a square building that hosts two businesses underneath– the Bab Cafe and the Urban Market. Surrounding this building which rents out its room for a fairly expensive price, is a pretty large unhoused population that often sits on the corners of the sidewalks watching the residents shop from the new Urban Market and walk back up to their rooms. My role as a photographer while shooting these areas is quite unique. When I look back at the many pictures I have taken throughout the years, I see everything changing. The pictures I took of Midtown this year and last are two different parts of Reno. Though it seems like the construction is taking a long time, in truth, everything is evolving quite rapidly.

A view from above reveals a variety of buildings on West Street. The 3rd Street Flats, Kwoks Bistro and an old motel can be seen all in the same area. Photo by: Alexandra Rush

Many motels in the downtown area are being converted to upscale apartments in order to accommodate for a new and growing population. That being said, this leaves a specific population without access to housing. Motels can be good living accommodations if people are short on money and looking to have shelter without renting pricy apartments that require deposits, background checks and monthly rent, along with utilities. Often I am walking down the streets and I see how much these converted motels are increasing the population without shelter. Again, though I previously lived in southern Reno, I still saw how motels decreased and apartments increased. I still see motels around Reno, but I can tell that they are one day going to probably disappear as well. It’s strange knowing how large Reno’s population has grown and how many buildings have built to host this surge of people. The ‘Biggest Little City in the World’ is starting to look more and more like any other city. 

One of the motels on West Street. Behind it is the Montage Apartments and the Eldorado. The contrast between the buildings is quite stark. Photo by: Alexandra Rush

More recently, never ending construction has moved to areas surrounding the University of Nevada, Reno campus and the freeway as well (what locals here consider the ‘spaghetti bowl’). The change around UNR took many students by surprise with the demolition of The U and Textbook Brokers. A few of the old houses around there were moved at the request of faculty members and historical advocates so that they were not demolished. This section of campus was especially historical with the old houses. Now there’s a newly designed bus stop. The construction went all the way up Virginia Street to Archies. They constructed a new roundabout and a bus lane. The freeway is consistently changing as well. Even as of today, every day I drive down, there is a new addition. According to local news, this construction is expected to continue for over a decade. I understand why these changes are happening, but it is sad to see the character of Reno slowly disappear.

Many buildings remain unvacated, and available for rent with no potential renters. In the meanwhile, others go without shelter, unable to afford these high priced places. Photo by: Alexandra Rush

I saw an infographic a little while ago showing the estimated homeless population compared to empty houses. The amount of houses that could host this population would be enough to cover them and even more people. Yet it seems the problem is only getting worse. Compared to when I was younger, I believe that the issue involving homelessness in Reno has gotten much worse. Every time I get off the freeway on my way to campus, I don’t go a day without seeing a person on the sidewalk with a sign– no matter the weather– snowing, rainy, sweltering hot. There are even anti-homeless construction projects that I see where they put spikes or rails on benches and other countermeasures for people without shelter. I have personal relations with family members who have been homeless for periods of time, so to me it is odd to think that we are spending money on countermeasures and new buildings instead of helping the unhoused.

One of the older motels in Midtown stays up despite the changing environment around it. It still hosts residents and has not yet been bought out. Photo by: Alexandra Rush

Gentrification is happening all across the globe, and even more rapidly in other cities. Is it possible to stop it? I am not sure myself. The more we grow as a society, the more we move away from historic buildings and older neighborhoods, and the more we opt for modern, trendy and corporate buildings. I myself feel like this is a huge loss of character. It is creating issues that we can’t solve. It is interesting to me to see how Reno will change in the upcoming years. Though I may not live here in the future, my family does live here so I will continue observing this transformation. There are many advocate groups that want to stop gentrification. Should society have a more empathetic stance on older neighborhood populations and stop the modernization and inflation of rent in these areas? I would argue yes, seeing what has happened in Reno. My own experience is not unique here. I am sure others have witnessed the same change, and hopefully in the future we may show more empathy towards the residents of old neighborhoods and deny this gentrification.

Essay and Photo Series by Alexandra Rush for Our Town Reno

Sana Sana, an Artist Fusing Creativity and Activism to Protect Humans, Land and Water

“I was pretty much born an artist, but I feel like I didn’t really start coming into my own,” said Sana Sana, a local visual and hip hop artist “until I dedicated my art to saying something that was meaningful to the people and for the land.”

He does not believe art and activism are independent of one another. He goes by Sana, which is Spanish for heal as his chosen name because of the song mothers from his community sing to their kids when they get hurt, sana sana colita de rana. 

Originally from Milwaukee, Sana Sana came to Reno about fifteen years ago. His artwork is based in illustration, having worked as a tattoo artist for fifteen years. As the pandemic wore on, he chose to leave a local shop. It was an opportunity to break out on his own and focus more on his work and be selective about whom he tattoos. 

Sana Sana draws heavily on his ancestry for not just inspiration but also to live up to who he is. His family goes back to the people of central Mexico where he says poetry is the highest form of expression. “When something moves me to say something, that’s when I create,” he said “that can be either an illustration or it can be a song.” His mother’s side is Coahuilteca, an Indigenous group from southern Texas and his father’s side is Purépecha, a group of people living in Michoacán, located in central Mexico. 

Sana Sana prefers pen and ink as a medium. He enjoys the accessibility it offers. These two pieces highlight how he draws inspiration from the land and his Indigenous roots. 

One of his current pursuits is working with kids and teaching them art, everything from drawing to poetry. He feels this is a great way for kids to handle the realities of life, especially during a pandemic. It can become he says a positive outlet for frustrations and anger and sadness. “A lot of kids are really resilient and they’re dealing with real things, they just need a way to use their voice in a way that doesn’t give them negative consequences,” he said.

Another outlet for Sana Sana is his hip hop. He always wanted to put his words to music but without a background in music, struggled to make it happen. So when a friend asked him to be in a musical, Sana Sana thought, why not? The musical gave him a taste of not just performance but memorization and “eventually it just clicked, the timing clicked,” he said “I can’t wait till this is done so I can start writing my own music,” he said.

And that is just what he did and the hip hop duo Niño Santo was born. Not a fan of abstract art, he feels like art should be clear and make a statement. That much is true in some of his lyrics. He feels having a platform to speak obligates him to say something important and his activism drives him to produce compelling songs and lyrics that turn people’s attention to issues that need to be addressed. 

A Soundcloud track which can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/ninosantomusic/sana-sana-freestyle-pbnj-radio-show

“My life isn’t safe as it is, being an Indigenous person,” Sana Sana explained “it’s not safe just existing, our existence is resistance.” He spoke to the struggles Indigenous and people of color face in today’s society being a driving force for his lyrics. 

“I’m not trying to call out anybody,” he said “but I’m here to call out people’s structures that we have internally that make us not be the best human beans we can be.” 

He also draws a lot from his readings. He looks to books for inspiration and to place himself in the context of others’ struggles in order to better understand the situation in today’s society. His hip hop group, composed of himself and his brother, Rubevelli, recently released an album. One of the videos goes where no other hip hop video has gone before, showing Sana Sana and others planting a small seedling in a wildfire burn area.

“It’s an opportunity to tell a story,” Sana explained about the video “and we wanted to be honest.” He says he does not like to tell stories that are not real to him, drawing inspiration from his community and the elders whom he seeks advice from. He does not portray a reality that is not true to his own but instead links himself and the community to the land. He also wants to draw attention to climate change. “These fires are a real reality that I want to draw attention to,” he said.

“I never want to get people pissed off without making them feel empowered,” Sana Sana explained. He elaborated by saying that people have the ability to be the problem a lot of the time, but notably, they have the power to be part of the solution, he said he “really wanted to paint that picture” with the music video. 

Sana Sana has directed much of his activism toward local issues. He has been helping Beverly and Autumn Harry, a Navajo and Paiute Indigenous mother and daughter duo, clean up trash along the river and feed the houseless community. “When I lean towards social movements, I always can’t help but think of the land first,” he said. 

He understands the importance of social justice issues and draws racism together with the environment through the idea of dehumanization. He says that people need to improve their relationship with the land and water in order to move past the racism of today’s society. 
“My approach is always calling truth; always speaking the truth,” he said “and if I’m wrong, to admit I am wrong, because I am human and go from there.” He wants people to be accountable for themselves, to get their hands dirty, to get out there and meet people. He believes everybody has the power to be an activist and encourages everyone to become one through lifestyle changes. 

“I hope that the community of Reno can take the time to really understand what it’s like to be somebody else,” Sana Sana said “I feel that people inside our society have this way that they lean into just thinking about themselves.” He encourages people to try and step back and really see situations outside of themselves. “I really challenge everybody inside our community” he said “if you see a houseless person, instead of judging them, talk to that person.”   

Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

UNR Group Speaks out Against University Police Taking Part in Looming Sweeps

UNR Police Takes Part in Threats of Oncoming Sweeps

In a recent notification posted by UNR Police on UNR land away from the main campus, houseless individuals were notified of the upcoming opening of the CARES Campus, followed by an order to vacate the area. The flyer cited Sparks Municipal Code 9.48.030, which states that camping on public property is illegal “within 350 feet of the shore of the Truckee River.”

At a recent CHAB (Community Homeless Advisory Board) meeting, a UNR police representative said one police staff was doing two days a week of outreach in that river area.

A phone call to UNR Police Services and a conversation with Eric James, listed as Assistant Chief of UNRPD, pointed me towards the direction of the Sparks “H.O.P.E Team”, which stands for Homeless Outreach Proactive Engagement. The flyer was said to be part of a “regional effort” by Reno and Sparks PD, including UNRPD.

After we posted a photo of the flyer on the Our Town Reno Instagram page as well as on our Twitter https://twitter.com/ourtownreno, angry comments poured in. One of those was from Elise Campbell (she/they), a student at UNR and member of a group called FUSED UNR. Campbell said those looking to connect to the local houseless population could donate food, water, and other necessities by contacting either themself or the FUSED UNR Instagram page.

After getting into contact with Elise and FUSED’s president, Ro Gil (they/them), we set up a call to talk about what FUSED UNR is, why UNR Police may be conducting sweeps, and what are the other solutions to this issue.

Elise Campbell (top left), Ro Gil (bottom left), and Rachel Jackson (bottom right) spoke over Zoom about FUSED UNR and how the club relates to Reno’s police and houseless community through social work. Visual by Rachel Jackson.

FUSED Concerns

While neither Campbell or Gil were born in Reno, they both consider the Biggest Little City their home. As members of FUSED, they are focused on social justice movements and ways to create change through social work. Campbell and Gil are both social work majors with interests in macro social work, which includes lobbying, policy-making, and global social work in contrast to individual case work and therapy that micro social work entails.

FUSED UNR is a club of about 10 or so consistent members who are involved in multiple social movements. In the past, they have done fundraisers with the ACLU, a collaboration with Nevada’s attorney general on a bill to end no-knock warrants, and a march with Indigenous people to Mackay Statue which resulted in a petition to get rid of the statue (the sculptor was a member of the KKK). They also have educational talks with guest speakers on issues like mass incarceration.

When asked about their thoughts on Reno, Campbell compared the city to the many other places they’ve lived as a child in a military family.

“There's a, like a lot of pretty lights and there's a lot of fun things to do and tattoo parlors and like, um, you know, everything like that. But, uh, when you start to look at like the background and like, notice that, you know, on Virginia street, for example, just like the gentrification and the amount of properties that have been demolished even like specifically right next to the University for that bus stop.” Campbell said, later commenting on Reno’s handling of the housing crisis: “there's obviously a huge, huge problem in Reno specifically, just because I don't think you could go to any intersection, any street intersection without seeing someone with a sign, you know, asking for some spare change or anything like that.”

FUSED has been fundraising through tee shirts.

Having Social Workers Do Work Instead of Police Outreach

In response to looming sweeps on camps of houseless individuals, Gil voiced their solution of taking the money used to conduct the sweeps and giving it to social workers and services to help the houseless individuals affected. “Sometimes I do not understand human beings and how they can see a dog on the street or a cat on the street, and everybody huddles around them and like, ‘Hey, let's help this dog. This dog is lost,’ you know, and they can see another human being and they just turn a blind eye and don't even care, you know, and, and call the police on them and, and do things like that. Like it, just, to me, it does not make sense,” Gil said. 

“It's just crazy that they're making these requirements and these rules like that, but they're also, they're not willing to provide even like a water spigot here, you know, where you can get clean water or anything like that,” Campbell said of the 350-feet rule.

Campbell went on to describe how university money going towards UNR Police could be directed towards a social services coordinator position on campus.

FUSED UNR is currently recruiting members for the upcoming fall semester, and also held a donation drive on April 18, partnering with the Reno Burrito Project.

Reporting by Rachel Jackson for Our Town Reno

Puff Puff Pass the Love Spreads Generosity

Puff Puff Pass The Love describes themselves as “a beginning stage community of cannabis supporters who love giving back”, and with a name like Puff Puff Pass the Love, one might assume the focus of the organization is centered around cannabis, but this is not the case.

Puff Puff Pass The Love has been helping houseless communities in Reno obtain the resources they may have a hard time obtaining themselves, such as healthy food through regular distributions, bedding, and sanitary items such as baby wipes and hand sanitizer. In a community like Reno which has a population of hundreds and hundreds of individuals without stable shelter, this is no small undertaking.

I attended an April outing of the group at the homeless camp located under the Wells Street Bridge. Being relatively new to reporting I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. One might expect a feeling of doom and gloom when attending an event like this, especially in a town like Reno with an ever-growing affordable housing crisis, but what stuck out the most to me was the sense of community I felt between the volunteers and those they were helping. Although the distribution itself lasted only around ten to fifteen minutes between the volunteers showing up in their SUV, handing out food to everyone in line, and packing up and heading out, I could tell that the volunteers had a passion for helping those who need it.

The SUV Tony Doara and another volunteer served food out of to the people residing in the camp. “The people are happy for our help and we’re happy to help them,” she said. The group has an Amazon Wishlist here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1Q5VWNFLOHMHO?ref_=wl_share&fbclid=IwAR0v8yBrEB_cTaYStzB2FotXw1IwHspLDafdfecMkmkjHCeXlLr3qDQ5lwA

Reporting by Christion McLeran shared with Our Town Reno

Life in a Tent City Before the Opening of the Nevada Cares Campus

Last Easter Sunday, I travelled to a tent city near Wells and 4th Street to document a day in the life of the houseless community living there. The overcast day brought heavy winds, often blowing against and through tents lined up next to the railroad tracks. The lack of sunshine and dust in the air made for a dismal scene next to the rushing Truckee River. Crossing the threshold from “riverside” apartments to the world of the unhoused on Easter, and the final day of Passover, brought a new meaning to one of the holiest days of the year for me. Despite this, volunteers with Reno Soup for the Soul showed up in tow with food and water to share. While these good deeds brought joy, volunteers can only heal symptoms of the housing crisis. Action is needed to solve the root of the problem: houselessness. The only solution to this problem? Homes. 

The park rules and regulations, posted near the bank of the river, states rules including a ban of, “camping, storing personal belongings or washing clothes.” However, for now at least, houseless individuals have been urged to move to this area, rather than other areas of town, as a new super sized shelter campus prepares to open in late April.

 A person walks on a bridge over the Truckee River, towards the tent city. 

On the other side of the river, new apartments are being built under the advertisement of being “riverside” locations. 

 A person sleeps near the side of a building without shelter.

Volunteers push through the wind to hand out food and water.

 A man walks across the bridge above an area of graffitied rock, painted with the words, “No Hope, No Love”.

The words “NO TRESPASSING” are spray painted onto a pillar of the bridge, nearby the tents. Local officials and officers have been allowing people to stay in the area without removing them, for now.

A group of three volunteers wheel a cooler of food and water to tents tucked away under the main road.

 A volunteer chats with someone in their tent, as he holds a bottle of water in his hands. In the background, an apartment is adorned with the American flag and a Pride flag.

Photo Essay by Rachel Jackson shared with Our Town Reno

Patches and Shannon, Two Women Surviving in Reno's Tent City

On an early morning by the Wells Avenue bridge, downtown Reno ambassadors roam around on Segways; cops respond to disturbance calls, and two women attempt to clean out their tents in hopes of making the area feel more like home. Ahead of a new Cares campus, this is where people living in tents are being allowed to stay, but that may all change soon, with sweeps being threatened, and police refusing to hire more social workers, despite pleas from advocates.

Shannon Moore, 32, has lived in Reno for 30 years and has been homeless for the past six years. Moore feels invisible because of her current state of living. To her, being a woman and homeless comes with severe challenges.

“I can't even take a shower now,” she said. “You know, like they have two different men's shelters for men to do whatever they want all day long, be drunk on beer and all that. And they can take showers.  The women’s shelter is all the way (across town).  And when you get there, you can't get in and take a shower, not unless you have a bed there and the bed wait is like a month.” 

Now instead of showering Moore has to boil water and clean herself. Moore feels uncared for. She says she’s not worried about COVID-19 as she has worse to worry about, such as, she says, recovering from recently being shot in the head. She says she used to sleep in just a lawn chair so it’s been worse for ever.

The tent where Moore was sleeping in, saying the shelter for women is already full.

“There is a lot of perspective. You know, you have that loyalty and respect for yourself, not just yourself, but if you know yourself, then you've got loyalty,” Patches explained of the predicament of being a woman out on the streets. “I’m a girl,  you know, people out here hate that. It's all about themselves and not doing what they're supposed to do. They take and take from other people, you know, and people get mad.”

Patches says she longs to have a home for herself, but has endured mistreatment from landlords and even loved ones. The homeless camps have brought friendship and relationships for both Moore and Patches. Moore has friends that “always got her back,” and Patches has a girlfriend. 

Both Patches and Moore take great pride in their tent homes they have created. Moore took the morning to clean out her whole tent. “I had it all fancy. I have my bed. I put my blanket down and then my tablecloth thingy that's like pretty fancy. ”

Patches even tries to help other clean up their sleeping areas. “I'm a person that gets along with everybody,” she said. “Right. Everybody loves me. Cause when you hear Patches up and down the street, or anywhere people live, they all know me. They know who I am. I'm a good person. I'm down to earth people. I help anybody in the whole world.” 

Patches does say people are jealous of each other in the encampment and will sometimes trash each other’s possession or burn tents out of spite.

Both women have plans for the future. Moore hopes to go  to rehab in Fallon so that she can see her 14-year-old son again who is in a “facility” in Las Vegas, and Patches hopes to move back in with her adult son at some point. Homelessness was neither woman’s choice nor plan, but the world sometimes has other plans and its harshness can cause unintended consequences. They both expressed their hopes for a better world for homeless women to be seen and cared for.

Reporting by Gracie Gordon with Photos by Rachel Jackson for Our Town Reno

Laundry to the People Fills a Local Gap in Volunteer Help

Helping those Living in Tents Wash their Clothes

While there have been a handful of groups stepping up and providing nutritious food and hygiene kits to the houseless community locally, less attention has been given to other necessities. Seeing this, Laundry to the People stepped in and began helping people living along the Truckee River get their laundry to the laundromat, cleaned, and dried.

“We basically go down to tent city in a big van,” said Ilya Arbatman, one of the founding members “get people who need their laundry done. They load up their laundry in the van, we meet them at the laundromat and we help them do their laundry.” 

A simple action can go a long way if it’s done consistently and with compassion. Run by three community members, Rosie Zuckerman, Alex Muñoz, and Arbatman, the group came together after Blaize Abuntori of the Reno Burrito Project put them in touch. For nine weeks now they have been helping the houseless community wash their clothes. 

Recently, Our Town Reno reporter Richard Bednarski met them at the Mr. Bubbles Launderland on Second Street and Wells Avenue, not too far from the encampment where people are being helped. The sun was shining and people were busy shuffling in and out of the laundromat as the large white van pulled in. Moments later, members of the houseless community walked up and began helping Arbatman and Muñoz unload the van, each person carrying a bag full of dirty laundry.

Ilya Arbatman filling up a cup with laundry detergent. He is from the Bay Area and has been in Reno for about six years. Outside of volunteering for the community, he works as a freelance electronics repairman. 

Help from the Community and the Laundromat Itself

While other groups, like Black Wall Street and Reno Soup for the Soul, continue to help by providing food, hygiene kits, and other needed items, Arbatman, Muñoz, and Zuckerman realized doing laundry to help was also needed.

“Laundry is expensive, and realizing that it was a service we could provide,” explained Zuckerman “if we could get funded that would, I think, help create less waste and also let people hang on to the clothes they like.” Every Friday at noon the group rolls into the encampment and collects laundry from about ten to twelve people. The laundromat, has been fully supportive of Laundry to the People since its inception. They have also recently received a financial donation from community member Jeremy Cole.

“Ideally this would be something where everyone would have access to laundry,” said Arbatman. Being a basic need, he understands that laundry is necessary but providing this resource for the houseless community comes with its challenges. They want to offer this service to anyone who needs it but due to various limitations can only help about a dozen people per week. “For us, one of the barriers is just how many people need it done,” he said. In addition, the laundromat is small and can only facilitate so much laundry. 

“The laundromat has been paying for the drying,” explained Arbatman and this has been a huge boost to how much laundry they can do. A typical week, it costs them about $60 to $80 for washing alone and Muñoz estimates the drying would be an additional $30 or more. Him and the others are grateful for the ladies at the laundromat, Carel, Jody, Alycia, and Andrea for covering the drying costs and being helpful each week.

A community member experiencing houselessness loads his laundry into a machine. 

Sweeps Jeopardizing the Project

“We sort of have to see what happens,” said Zuckerman. “There’s all this talk about sweeping and getting people living outside kettled into this more consolidated zone. So what that means for the people and what that means for their needs and what that means for the homeless population in Reno?”

With the onset of a new Nevada Cares Campus, local authorities have said in meetings that sweeps will ramp up.

The group is concerned that once the Governor’s Bowl shelter opens up next month, it may spur another host of other issues. Notably, the location is too far removed from the needed services of the houseless community. “We’re able to help people living down in tent city,” Zuckerman said “because it’s close to this laundromat, they can walk over here.” While she does not know what the next steps will look like for Laundry for the People, she wants to address these issues and be able to continue providing these services. 

Through conversations with the houseless, the group has learned about how they feel towards the recent and pending sweeps. “I think some people are bummed,” Zuckerman said about the homeless community’s reactions to the threatened sweeps. “I think some people are freaked out because they are really scared about what that’s going to mean for their well-being.” 

There is definitely some apprehension in tent city. “From our conversations here,” explained Muñoz “they feel like they are being gathered.” He explained there are serious concerns about what may happen after the new shelter space opens. Arbatman explained the cohesiveness formed within tent city is a way for them to cope with the struggles they face. Moving them via sweeps only disturbs this sense of place. 

“The problem with the sweeps,” Arbatman said is that a community is already established and “if you just show up, knock everybody’s tent down and force them to go to a new place, it’s kind of counterintuitive.” The process of community building has to begin anew and this simple rattling can have damaging and lasting effects on the community.

Arbatman would love to see people coming down to tent city and providing non-service related outreach as well. “Somebody to go down there and just talk to people,” he said. A genuine conversation with members of the houseless community can change their day for the better. In addition, Zuckerman identified the need for veterinary services. Many people living in tents have companion pets, which drastically improve mental health, and those pets need services as well.

Zuckerman and Muñoz are efficient and diligent about keeping accurate records and notes. Muñoz, who is from Barcelona, Spain, is studying Geography and working towards a Master’s degree at the University of Nevada, Reno. Zuckerman, who is originally from the Bay Area, works for an accountant for a logistics company.  

Being Kind Neighbors

Moving forward the three of them will continue to facilitate laundry services for the houseless community. “Homeless people living there,” said Muñoz “they’re our neighbors too.” He is concerned that the greater community of Reno does not see them as neighbors and knows that when everyone begins to understand that they are our neighbors, it will be easier to lend a hand. 

“I would agree with Alex, you know, you can just do something,” said Zuckerman “it doesn’t take very much to make a big difference.” While there are a lot of things beyond the community's control, she emphasized that a little help can go a long way with the houseless community, “when we can help them, that’s important.”

“The more we think about things in terms of things like investment and growth,” explained Arbatman “I feel like we just lose track of the fact that something isn’t working.” Instead of coming up with a big plan to address the issue of homelessness, Arbatman encouraged people to simply take action and start helping. He feels people can sometimes get bogged down in the weeds, stuck on trying to devise a plan.

“It starts with a very basic kind of compassion and willingness to just get off of the couch and go do something,” Arbatman said. “It can be small, once a week, once a month, whatever.” 

Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

if you’d like to take part or donate, here’s the contact info: ilya.arbatman@gmail.com

As UNR Vineyard Ends Its Run, Concerns over Plot's Future

A Retirement and the Overuse of a Herbicide Seal A Wineyard’s Fate

Scientists at the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station on Valley Road have studied the cultivation of wine grapes in the high desert for over 25 years.  According to its About page, the “Federal government established the state Agricultural Experiment Station network through the Hatch Act of 1887. Experiment stations were established to ensure that agricultural research geared to specific geographic regions would be conducted throughout the United States.”

But now that a co-founder and longtime manager of the vineyard, a professor in UNR’s Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department of the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, Grant Cramer is retiring, the vineyard chapter is closing. The two acre plot of wine grapes is being removed for future projects. This decision also comes on the heels of the alleged overapplication of the wrong herbicide in recent years, Dicamba, which severely damaged the vineyard, and spread from one acre into another.

It has also led to questions, including from Our Town Reno, about whether new experiments will move toward organic growing instead, or whether the use of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and other chemical products will persist. 

“The Ag station director [Chris Pritsos] decided to decommission the vineyard,” said Jill Moe, the interim director and education program coordinator for the Desert Farming Initiative, which is also part of the Station “and it’s going to be transitioned into a cover crop.” A cover crop is grown between other plantings to regenerate the soil and reduce erosion. 

There are concerns about the plot’s future now and whether an opportunity to turn to organic farming is being missed.

An Experiment with Many Phases

The vineyards were planted in several rows with three varieties per row with the idea being to learn about which varieties did well in the harsh northern Nevada climate. The vineyard was managed on and off over the past two decades by researchers, students, and volunteers.

“Volunteers did a lot of the work on it originally,” explained Moe. “It’s been through several phases.”

Recently that included the application of the wrong herbicide in the wrong amounts, according to Cramer. 

“I had verbally instructed [the field manager] on how to use RoundUp,” explained Cramer “and instead he used a different herbicide,” namely Dicamba which has been shown to spread to nearby fields. And, according to Cramer, this is what happened. 

In his interview with Our Town Reno, Cramer said the vineyard suffered almost immediately from the over-application in 2015. The following season, signs of poisoning were noticed in the northern acre, which was not treated with Dicamba. Because of this, he feels the vineyard is no longer in a state worth preserving. 

Moe explained the two acre vineyard was intended for research and that given current circumstances it is too challenging and demanding to continue growing grapes there for production. 

Alynn Delisle, a winemaker at Nevada Sunset Winery, holding up one of the limited bottles of wine made from the UNR grapes from the 2020 growing season, which was the last harvest from this vineyard.

What Comes Next for Wine in Northern Nevada and the UNR Plot?

“Really valuable research did occur from that vineyard,” Moe said. “Grant Cramer published research papers from the results of those trials and taught winemaking classes.” 

Cramer also started a YouTube video series as a way to preserve what he has learned and archive the lessons and knowledge the vineyard has yielded. 

“I think it added a lot,” explained Alynn Delisle, the co-owner of Nevada Sunset Winery “because it got people, especially in Reno, involved and it showed you can grow grapes in Nevada.” 

There are current restrictions, however, in addition to climate challenges. Nevada wineries are required by law to have a minimum of 25% Nevada-grown grapes in their wine after selling a thousand cases from their winery.

“This is what I would like to see happen: a state-of-the-art commercial demonstration vineyard,” said Moe of her hopes for the future, so the experiment can live on elsewhere. “Go with the varieties we know do well in this climate and really take it to the next step,” said Moe. 

“We have a real interest in serving our stakeholders,” explained Chris Pritsos, the Director of the UNR Experimental Agriculture Station.  “What we need is stakeholders to step up, like they do in all the other states, and help us do this work.” 

What also remains to be seen is what will replace the vineyards in the long run, and if it will be chemical-based planting, or if that opportunity has already been missed due to current work on the soil. 

Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

Another Motel Goes Down, A Photo Timeline and Essay

Downtown Reno provides an overabundance of photographic opportunity. From the varied people and activities to the unique architecture of its motels and churches. But now we have one less motel and one more empty lot. 

The Town House Motor Lodge has suffered the same fate of at least nine other motels in recent years, including the Lido Inn, the Stardust Lodge, and the Mardi Gras Motor Lodge, among others, bought up by Jacobs Entertainment and then bulldozed leaving piles of fenced off dirt. This empty lot syndrome has displaced hundreds of people who relied on motels as their first or last resort from homelessness. 

This photo series highlights a sixpweek process of dismantling the Townhouse Motor Lodge. I began when I noticed the windows boarded up and continued until nearly all resemblance of the hotel was gone. Throughout each week, I would stop by and spend an hour walking around photographing the slow process of removing this motel.

This photographic process included interaction with the police, almost resulting in an arrest, an experience many street photographers can relate to.

Now that the Townhouse Motor Lodge has been bulldozed down, what is the fate is for other motels recently bought out by Jacobs Entertainment?

The destroyed motels all featured various architecture, adding to the uniqueness of the Biggest Little City, now destroyed.

Like a scar on the landscape these “gentrification war zones” only serve as a reminder to the growing houseless population in the community. 

Photos and Writing by Richard Bednarski shared with Our Town Reno

Downtown Ambassadors Force Houseless Individuals to Move

At approximately 9:20 a.m., on Sunday, March 21st, two Reno Ambassadors, in their trademark blue jackets, asked a group of a half a dozen houseless individuals to leave their spot where they were lounging under an archway near the Truckee River.

The two ambassadors stayed to supervise the move. When asked about why the group wasn’t permitted to stay, one ambassador made a phone call, sharing that the group was on private property. The ambassador then stated they clear this area nearly every Sunday.

They noted to me a nearby tent city, behind the Aces stadium, where houseless individuals are allowed to stay, for now at least. The other ambassador did not wear a mask while waiting for the group to clean up. 

According to the business improvement district’s Downtown Reno Partnership website, the four main tasks of the ambassadors are cleaning, safety, social outreach, and hospitality. The overall About page states one of the main missions of the “private-sector led and managed” nonprofit is to “enhance property values, sales, and occupancy.” It also says it aims to “stabilize downtown streets”, including “improving public safety, reducing homelessness, enhancing cleanliness, and advocating quality public spaces.”

The City of Reno has recently paid for artists to paint over electrical boxes. Behind the Reno is Rad slogan, Downtown Ambassadors wait for a group of houseless individuals to move.

While members of the moved group also declined to go on the record, three of them allowed me to walk with them as they carried their belongings to the Believe plaza.

Backpacks and shopping carts were used to carry sleeping bags, water jugs, empty cans, and miscellaneous packs of cigarettes. While I couldn’t live up to the request of a cigarette, I could play one of them a song from my phone. We listened to “U Know What’s Up” by Donell Jones featuring Left Eye as we waited to cross South Center Street. Three cars drove by without stopping to allow us to use the crosswalk.

By 9:55 a.m., all but one person had moved with their belongings over to the plaza. The relocated group went to socialize with other people.

As we parted ways after a near half-hour chat, the group bumped fists and elbows with me. After we said our goodbyes, a man with a speaker played “When Somebody Loves You Back” by Teddy Pendergrass. A few individuals danced around to the song. 

It was a nice, sunny morning, but where would the group sleep next I wondered, with temperatures still predicted to go below freezing throughout this week’s early hours.

Reporting by Rachel Jackson for Our Town Reno

Why I Take Black and White Street Photos in Reno

I learned photography though the traditional black and white analog process. This method has developed a lifelong pursuit of black and white photography in my work. From landscapes to street photography, I strive to capture the essence of a moment. When color is eliminated from an image, the brain must view and engage with the photograph for a longer time to make sense of the image.

When creating images, I have trained my eye to focus on light. I observe how it bounces off of windows and falls into a shadow; or how shadows move throughout the day; or how the quality of light changes with the seasons.

This awareness is similar to the knowledge of mixing two colors of paint for a specific color.

After all, photography is painting with light and to not be aware of light in its most basic and zonal sense, is to neglect the goal of photography.

Photos and Text by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

Rain Fernandez, Spreading Fierce Compassion in Northern Nevada

A Journey to Help Others

Behind a relatively new social media account visible on Instagram called Support Washoe is Rain Cares, LLC. Behind the business is Rain Fernandez, a Philippines born and raised immigrant focused on making the greater Reno-Sparks area a better place for everyone. 

Her schooling has ranged from the Emilio Aguinaldo College in Manila, to Long Beach City College, to the University of Southern California and now UNLV as a remote student.

“Give people the benefit of the doubt,” said Fernandez “that’s all I can do,” she said of her approach to helping others in the community here in northern Nevada, through a myriad of ways, including multiple web endeavors including the SparksJoy.biz page to promote businesses in Sparks. Police sweeps have led her to take a closer look at housing first solutions, and pushing local governments at addressing the surging population of neighbors without housing. 

Her resume, goals, accomplishments and aspirations in whiteboard style.

Housing First and Keeping it Local

Fernandez has worked with the non-profit Mental Health America Los Angeles, an organization that prioritizes housing first for people, and then addressing their other needs. She said when people are not worrying about where to sleep at night, they can focus on other struggles, like dealing with addiction, mental health, and unemployment far easier than when contending with the added elements of being houseless. Fernandez fully supports local governments adopting a #housingfirst strategy focused on putting people before policy and red tape.

“I want to leave a legacy of kindness,” she said about her self-funded work. Working as a Senior Budget Analyst for Truckee Meadows Community College for six years, Fernandez says she realized her life was not going in a fulfilling direction. She began practicing mutual aid in the form of purchasing gift cards to local restaurants and giving them to people experiencing food insecurity. 

This is the idea behind one of her latest initiatives, Support Washoe, which builds support for locally-owned businesses through social media features. Fernandez wants to shine a light and raise awareness for these small businesses throughout the entire region. Like the Korean restaurant we met at, Fernandez visits food trucks, small retailers, and once it was a tire shop in Sun Valley and unabashedly promotes them on her social media channels. She does this every day hoping to “bring money back into the area.” 

Her work is selfless and amplifying. Beyond small businesses, Fernandez also highlights other community members and organizations working to improve the community, tackling issues such as houselessness, and food insecurity. “I like aiding, so I was going to do this anyway,” she said. “I want to focus on the positive.” 

A screengrab of a recent story Fernandez posted on the Support Washoe Instagram Account. She explained her tiny car can hold up to 25 pre-made food boxes. She considers herself a resource navigator and spends a lot of time picking up boxes of food and bringing them to people without vehicles. Often these people, she explained, with no ability to get to food bank distribution locations, would not be able to feed their kids.

Finding Strollers to Gift and Surviving COVID-19

One of her newest projects is collecting strollers that have served their purpose from mom’s groups, and giving them to people without housing to help with their belongings. This simple repurposing of strollers keeps them out of the landfill and extends their usable life. 

As an accountant, Fernandez has a keen eye for numbers and balancing budgets. She is also focused on information management and relies on this heavily to manage the many irons she has in the fire. After struggling with COVID-19 in December, she began to concentrate on what she calls, “fierce compassion”. Her underlying process is to give people the benefit of the doubt and help wherever and whenever and however she can.

After recovering from COVID-19 herself, she realized she was given a second chance. “I’m not going to waste any time,” she explained. This drive has led to the growth of Support Washoe, her self-funding Rain Cares, LLC. and directly supporting businesses. At the end of the day, Fernandez views her resource navigation as a way to help “when you can’t advocate for yourself.”

Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

Reno Soup for the Soul "Keeps Going" and Pivots to Salads, Sandwiches and Much More

The Pandemic Leads to a Growing Initiative

Amidst a surge in the pandemic last fall, and feeling heartbreak for those facing increasingly tough times, Amie Duncan had an idea. Born and raised in Reno, she wanted to reach out and help neighbors without housing, while also bringing together the community. She began collecting homemade soups and packaging these soul meals in individual portions, and spent Sunday mornings passing them out with her family.

“We decided as a family to start putting soups together, putting them in warm containers, and delivering them to the homeless,” Duncan said in the parking lot of the Diamond’s Casino on a recent Sunday morning. She continued this every weekend through the winter. The community stepped up, came together, and with overwhelming support the organization has bloomed, grown and expanded. 

In addition to cultivating community support, two local restaurants, Sup and Grateful Gardens have both been donating nearly ten gallons of soup each month. And now it has surged beyond soup. Duncan now offers clothing, hygiene kits, reusable masks, water bottles, sandwiches, books, produce, cookies, and snacks. Reno Soup for the Soul has become a commissary for our neighbors in need. As a working mom, Duncan dedicates nearly all of her free time to Reno Soup for the Soul.  The Instagram for the initiative recently said it would keep going, while transitioning to more weather appropriate food after the end of March. To make the model work better, the group has also gone to a twice a month distribution.

“We couldn’t do it without the community,” Duncan said, feeling overwhelmed both at the need and the response of others now helping.  The following is a photo series by Our Town Reno reporter and photographer Richard Bednarski.

“Everytime we come out there,” she said “there’s more and more people and I don’t know if that’s going to be changing anytime soon.” Volunteers help her set up at several locations every other Sunday. This week she began at tent city, under the Wells Avenue overpass. 

Before heading out to pass out food and supplies, Duncan gathers her team of volunteers for a roundtable discussion and welcomes new volunteers. She is vigilant about being part of the bigger picture with the community and understands it is important to work with others that are doing the same thing - trying to find long-term solutions. “Not just short term fixes and making dents,” she explained, “but actual sustainable changes that can really help make a difference in the community.”

Each week, Duncan said there are at least twenty people helping run the show. About half of them are making soups, sandwiches, and baked goods and delivering them to her house. The others help her set up and pass out their offerings to the homeless twice a month. This past Sunday, volunteers passed out 180 servings of soup, over 400 sandwiches, 40 chicken wraps, over 100 muffins, 50 pairs of gloves, 40 pairs of socks, 26 beanies, 48 fleece blankets, 175 face masks, 24 reusable water bottles, and 80 hygiene kits. 

Duncan and the volunteers are efficient. Within minutes of pulling into an encampment, tables were set up with boxes of soups, sandwiches, fruit, and hygiene kits ready to go. As a line formed, a volunteer passed out bags and masks and talked with each individual person. By the end of the line, people left with necessities making their struggle a little more bearable. 

Though she had to switch from weekly to every other week to remain sustainable, Duncan is proud that she has been persistent. “We’re still doing this consistently,” she explained “we’re making a difference, I really credit Blaize [Abuntori, the founder] from the Reno Burrito Project for inspiring me to do so, even when it’s not perfect, we keep going.”

While the group set up in a second location on Record Street, Duncan was approached by a Reno Ambassador. He informed her that the owner of Record Street Brewing Company did not want them set up and serving the homeless food in front of the building. With no other suitable location nearby, this came as a shock to volunteers who see this form of gentrification potentially impacting their efforts. The owner did not respond to our requests for input.

Duncan has set up a gofundme account to raise money for supplies. In addition, she has created an Amazon wishlist. These online accounts help the community provide resources in a time when the pandemic has limited social interactions. People can purchase items and have them delivered directly to Duncan’s house. The money raised allows her to purchase items to fill in any cracks.

A man experiencing houselessness and sleeping at the downtown shelter waits patiently next to his bike as volunteers set up tables and food. 

With plenty of food left over after the second location, Duncan and the volunteers next went to the Volunteers of America homeless shelter on east Fourth street. Once set up they served another fifty plus people with food, blankets, hygiene kits, and books. 

Moving forward, Duncan is brainstorming how to transition to warm weather and move the organization forward. “Also talking to others in the community about what the needs are,” she said “trying to see what’s going on so we can fill the needs where it’s needed.” 

Duncan credits the volunteers as being the catalyst that keeps her going. Though they are essential to the operation, the work Duncan does is vital. Just watching her orchestrate the operation is telling. She remains in the background and it is clear this project is not about her or personal gain. It is all about helping those most in need.

Reporting by Richard Benarski for Our Town Reno

An EMT Dealing with Reno's Drug Abuse, Mental Health, COVID-19 and Downtown Ambassadors

For Michael Guymon, being an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is a career filled with tragedy, bitter realizations, and beautiful moments of brotherhood.

Guymon has been an EMT for about three years and six months full time on the streets of Reno.

As an EMT, Guymon, a UNR graduate, says he has seen sides of Reno he wished did not exist. “It's (Reno) dirtier than I thought it was going to be. Drugs are a lot more rampant here than I first anticipated, and the amount of meth in Reno is pretty absurd.” Meth, he says, remains a serious issue in certain communities.

“So opiates are kind of a more expensive drug, same with like all your like hallucinogenics and cocaine,” Guymon said.  “Meth is massive. Super cheap meth is easily obtainable, and you're high lasts for way longer. Fortunately, I don't see too much overdose in terms of heroin and the homeless population. I have encountered meth with people who have hotel rooms or live in some very low-priority housing kind of thing. That's where you start to see meth use.”

Mental health is also an issue he believe has not received enough sustained attention. “A big issue is with drugs and with just the inability for us to actually take care of mental health patients on the street, and they don't get help there. So they just continue to try dosing themselves with random drugs or use like meth or something like that. They're very easily taken advantage of by other people on the street. It's really sad because there's very little that we can do for mental health. And there's very little the ER can do for mental health. We only have, like, I would say probably like four or five major mental health facilities and Reno. And if you don't have insurance, it's kinda difficult to get into those.” 

Dealing with downtown ambassadors he says is also a work in progress.

“We know they try to do their best, but there's like a false sense of urgency with a lot of the calls, and realistically, driving lights and sirens is super dangerous for us. It's where the majority of healthcare fatalities in the field have happened. It's just, it's dangerous, and it's dangerous to other people. I wish the ambassadors would be able to get like a little bit of medical knowledge because they can sort of figure these little things out and be like, ‘Hey, there's urgent care down the street. You should go walk over to that urgent care,’  instead of requesting an ambulance with lights and sirens or something, cause realistically, almost all the Ambassador calls I've been on required a lights and sirens response. It could have been something we could have driven to fairly slowly because the patient's not critical. Right. The matter of a five to ten-minute difference wouldn't have made any difference at all in the patients overall care.”

The pandemic, he says, has also brought a new form of stress to many EMTs, especially when trying to help lower income communities. “So we do decently well with like obviously the upper and middle classes because you know, that tends to be where more of the education is focused around. A lot of the people tend to be a little bit more agreeable about it. When we start getting into like the lower classes, it's not necessarily that they don't want to be compliant with COVID restrictions. It's that they have a hard time with it. I mean, masks there's no, as far as I know, readily distributed masks system where people can get masks.”

Shelters he feels haven’t respected guidelines. “I mean, we talked about social distancing. You go into like the shelters, and they try their best, but it's just a whole bunch of burlap sacks on like the floor. And you have like three feet between you and the next person sleeping next to you. And then you have  a hundred different people in one different room.” 

EMTs invariably will have a brutal call or lose a life, although they did everything they could. The environment created by the connection between Guymon and colleagues reminds him to keep fighting. “It's kind of like a brotherhood between the people and like really the best relief for some of the stuff that you see is talking to your fellow coworkers and stuff, because they've also seen it and they've been there, and you know, they offer you like little things that can help you out,” he said at the conclusion of our interview.

Reporting by Gracie Gordon for Our Town Reno

Kelly, a COVID-19 Economic Casualty along the Truckee River

The [police sweeps] they suck. I mean, we're cleaning up our medicine and we're trying to make it livable out here. I mean my tent is the big one over there and you know, I think it's ridiculous. I think it's ridiculous when the cops come out here and pull all of us out of here. We're not doing anything wrong, you know, we're trying to live just like they do, every day. We're trying to get back on our feet and it's hard.

I've got my sister's dog. She's homeless too, but she's in the hospital right now.

I haven't heard anything like that [about the new Nevada Cares campus]. Well, I've heard a little bit, but just a tiny, tiny bit. But why can't they just leave us alone until then? Why can't we just stay here until that becomes available for us? I mean, that would make it a lot easier just in the last two weeks, we've had 15 other people move over here [near Fisherman’s Park].

The Wells bridge area, they got a lot of fighting and burning people's stuff and that's why we came way out here because it's a lot safer, or you don't fight out here. You know, like the other day we caught a guy beating a girl in a car and we stopped him, pulled her out of the car and she took off, went that way and he went that way and he called the police, you know, and I don't know if they ever showed up for it.

I do like Our Place, [the new shelter for women], and the [voucher program], they do put people up in hotels. They put me up in a hotel for two weeks and then I lost my bed because I was taking care of somebody else's dog.

I mean, [with the sweeps] it's just, yeah, it's hard trying to move all of our stuff. I have two bikes, no trailer, you know, you usually use trailers to move and shopping carts.

Just don’t treat us not like we are infected with diseases or something, you know, that's what they do. I usually try to introduce myself with somebody walking down the trail. So I was like, yeah, I'm Kelly. You know, this is where I stay right now. It shouldn't be like this forever. You know, it’s not going to be like this forever, but we're just like, we're just like everybody else, you know, and I wish they would just kind of leave us alone for it until that, until that place gets done that way we could just stop worrying every day we go to bed, we think we're going to be woke up at five in the morning.

I've seen friends lose their tents and have to sleep on the ground with no blankets because the cops came over and threw their [stuff] all away. [Instead we need] port-a-potties and showers and a lifetime supply of toilet paper, places to wash our hands because of course I'm not putting my head in that river… I mean, everybody's gotta be clean. I mean, my ex, my ex-husband, I go to his house and shower, but all I can is do that every other week. You know, usually I just wash up in a bucket or something, but yeah, that's mainly, you know, what we would, I would, I would think they [should help us with].

As told to Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

Hands of Hope Food Bank Scrambles for a New Location

Resilience to Keep a Family’s Legacy of Providing for Others

The Hands of Hope food bank has been in the community for ten years and now faces an uncertain future, following a family’s upheaval and financial difficulties. The initiative though has already shown plenty of resilience, much like the people it helps. It began as Operation Feedback in 2010 by Paul Kadesky. In 2016 Frank Seve’s parents assumed ownership but just recently, due to what he says was his parents deportation to Samoa, he has taken on ownership. 

Seve, 29, explained they were “taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after purchasing plane tickets,” when they tried to return to Samoa for a family emergency in November. As the situation unfolded, Seve and his parents, according to his account we couldn’t independently verify, were advised they could appeal the deportation. He says his parents chose to return but that this may have been a mistake as Seve and his parents have since been told by lawyers his parents will now be unable to return to the United States for at least ten years. The doors of Hands of Hope though have stayed open, until now, with a pressing need to find a new location.

“Tuesdays we open to our veterans,” said Seve, amongst the hum of refrigerators “and every Saturday to our community.” The food bank is currently located on 2360 Valley Road, just behind the Salvation Army thrift store, but Seve has been given notice he needs to leave in March.

With donations, Seve has put in place a innovative model that also brings in revenue. Anyone who needs food simply pays $10 and is then able to fill up a shopping cart of everything from frozen meats and meals to fresh produce, canned goods, and even hygiene products or kids books. 

“They will leave with about two hundred dollars worth of food,” explained Seve as volunteers worked to stock shelves with donated food items.

Seve puts a premium on healthy foods, but is now scrambling to find a new location.

Starting an Emergency Food Service

Seve moved to Reno fifteen years ago when he says his father began working in the Biggest Little City as a pastor. Wanting to do more for the community, Seve’s parents began a food bank out of their church.

“I’m more of a physical worker, doing the work,” explained Seve about the challenges of now operating the non profit. “I notice when I am doing the work, we’re not getting much [food].” He struggles in balancing the business and labor side of the organization. He has maintained a previously created network of grocery stores who all pitch in and donate food to the organization. This allows Seve to go around town to stores like WinCo, Sak’N Save, SaveMart, and Costco to collect ready made boxes of donated food. Then twice weekly he has a handful of volunteers helping him organize and sort all of the donations. 

His group of volunteers are all working to try to find a viable solution to keep the organization alive in a new location.

“The owner before volunteered here,” said Seve “and I guess the new owners now don’t want to deal with what’s going on.” He is looking at the big picture and has begun thinking about a backup plan. Though he does not have access to a location as large and organized as this new location he is keeping his eyes open for a solution. 

Seve says he has accumulated enough food that he is considering starting an emergency food service. In addition to the two days they are open, Seve wants to start putting together boxes of food that anyone from the community can come and grab without having to pay the ten dollars. He envisions this has the potential to help get people and families through an emergency situation where they might not be able to make ends meet.  

“Our doors are alway open, even if they feel like they don’t have the funds to come,” Seve said, wanting the community to know that he will find a way to get them food. “Don’t worry about anything just ‘cause you see a sign that says ten dollars,” he said. 

Seve never thought he would be running a non-profit food bank. He never thought he would get such satisfaction and fulfillment from working without getting paid, either. “If it wasn’t for my mom and dad,” Seve said “I probably would not have the heart that I do right now for the community.”

Our Town Reno Reporting and Photography by Richard Bednarski

New Cares Campus Faces Delays, Pre Launch Challenges and Data Confusion

The multipart Nevada Cares Campus is set to open mid April now, after overzealous excavation and winter storms slowed down its hoped for opening earlier in April, according to Reno’s acting assistant manager Arlo Stockham.

Getting the message out has also been a challenge as to what exactly is being planned for the new CARES money funded location at the site of the old Governor’s Bowl, behind I80 and East 7th Street.

Reno city councilwoman Neoma Jardon, who chaired the meeting, said a promotional video with data points done with SOSU. TV should be out by mid March, with a bigger media push happening in mid April.

One component of the campus will be a “sanctioned safe camp area,” which Jardon called a pilot program never tried before in northern Nevada, adding many constituents are currently writing her emails about homeless in the area. This camp will be accessible to those with pets, living in couples, and with more possessions than just a backpack, but how low the barrier will be to entry remains to be seen.

Washoe County Commission chair Bob Lucey pointed to businesses along 4th Street complaining of increased trespassing, and also general confusion as to when the campus would open, and to where it’s located.

The first presentation of the meeting was made by David Huete, with Haven for Hope out of San Antonio, Texas. That mission runs an innovative multi-layered campus approach, including a low barrier courtyard, which provides three meals a day, daytime resting options as well as overnight beds. The organization, which also has a “spiritual journey” facet, says 500 people move from their courtyard setup to what they call their “transformational campus” on a yearly basis on a path to permanent housing.

Huete stressed the importance of their ID recovery program. “You can’t restart your life,” unless you have some sort of ID, he said. Huete also noted what he called “heavy life skills training” was not popular, and that they’ve refocused more on classes on getting access to rapid rehousing and obtaining jobs, saying it was important “to engage with dignity,” and not to “baby” those being helped.

He also said it’s important not to give up on people you are trying to help, say if they don’t show up for a while, or if they don’t answer their phone. You have to “lean heavily” into housing money and recognize “the struggle,” he advised.

Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson called it a “cool campus,” but Huete emphasized its large downtown land area, covering over twenty acres in the heart of San Antonio, as a key to its success. Some houseless advocates in Reno fear the Governor’s Bowl is too removed from downtown areas and other existing services. They also fear the Volunteers of America run Record Street shelter will soon be shut down, as a way to keep funding the new campus going forward.

J.D. Klippenstein, who wears several hats in the local ring of trying to help the unhoused, from his role as executive director of the recently renamed Faith in Action Nevada (formerly ACTIONN), to also coordinating the Northern Nevada Continuum of Care, said COVID-19 has taught us helping those without stable shelter needs to be better integrated within overall emergency operations.

His presentation led to Sparks Mayor Lawson wondering why previous presentations had indicated there were over 300 beds available in the area to none currently available. No clear direct answer was ever really offered to that question, as the next presentation by Dana Searcy with Built for Zero, pointed to over 700 empty beds . The word beds in this instance is what’s available through vouchers or different shelters and organizations for those seeking to not sleep outside or in precarious situations.

Not clear to us is if members of the Continuum of Care or Built for Zero are getting local money for their presentations and applying for grant money. Built for Zero has been working to compile clearer data of what organizations are working “in the space” and what’s available now. The organization stresses low barrier, and having programs better fit actual needs, but also angered local houseless advocates by apparently supporting the recent sweep of several encampments.

Jardon praised “the data we’ve been longing for,” but also pointed to the square peg, round hole problem of available beds with different barriers for these not always reflecting the actual needs.

“We have the beds,” Searcy said. Notably absent from the conversation was any voice from someone actually unsheltered.

A protest letter seeking to replace police with social workers and mental health professionals for outreach in encampments was mentioned, and Jardon said it would be discussed during the April Zoom of what is a first Monday of the month meeting. It was mentioned members of the Washoe County’s Sheriff office and Reno and Sparks police departments will all be present for the next discussion.

Commissioner Hill also brought up discussing a possible Right to Rest Act for Nevada, which was also included in the protest letter. Simply stated, it would provide the unhoused the right to use public space without discrimination based on their housing status

Our Town Reno reporting on March 1, 2021

Michael Carson, Helping Build a Local Network for Social and Environmental Progress

From Facebook Lives to Community Events

On site of a recent sweep of a Sparks encampment, Michael Carson was up early, arriving before police, broadcasting on his live Facebook feed, and rallying other advocates to help those being uprooted. He’s also helped organize river cleanups through social media.

Carson wants to leave the earth a better place to future generations. He believes the environment, racial justice, poverty and houselessness are all issues on the same boat. He has challenged himself to try and help connect community members working towards improving all of these issues into a cohesive network and web of social change. 

“By weaving all of these organizations, I’m hoping to create a really strong foundation and legacy for the next generation to build off of,” he said in a recent conversation with Our Town Reno along the Truckee river. Carson has been gaining momentum in the community as a catalyst for change.

Carson was approached by Beverly and Autumn Harry, two local Indigenous activists working to protect the environment. They wanted to begin a community clean up along the Truckee River. “They liked what I was doing and wanted to incorporate that into a river cleanup project,” Carson said. He went out scouted for areas that had a lot of trash near the low water level. These areas were targeted first to clean up before the river starts rising from snowmelt and spring runoff.

“It started out with, hey let’s go connect with these communities and bring them some food,” explained Carson “to us building relationships with them.” This outreach happened over a few weeks and resulted with the people camping along the river in helping with the clean up.

To date there have been two cleanups with almost 150 volunteers and nearly 30 tons of garbage collected. Carson talked about how much of the trash in and around the river was a result of a previous encampment sweep conducted by the city of Sparks. “They gave them 30 minutes to pack up all their belongings then bulldozed whatever was left,” he explained “into large piles and left them.” 

From George Floyd to the Mutual Aid Network Movement

After George Floyd’s murder last year, Carson says he began a self-audit into his inherent and implicit biases. By identifying his power and privilege, he says he realized he can work to offset this imbalance. 

Mutual aid is defined as a voluntary and reciprocal trading of resources and services benefiting both parties involved. On his Facebook, Carson recently wrote: “Mutual Aid is the radical act of caring for each other while working to change the world.”

Carson looked toward three educators, Caress Fitch, Terra Anderson and Christina Cleveland for more on what mutual aid looks like. They all suggested he reach out to organizations who are helping people with less privilege and resources and offer his time, energy and abilities. 

“Finding organizations who are already on the frontlines working with the people who have less of that power, less of that privilege and less resources,” he explained “and showing up and saying ‘How can I help?’ while simultaneously using whatever platform I have to share with these organizations.” 

Carson also converted his garage and porch into a community food pantry. Over the past year, he has learned not just how his own implicitly was part of the problem, but how he could refocus his privilege and help our neighbors in need. He said his personal audit has resulted in “striving to uncenter myself and really put the focus on the organizations that are already doing this work.”

A recent post on Carson’s Facebook page.

“If they’re starving and they’re cold, they can’t even get out of their tent to go find that help.”

Carson sees the struggle unfolding here in Reno as more of a problem orbiting trauma. With rent and home prices reaching unaffordable levels, and income levels stagnant, more and more people are forced out onto the streets. This is a form of trauma, that can lead to drug use and mental health deterioration.

“It’s hard to say what exactly the problem is, but what I am faced with and what I see as a root [problem] more than anything is people not being able to get the resources they need to heal their trauma,” he said. Because food insecurity is also a major factor working against people without housing, Carson now focuses his efforts on helping people stay nourished and stay warm.

Carson echoed many community members in that the police going into homeless camps and evicting them is not solving underlying factors. These evictions often happen early in the morning, when temperatures are below freezing and with little involvement from community advocates and volunteers. “If they are worried about it being clean, there are volunteers in the community that are willing to show up and help clean,” he said.

“Sweeping the camps and having people leave behind truckloads of belongings and then relocate to a camp that they think is more safe,” explained Carson “seems to be really problematic.” Carson has followed up with people who were recently forced out of Gateway park and learned that they were not eligible for what little space was available in the shelters nor wanted to relocate to another camp under the Wells Avenue overpass. He said people who are working on sobriety fear that camp would threaten their efforts at getting sober. 

Carson believes the people farthest away from the problem are not addressing the issue, “the city, the police are showing up at these camps saying ‘hey we have a solution, pack up your stuff and leave,’ and that’s not working.”

What needs to be happening, Carson explained, is a collective decision making process with the people in these camps. Through this active involvement of people experiencing houselessness, community advocates, and the city, Carson feels a clear solution will arise.

“Radical transparency from the city and the police will help us as a community find solutions a lot quicker,” he said. “What I want everyone to do is to examine their power, their privilege, and their resources, and then find people who have less then them and go help those people.”

Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno

Jeremy, Looking to Regain Health and Energy to Move After Third Heart Attack

Since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the United States almost one year ago, Jeremy and his wife have periodically been without shelter. This is their second time camping by the river and it's an experience that Jeremy says is difficult, particularly due to the health complications he’s been suffering lately.

“At the beginning of this year, we were out here and then all summer long we were indoors and we came back out here again because money ran out,” Jeremy said. “We've been out here about two months, at least this time around, and I had my third heart attack three weeks ago, so it's rough. But other than that, I'm all right.”

Jeremy speaks positively about his experience with the healthcare system, particularly considering how much he’s needed them recently.

“Right now, I'm really pleasantly pleased with the healthcare system,” Jeremy said. “I've never had these kinds of benefits, being on Medicaid. They're taking great care of me right now as far as that goes. My [prescriptions] are pretty expensive, but they want me to get better. They don't want me to die and I don't want to die, either. Not right now, not too soon.”

Due to his health-related challenges, he has been unable to work. So earlier this year his wife was still working to get them by, but that all changed when COVID-19 shut down the country.

“My wife was working, she was doing everything she could to keep us afloat and everything started going downhill as soon as a COVID hit,” Jeremy said.

Despite the seriousness of the pandemic and how it could affect Jeremy’s already declining health, he recognizes that there’s only so much he can do to protect himself while cases continue to surge in Washoe County.

“Now [COVID] is really rolling in and getting us and if [COVID] gets us, it gets us,” Jeremy said. “But I'm hoping we don't get it. I'm hoping the majority of us are smart enough that even if we're [living] out here, we can make it through.”

Although Jeremy wore a mask when he spoke with Our Town Reno, he admits he’s not as cautious as he should be. “I'm not changing much of anything but if I get [COVID] I'm going to die for sure,” Jeremy said. “I'm already a recovering drug addict as it is and I can admit that. I smoke a lot of pot and have done a lot of speed in my time and that's one of the biggest contributors to my [declining] health.” 

His biggest disappointment as it relates to COVID, however, is how it’s changed how people interact with each other. “So many people have changed [because of COVID],” Jeremy said. “I mean, you guys are about some of the friendliest people that I've talked to in awhile that just came up to me and wanted to talk to me. You try to talk to anybody else and they think you're the plague. All of a sudden we have a pandemic on our hands and everybody's just staying away from you because you're a bug.”

Aside from COVID, Jeremy is concerned about what happens in camps along the river, including the worst that can happen.

“This place is scary as f***, dude, it's all bad down here,” Jeremy said. “At the beginning of last year, my buddy Mike actually got shot and killed right up here. He was sitting on the toilet and a dude put five rounds in his chest over something stupid.”

Jeremy wasn’t along the river when his friend was killed, as that same night he and his wife were in the process of moving their camp from their spot on the river over to Fisherman’s Park. 

“The night we moved away from here is when Mike got shot and it was very, very real,” Jeremy said. “You could hear the gunshots clear as day. I was only gone 15 minutes, I took one load down to Fisherman's Park and came back and everybody over here was all crying and I'm like, ‘What the hell is going on?’”

Jeremy was told that his friend Mike had been killed, and he and his wife went on to move three times over the next couple of months. But now that they’re back to camping by the river, that reality has stayed with Jeremy. 

“Every night we hear fights over here, every day,” Jeremy said. “There ain't nobody running nothing around here but their mouths. The first day we were out here we were seeing people sword-fighting with machetes, really it’s stupid.” 

Although this is his second bout with homelessness, Jeremy says his wife has handled the transition better than he has. 

“My wife, she ain't never seen none of [this], never in her life has she been homeless,” Jeremy said. “This has been her first time and she's taken it better than I am, really. I mean, she's got her head on a lot clearer than I do in a lot of instances. She's my rock.”

Some of the most difficult things he’s seen since being homeless, Jeremy says, are the fires that occasionally break out. 

“I've seen some crazy shit down here, you’ll see ten fires down here, dude,” Jeremy said. “You never think a tent would go up [in flames] but when they go up, it’s pretty bad and it's the scariest shit. I mean, you're just not going to get out.”

Consequently, between his heart problems and the challenges of day-to-day life without shelter, Jeremy and his wife plan to move to Phoenix as soon as they’re financially able to. 

“I'm trying to get out of here and I'm trying to go to Phoenix when I can, because that's where the rest of my family is and it might be better for my health,” Jeremy said. “I’m 45 and I shouldn't be having these issues at 45. I’m a grandfather to twelve grandkids and I don't look like I should be a grandfather, it kind of sucks. I'm no kind of role model with my grandkids.”

When asked how soon he plans to move, Jeremy said it’s difficult to make plans beyond the day-to-day when you’re without shelter like him. 

“I'm on the day-to-day plan,” Jeremy said. “I'm not even on the one-year, five-year or 10-year plan at this point. All we're worried about right now is if we can get the money and get out of here. As soon as the timing is right, we're out.”

Despite everything that this year has thrown Jeremy’s way, he hopes that everyone can pull through this year, together.

“Don't give up, keep trying and you’ll eventually get out of that hole,” Jeremy said. “I'm going to get me and my girl out of this hole one way or another. That's all I can do and she's been the one doing it all, really. I got to give her the credit, not me. She's been my rock. But don't give up is all that I can say. This is all a part of life and we’re all in this thing together dude, that’s all it is.”

Reporting by Scott King for Our Town Reno

Mel and Matt, About to be "Swept" in Sparks, Nevada

As the winter wears on and the cold remains, Matt, who has been living in a tent along the river at Gateway Park right by Greg Street has to move again. He has camped here for a few months and is no stranger to police sweeps, having experienced them in the past, he says. Due to rising living costs, he simply could not afford the cost of living anymore and has been homeless for a couple of years. 

“We used to be able to afford a place, but it’s doubled in a few years,” he explained as a Sparks Police truck drove by on the river path this morning. Him and Mel, his partner, were sitting on a park bench trying to think of their next move. Matt is not sure where they will end up but he wants to start the process ahead of the sweep now being talked about for tomorrow. 

Matt is also frustrated at the posted signs and presence of the police. The sign posted on February 15th reads that all property will be considered abandoned as of 8 o’clock tomorrow morning.

“A couple months ago they said they were going to try and help us out,” Matt said as he placed tobacco into a rolling paper. He said there has been some help in the form of Nevada Health assisting people in the area with health insurance. But he said it has not been enough to help in any long term manner.

Posted on Monday the 15th, a new sign from the City of Sparks gave residents of Gateway Park 48 hours to clear out their belongings and move somewhere else.

On scene helping the folks get organized and ready to move was Kurt, who said he was with the Karma Box Project. “There are about 15 to 20 tents and about thirty people,” he explained, “and we have until tomorrow to move these people out of here.” However, he explained there were some issues. He does not like to see the unhoused get pushed around nor have their stuff be taken. 

“Wells Street is being used as kind of a staging area,” he said referring to under the overpass along the river. He said officials are directing people first to a shelter then to the Wells Avenue overpass where they will not be harassed. He thinks the new Nevada Cares super shelter at the old Governor’s Bowl location should be ready within a few weeks, but it seems lots of work remains to get that operational.

Kurt said he believes these police actions are an opportunity for people experiencing homelessness to reconnect with family and receive goods they might not have otherwise received living in camps. Advocates for the unhoused say it can be counter-productive to uproot tent communities, only setting them back in their hopes of regaining stable, legal shelter.

“I’ve had too much stuff happen to her,” said Matt of his girlfriend, Mel, who is disabled. He chooses to avoid the shelter because he says the ones he has access to don’t allow couples and it would separate him from Mel. They have been together for over 15 years and when they were apart, things didn't go well for Mel. “I’ve gotta be around her,” he explained as he rolled his cigarette. 

He cites safety issues during previous shelter experiences, but welcomes ideas for a possible legal safe camp, at Governor’s Bowl, or elsewhere.

The Gateway Park camp on the day before it might be swept and possessions taken out.

While talking with them, there were several Reno Police and Sparks Police present putting Matt on edge. He was uncomfortable and not sure why they were there but said he plans to get as much of their belongings together and be out by the morning. 

“Some of us are here because it’s just unfortunate,” he said “we just ended up where we couldn’t afford the rent.”

He wants the community to know it is not easy living in a tent and not all of them are bad people.

Reporting and Photography by Richard Bednarski