Under Competing Time Crunches and a Need for Immediate Treatment
“I've got a CPS [Child Protective Services] case open and I'm required to get in a treatment program,” the man said on a recent Monday during the Our Town Reno Share Your Story forum. “But unfortunately in Reno, there's only two inpatient programs that take state Medicaid. So that's really putting a damper on my ability to get treatment right now,” he said.
The long waiting list adds another mental hurdle to the challenges of people seeking treatment for addiction.
“That's why most of these individuals quit [waiting lists] because those who want to get sober, can't wait,” he said. “They get discouraged and then they go use, because meth really messes with your brain. When your brain tells you it's time to get high, it's time to get high. That's why people who want treatment should be allowed to get it when they need it right away.”
Consequently, he believes that if Reno were to provide more drug treatment programs that accept state Medicaid, waiting lists wouldn’t be so long for those who really want the treatment.
Scfreengrab of a website saying it offers information about treatment centers accepting Medicaid.
Facing Hurdles, But Trying to Stay Sober for his Daughter
Another hurdle he has to overcome, however, he said is the conditions landlords require of their tenants.
“[Landlords have] all these red tapes in getting affordable housing, they got too many conditions for housing for people who want to do right,” he said. I mean, my last [felony] was probably over 10 years ago and that's stopping me from good housing and getting to a proper place.”
His personal struggle has been with a meth addiction, which he had beaten once already before a recent relapse.
“Meth [has been] my downfall,” he said. “And meth is a really big issue in this part of the town and Reno should have a lot more programs for that kind of stuff around here,” he said.
His motivation to go clean is the same as it was before: his daughter, now 12. When he first gained custody of her when she was five, he says he was able to go sober for six years.
“I've had meth problems back in the past, but ever since she was in my life and when my custody, I was sober for over six years. So now time's ready enough for me to get my kid back and I got show completion of programs and, or at least enroll in their program. But in this month, so that's, I'm really trying to hit the pavement and try to get something done. So we'll see what happens.
“She's always been my backbone,” he said. “I just thank God that with her presence in my life and having her being there right in front of me, I left [the meth] alone for six years.”
His relapse and subsequent loss of custody stemmed from a recent attempt to help a family member who was also struggling with a meth addiction.
“Unfortunately, I thought I was strong enough to help another family member out who was in trouble,” he said. “But I wasn't able to because he brought [meth] into the house and I ended up losing [my daughter] and that's how this whole case started.”
Currently, his daughter is staying in a foster home. As long as he is able to stay sober, he can see her twice a week during supervised visits at the family visiting center in Sparks. Additionally, he said, he gets three phone calls during the week. Besides spending time together cooking and talking during those visits, they often discuss their future together.
“She's worried because time is running out as all these programs are [being] cut and there’s all this red tape in front of us right now,” he said. “So she's frustrated and I'm frustrated too, but we try to hang in there.”
His priorities remain focused on enrolling in a drug treatment program and regaining custody of his daughter, despite recently becoming homeless. “[I’ve been in Reno] since 2015 and this year is the only time I’ve been homeless,” he said.
Above is a photo illustration of a photo by Thomas Quine, with Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0).
Giving Back for Being Allowed in a Stairwell
The man told us he’s been staying in a stairwell of a local business to keep out of the cold.
“[The building manager has] been very lenient about me staying there cause I don't bug nobody,” he said. “I just go in there, sleep, and take off in the morning to do what I gotta do.”
He has even taken it upon himself to take out the garbage on all the floors in the building, as a token of gratitude for the building manager’s generosity. He wishes her compassion toward him was more common throughout the city of Reno, as more compassion could open up more opportunities for access to the resources he needs to get back on his feet.
“[I want to see] more compassion for the homeless because some people want to do more; I know I do,” he said. “I know if I had more resources [available to me] I would do it. I would get into [treatment] today if I could.”
So while he continues applying for treatment programs and works his way up the waiting lists, he wanted to take a moment to share a message directly to his daughter.
“Honey, I'm sorry,” he said. “I've got a problem that I'm trying to get fixed. But there isn’t a moment that I don't think about you. I love you and I will be back one day, hopefully soon.”