Evicted and Now Out on the Streets
Rose’s troubles with stable shelter began after she and her roommate were evicted from the place they were renting several years ago.
“[My roommate] didn't pay his half for the rent, so we both ended up getting evicted,” Rose said. “Now that there’s an eviction on my record, a lot of people don't want to rent to me.”
Since then Rose, who is hard of hearing, has barely been getting by on the social security and food stamps she receives. “But Social Security can’t afford me to get a place to live in by myself,” Rose said. “I do get food stamps, $17 a month.”
She’s been looking for affordable housing that fits her budget, but even when she might find something, her search recently got more difficult, she says, after her cell phone was stolen.
“People just steal telephones around here and it’s terrible,” Rose said. “You go buy one for $128 bucks and a week later you don't have your phone anymore,” Rose told Our Town Reno. Photo by Richie Bednarski.
Looking for a New Cell Phone
Rose says she’s tried to apply for a so-called government Obama Phone, but has been told she makes too much to qualify for one. Having a phone is crucial for her to search for affordable housing and other resources, particularly because she is hard of hearing and relies on the messaging that cell phones provide.
“When I keep getting my telephone stolen from me, they can't get a hold of me or text me and stuff,” Rose said. “So it’s like I’m stuck here.”
Rose doesn’t mind being hard of hearing, though. In fact, she enjoys it as a means of keeping to herself.
“I don't have to hear the bullshit, but if I want to know what's going on I'll find out,” Rose said. “I wore hearing-aids back when I was three years old but by the time I was 19, I gave up because the hearing aids would make a bunch of noise and I wasn’t even hearing what people were saying.”
So she says she mostly enjoys spending her day with her dog, a chihuahua-mix who she takes to a nearby park from time to time.
“I’ve had him for two and a half years, since he was a puppy,” Rose said. “My brother bought him for $150 and he became my dog. I want to have him certified as a therapy-hearing dog. He'll bark at you, but he hasn’t bitten anybody.”
When it gets cold at night, Rose has her dog stay with her brother to stay warm at night. So when she doesn’t have her dog with her, Rose enjoys watching her hometown Chicago Bears play at the Diamonds Casino.
“I’m originally from Chicago, Illinois, so I’m a White Sox and a Bears fan,” Rose said. “Oh, that Bears game last week, I couldn't believe they lost. I sit and watch the games over there at Diamonds and they bring me hot chocolate or coffee.”
A Survivor Finding Simple Pleasures
For Rose, it’s times watching sports at a casino with a warm drink in hand that she’s just grateful to be alive. Back in 1993, she says she was involved in a car accident that nearly took her life, leaving her with head trauma and a collapsed lung.
“In 1993, I was run over and dragged by a pick-up truck,” Rose said. “I didn't get anything [financially] out of it, but the hospital bill was paid. I just thank God every day to still be here.”
When asked about the upcoming election, Rose confirmed she was a registered voter but wasn’t interested in discussing the topic.
“I’m a registered voter and a Democrat, I’m not Republican,” Rose said. “But that's not a good thing to talk to people about: religion or politics.”
She just wants to be left alone, she says, to enjoy her own company, which is why she avoids staying at the local shelter.
“I'd rather be right here, just me and my dog,” Rose said. “The shelter's just not a nice place to stay, I’m sorry. I’ve been there before and things get stolen and some people aren’t fit to be with other people, so I’ll be alright right here.”
For Rose it’s nothing personal, it’s just who she is.
“I really don't want anybody to know about [my experience], but that's me personally,” Rose said. “It's better to be left alone. You don't speak to them, they don’t speak back.”