From Vegas, Directly to the Downtown Family Shelter
On a cold February night, Jonaisha Green and her three daughters stepped off a bus in downtown Reno, after a 24 hour road trip from Las Vegas that included two transfers, but very little sleep.
Sleep would have to continue to wait however, as the journey was not quite over. Temperatures were well below freezing, and with the entirety of their possessions packed into a few suitcases, Jonaisha and her three girls started walking toward the Volunteers of America Family Shelter on Record Street. They had been given the address to the shelter by their social worker in Las Vegas. They were told the VOA would help them get on their feet while they looked for a permanent place to live.
Their welcome to the Biggest Little City however, was about as frigid as the Sierra climate. Upon arrival at the family shelter, the Green family was told there was zero vacancy, and that they may need to spend almost two months on a waitlist before they could be admitted into a room. Outside with her 14 month old in her arms and her 10 and 8 year olds standing by her side, Jonaisha tried to plead over the phone with the shelter administration upstairs. She tried to explain how her social worker had told her that she would be taken care of in Reno. She was told that housing and job opportunities were plentiful in Northern Nevada.
“I don’t know why Vegas would tell you to come out here. They misled you. We can’t help you.” These are the responses Jonaisha recalls hearing, when she first arrived at the downtown shelter, as part of her ordeal to find a better life for her three girls.
A Simple Car Problem Led to Housing Problems
The VOA informed her that Child Protective Services had been called and were on their way. For a single mother, especially one who was taken from her parents by CPS as a baby herself, the three letter abbreviation was catastrophe. “Hell gon’ freeze over, before you take my kids,” Jonaisha explained in a stern tone.
It may seem difficult to initially understand the reasoning behind the advice Jonaisha received from her Las Vegas social worker. Why would someone tell her she would be better off leaving her hometown? Reno has seen a huge in the cost of housing recently, while it ranks as one of the most expensive rent markets in the state. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Nevada would need roughly 75,000 homes to meet the needs of its extremely low income residents. In the 2018 Nevada Housing Profile, the state posted the largest housing shortage for extremely low income residents in the country.
But there’s also the lure of a hot job market, which was motivation enough for Jonaisha to pack up and leave behind her friends and family in Las Vegas for a new start in the Biggest Little City.
Jonaisha was born and raised in Clark County. She became pregnant at 19 with her oldest daughter Nalayah, and spent her first few years of motherhood battling financial struggles, constantly under the threat of having her power turned off. Up until a few months ago, she had a decent job as a caretaker, and a two bedroom apartment for her and her daughters. She paid $565 a month and accepted support from her sister and the father of her girls.
However, a simple car problem would eventually disassemble this relative structure and stability. Jonaisha made a mistake and forgot to change the oil in her car. She went on for a few months, worrying about more pressing day to day issues, until one day the car finally gave out on the freeway. Without a car, Jonaisha had no way to get to work. She quickly lost her job, and was unable to make the coming month’s rent. She and her girls moved into her sister’s place to avoid having an eviction notice on her record. Her daughters adored their aunt, and the family managed to get by under one crowded roof . But a family of four needed their own place to live, and an exhausted mom needed a new start. She was told she could find maybe find one in Reno.
The Green family was not separated on that first night in Reno. The CPS worker decided the three girls were not in any danger; They simply needed a place to sleep. They were put up in a Motel 6, where they fell asleep almost immediately. After over 24 hours of uncertainty and moments of panic, they were warm, they were safe, and most importantly, they were together.
Nicole Altamirano, the Family Counseling Clinical Director at the Children’s Cabinet, specializes in marriage and family therapy, and provides these services for free to families and youths aged up to 24 years old.
Advice from the Children’s Cabinet and Early Struggles in Reno
Housing is one of the most essential basic needs to function as a human being. Without it, people resort to fight or flight responses that assist them in surviving the current moment.
“If you have a somewhat normal daily life, your emotional norms are different. When you’re living with the threat of homelessness, or you are homeless, you have a constant level of anxiety and stress. You react to things differently. Parents are not what they could be if they are dealing with these high stress situations. They need that basic need (food and shelter) before they can be effective parents,” said Nicole Altamirano, a marriage-family therapist at the Children’s Cabinet.
While living in that Motel 6, 10-year-old Nalayah and eight-year-old Nakyla were out of school for a couple of weeks as they accompanied their mother in her search for employment and housing.
Jonaisha quickly found a housekeeping job at the Harrah’s Reno Hotel and Casino. The pay was $10 an hour, not nearly enough to support three daughters or afford a home to rent in Reno, but Jonaisha wasn’t picky. She knew she needed income fast. Somehow, she was moved up the list and was admitted to the VOA family shelter several weeks after her arrival.
Altamirano also stressed the importance of community and family assistance, the latter of which Jonaisha left in Las Vegas. Her life was hectic upon arrival, even after she started working. Her 14-month-old at the time Na’liah has a breathing condition, and her eldest daughter Nalayah got blisters on her arms from laundry detergent, requiring a trip to the emergency room.
A room at the family shelter is not an adequate substitute for a stable and consistent home, but it would have to do, as Jonaisha and her daughters found their way in a new town.
Difficulties of Holding Down a Job while in the Shelter with Your Kids
The VOA’s strict ‘no unsupervised children’ policy also made it difficult. Jonaisha had mandatory shifts at Harrah’s on the weekends, making it difficult and costly for her to find care for the girls at that time.
“I can’t lose my job. I’ve got so much depending on it. I can’t let my kids down. By any means, I got to keep this job for my kids,” she said at the time of our interview.
On one occasion, Jonaisha scraped together what little money she had for a motel room, where she could keep her girls while she was away at work.
“I told them to not open the door for anyone. I’m at work the whole day just so nervous. I’m calling every hour just to check in.”
It was an experience she hopes to never have to repeat, but currently one of her only options to make it to work on weekends.
Nakyla (left, age 8) and Nalayah (right, age 10) pose for a picture after school. Nakyla can be found sporting flashy sunglasses and lip gloss, while Nalayah is usually seen with a basketball in her hands.
Hope isn’t a Cliche, it’s a Necessity
It’s a natural instinct as a parent to protect children emotionally from harsh realities. When a family becomes homeless, the priority becomes survival.
“I’ll be as honest with them as possible.” Jonaisha said. “I don’t try and be hard on them but I let em’ know. I tell them, ‘life is not a game. Do you see the things we’re going through in life? People will treat you any kind of way. As long as you can do something for them, you’ll be fine.’”
Focus and hope are major factors in emotionally surviving the trauma of homelessness, and overcoming challenges toward a better future.
“Family time together outside of the shelter is important. Even if it’s going for a walk by the river, or playing a game at the library,” Altamirano said on tips for families being in a shelter. “There’s not a lot they can do, but there are a few little things they can do that make a big difference. They have to know that they are going to get through it,” she said.
Although Jonaisha has never met Altamirano, she unknowingly practices the therapist’s suggestions. She spends time listening to her daughters, and hearing how their days went.
“People here (at the shelter) tell me ‘well this is life’. I’m like, no it ain’t. There’s more. I don’t have to sit here with my head down. I can keep going.”
After our interview, we were told Jonaisha had found an apartment in Reno with government assistance. As Harrah’s is about to be shut down, though, the future of people working there is now uncertain.