A Challenging Area
“This is a very challenging area because of just the space,” Humbert said. “This is more than a mile long, tucked in between the retract lane and private businesses and the railroad on the other side. So it's about 20, 30 feet on either side where folks who have queued up their tents, have made themselves a temporary home. Today it's all being cleaned out,” Humbert said.
“This is usually, once to twice a week that we go to different areas, all different sizes and all across the city, North Valleys, South Reno, here in the core of downtown. We're going everywhere to keep an eye on these,” he said of encampments.
Despite complaints that written notices were not handed out, Humbert said the City of Reno went “above and beyond what the law requires. So to give an example, law says that we have 24 hours required notice for folks to just post signs, let them know, come out and save that 24 hours before we start a cleanup like this. Instead, the city has gone above and beyond to offer a full week to folks to know that this action was coming. And even on the day of the cleanup by law, we're allowed to just come in and start taking things out. But instead we give folks in this case today an extra two and a half hours from the time that we arrive to the cleanup truly beginning. We want to make sure that everyone gets the opportunity to get their most prized possessions out of here, when they need to go. And it's one of those things that we add compassion to it by going above and beyond to, to just do the simple, logical, compassionate thing for folks that we don't just want to come in here as jackbooted thugs and take things away from people.”
ACLU distributed leaflets indicated what the rights are for the unsheltered being asked to move.
Proper Notifications?
Humbert insisted both written and verbal notifications were given repeatedly, as well as indications of possible resources. “We have our outreach teams come out here and offer those services, explain where people can go both temporarily and try to find long term services. So there is no doubt and no confusion for folks who are down here that actions like this are coming,” he said.
”There's a lot of chatter within the community as well to let people know, because we want to make sure that there's no confusion, that there's no gotcha. That there's no inhumane way of just grabbing people's things. We want to give people the opportunity to know what's happening and what's coming.”
We asked where these displaced people should go next? “Well, it's a combination of being in the community and hopefully that they take us up on the offer to enjoy some of the resources that we have, to take those opportunities for the Community Assistance Center…. Things like The Village on Sage street, other different opportunities that are there. But one of the most disheartening things is that when our mobile outreach, safety and street teams come out here and you know, offer all this data about where people can go and the different options that they need, whether it is a drug treatment services, whether it is just simply cleaning up, unfortunately very few people take us up on that offer.”
Resistance to Help
”I was told even just a short while ago that nobody took us up on the services, whether it is a charity group in the faith-based community, whether it is County resources, the assistance center, we're holding out the hand,” Humbert said of people not wanting the aid that is being offered. “We want people to grab it and come with us. And it's really challenging when they don't. And I think that's one of our biggest challenges right now because there's the perception that we don't have the resources, that there isn't enough and while it's strained and it's at capacity, sometimes there are still options, but folks have to come along with us and participate in it. And it's tough when we're told no.”
“I mean, they're going to have to try to find some place where they can legally be at, whether it is with other family members or friends… We want to make sure that if we're moving people out that there is some place to go. But that's exactly the point is that folks aren't taking that offer. And so if people are intentionally choosing this lifestyle, what can we do?” Humbert said when asked where people should go with shelters being full.
No Arrests but Possessions Trashed
“We can't lock these folks up. We can't arrest them… And it is, it is really challenging to see what we have to do out here when we've got our citizens doing everything they can just to survive. But there is, I mean, it's no joke on this paper that we hand out and explain to people there is hope, but you've got to be able to come with us and be a part of it because we want to,” Humbert explained of the city’s current approach.
”In many cases we say, we've got cleanups coming. If you don't want it, if you can't carry it, it'll be disposed of,” he said of possessions. “And I've asked of our staff very specific questions to say, alright, if folks say, well I need that still, but I can't move it out of here, you need to keep an eye on it and move it to a location that is an available option. But again, no one's taken us up on that offer. We know that a lot of other jurisdictions proactively do that. But because of safety reasons and the notification procedure, that's not necessarily a burden that needs to happen given the way that we have it set up. It's available, but no one takes us up on the offer. “
“A lot of folks say that the government doesn't do enough. A lot of people say that the government does too much and gets in the role of people's lives, but seeing city government in action like this with compassion, with humanity, but also with reality I think is one of the most interesting things and important things for us. Because as a city we have a duty not only to the people who are concerned about this activity in their neighborhoods or businesses who are concerned about this just feet away from where they're working every day in their livelihoods but we also have a duty to the folks who've lived here that it isn't just faceless folks and just the homeless. These are our citizens too. These are our people and our residents and we need to treat them with respect just as we do everything everyone else. And that's always not a lot of people are, well not enough people maybe perceive it that way. And I think that our city government on our police department has really taken that to heart to say, we're here to give people every opportunity that we can within the bounds of budget constraints, the law and everything else that we want to help every single person out here. We truly, truly do. It's just so difficult,” Humbert said.
Are We Just Pushing Problem Around?
“I think that there's some reality to that, but the question is what are the other alternatives if we have some of these resources and start focusing on the individual shelter option, take a look at the possibility of a space that is specifically for residents like this,” Humbert said when asked if the City of Reno was just pushing the problem around. “If people don't take us up on those offers, it's really tough to make progress and we continue to identify where folks are going. We're having [results from] a point in time count that's going be coming out in April. And that'll give us a lot of hard data of what resources are needed, who are out there, how our homeless population is changing. So we'll be able to work off of that too. We don't want it to feel like we're just shuffling people around and chasing them around the city. But we hope that with actions like this, there's a learning lesson for all of us…. This lifestyle is simply not going to work anymore here, that it's just not sustainable for them, for us or for residents and businesses.”