Matt, Comparing Different Shelters and Fearing Being Homeless Over Winter

A Divorce and an Accident

Matt has been living in Reno for several years now, having come over from California after going through a divorce. His father lived in Reno and encouraged him to get a fresh start in the Biggest Little City.

“I came from California because I had a divorce and it didn't do me well,” Matt said. “My dad lives out here and he told me to come up to Reno. I was working in retail for awhile and had an accident, so right now I'm not able to work. I'm looking forward to going back to work and I'm feeling better every day. Once I get back to work and back on my feet, I want to give back to them.”

Those that he wants to help, he says, are those who have found themselves in the situation he is currently in. Currently confined to a wheelchair due to his recent accident, Matt has recently been out of work. Throughout the summer, he was part of the homeless population that stayed in the Reno Events Center as the COVID-19 pandemic overtook the nation.

“The Reno Event Center was an interesting experience,” Matt said. One of the biggest concerns he had with his time at the Reno Events Center, he says, was the lack of concern or consideration workers there had for people like him just trying to get some sleep.

From the Reno Events Center Back to the Record Street Shelter

Matt had many complaints about staying at the Reno Events Center when the Record Street shelter was limited due to COVID-19. He alleges some of his stuff got stolen and that staff would watch movies on their phones.

“The people that are watching us sit there and just talk like, ‘Oh, it's daytime, no problem. No one's sleeping around,’ instead of trying to keep it quiet,” Matt said. “But we're there to sleep and get some rest so that we're not out here on the streets sleeping. So there's a lot of problems [like that] with the system that they could be fixing.”

Matt is grateful that after the Events Center closed as a shelter, he wasn’t placed at the temporary big tents shelter farther down East Fourth Street. Instead, he’s been staying at the VOA shelter on Record Street.

“I'm disabled right now,” Matt said. “They let the disabled people stay [at the Record Street shelter] instead of walking two miles to the big tent down Fourth Street. [The Big Tents shelter] is about two miles away and it'd be too much of a journey [for me].”

Having been homeless for almost a year now, Matt has already noticed a difference in how certain agencies treat the population they’re serving.

“The VOA could be more polite and more helpful,” Matt said of staying at the Record Street shelter. “Catholic Charities is the only one that helps out. They helped sign me up for food stamps, which was very helpful. It gives me a little bit of money to get something from the store, but I can't really go shopping because I can't cook anywhere, so that's been difficult.”

Grateful for Catholic Charities but Not for Early Mornings in the Cold

Matt genuinely appreciates the support he’s received from St. Vincent’s and Catholic Charities, saying they are doing the best they can to support people without housing.

“St. Vincent's gives us lunch and Catholic Charities gives us clothes,” Matt said. “They also have food boxes, which a lot of us can't take because you have to cook the food, so it's kind of hard. We don't have any place to cook food, so there's some things we can’t take from there. But other than that, they try to help us as much as they can.”

He also recognizes other area groups that have come out to support him in his time of need.

“There's a couple churches and good people come around to hand out sandwiches and feed us, which helps out because meals are few and far between,” Matt said. “Breakfast is like a stale donut and yogurt in the morning, so that's not much nutrients to get you through [the day].”

One particular challenge of the Record Street shelter, particularly as it gets colder in the mornings, is the fact that they force people out of the shelter at 6:00 a.m. and won’t allow them to come back until 9:00 at night.

“I was here last winter and at 6:00 a.m., they're kicking us out when it’s like 17 degrees outside. So we have to sit out until 9:00 p.m. at night. So it's very difficult and rough,” he said.

Oftentimes, Matt has to spend his day at what the homeless community commonly refers to as “The Pit,” a sitting area just outside the shelter.

“[During the day I go to what] we call ‘The Pit,’ but they call it ‘The Veranda,’” Matt said. “It's just a place to sit and we go out there and sit and freeze. St. Vincent’s had a warming center last winter where we were able to go in and get coffee for a couple of hours.”

When told of the ongoing discussions at Reno City Council about a proposal for a new shelter at the Governor’s Bowl Park, Matt believes that would be a good idea to see implemented.

“All right, I think it's a good idea because we could use a new shelter that's more updated than the shelter we have,” Matt said. “[The current shelter] is sort of run-down and they don't really keep it up. So a new shelter would be a blessing,” he said of possible plans to convert the baseball field.

Fearful of Winter but Not of COVID-19

In the present moment, Matt is primarily more concerned about the approaching winter than he is about anything else, including his potential exposure to COVID-19 on the streets.

“I'm not worried about COVID, if I get sick, I get sick,” Matt said. “I mean, I live on the streets. I have a pretty good immune system so I don't let it scare me. I just got to live life day-by-day and see what happens. If I happen to get sick, it’s just my time. But with COVID going on, it has made everything a lot more difficult.”

Having survived one winter without shelter already, he’s not looking forward to having to go through it again. So Matt is taking steps now to prepare for the winter, particularly if they’re forced outside for most of the day like they were last year.

“I'm worried about the cold,” Matt said. “I'll be seeing Catholic Charities to see if I can get some more clothes and just bundle up. But my main concern is when they throw us out in the morning when it's that cold outside, I'm worried then.”

Until then, Matt is biding his time until he’s healthy enough again to work. Once he’s back to work and can find stable housing, he hopes to give back and help those experiencing homelessness like he is now.

“[I plan to give back] by coming down here and donating time and food,” Matt said. “I know people need it. I hope to take collections up and get some clothes down here for people and just give back that way with whatever I can. Any little bit can help.”

His desire to give back and support the homeless community, once he finds stable shelter for himself, stems from his experience with others afflicted by the affordable housing crisis. In his experience, most people experiencing homelessness are working hard to get their life back on track. But because of the few homeless people that act out and act poorly, he believes that label is being placed on everyone living on the streets and in the shelters.

“[I want people to know] that not all homeless people are bad,” Matt said. “There are some bad people out there, just don't take it out on the rest of us because it's the same people that act up and make us look bad. Yet, they treat us all like we're that person and I want people to see us as people, not just homeless people that are out here to leach.”

But in order for the issue of rampant homelessness and lack of affordable housing to really improve, Matt acknowledges that something needs to be done about the growing disparity between housing and incomes.

“ A lot of us are trying to get on our feet and I know people that get Social Security but they still can't even afford a place around here,” Matt said. “So that's what I really hope for is that they can make affordable housing because although the pay-rate wage around here is way different in California, it's just as expensive to live in Reno as California. So I really wish something [would be done] about that problem.”

Reporting by Scott King for Our Town Reno