Paula McDonough Offers A Free Room and Assistance
“I'm just confused why our government does that to people that can't do for themselves anymore,” Aric Coward said as he reflected on his overall situation, hoping he could get more than the $800 disability Social Security check he receives monthly. A problem getting that money for a few months led to a tailspin of going to the shelter, and then being pepper sprayed in the face when he says he didn’t get out of bed fast enough, moving slowly after three strokes.
We caught up with him sitting in the downtown Reno book-lined apartment living room of Paula McDonough, who has graciously offered him a free room for a while after hearing what happened to him.
“I was on a mat, I got pepper sprayed, I couldn’t see anything,” Coward remembers.
He says since then no one from the shelter or city has reached out to him to see how he’s doing. Advocates for the unhoused paid him a hotel room then a motel room and then McDonough offered free lodging at her place at the Arlington Towers on Arlington Ave..
“Houselessness has been an issue I've been involved with for at least 40 to 45 years,” McDonough, a former auditor in the casino industry, who has volunteered at shelters, told us during our visit. “It's nothing new to me.”
McDonough has long done whatever she could do to help the local community without stable shelter. To her, it was the least that could be done. McDonough said Coward is more than welcome to stay until he turns 65 in October and will be eligible to receive more Social Security and Medicare. She is currently working with local organizations to find him affordable housing and helped him get on several waiting lists, including for the Washoe Mills apartments, which have low-income rental assistance programs.
Coward’s favorite pastime, he says, is walking along the Truckee river path, which he can now see from his room.
Seeking Legal Recourse
“He did say that his vision seems to be a little off, since he got pepper sprayed,” said McDonough, sitting in front of an unfinished puzzle. Coward is unhappy about the whole incident and wants to seek legal retribution. However, he was recently told by Washoe Legal Services he would not have a case unless there were expenses accrued as a result of being pepper sprayed. They suggested he seek justice through a personal injury attorney.
McDonough says she is working with her optometrist to see if they can check Coward for any damage to his vision that may have occurred from the pepper spray attack.
“I’m hoping that everybody can survive the year with everything that’s going on,” he said hinting at a bit of optimism. “Things like this should not go on. The city should not have any kind of dealings with these people that, you know, allow things like this to happen,” Coward said. “My main concern is I don't want this to happen to anybody else.”
Before driving Freightliners, Coward says he worked as lead custodian for the Cal Neva Casino. He really enjoyed the work but after a while came to realize it was not for him. He drove trucks for some time until he could not work anymore. He says he suffered one of his three strokes while driving, fortunately not hurting anyone. With a now mostly useless left arm and poor mobility, he has since struggled, but is grateful for all the help he is now receiving from compassionate neighbors and advocates for the unhoused.
Reporting by Richard Bednarski for Our Town Reno in January 2021
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