Mary Gilbert and Wendy Wiglesworth have set up a sign up table at Deer Park so people in need can get newly available vouchers to sleep at motels until at least the end of the month, amid raging snow storms and freezing nights.
A Pressing Need, and Help Arrives
“So yesterday we received, a really huge donation from a semi anonymous donor, right and his goal was to match up to $20,000 in donations that were made through Facebook. As of this morning, we exceeded over $21,000 just from Facebook donations, as well as $10,000 from the private donor, which is included in the $21,000. Math is not my strong suit. People are my strong suit,” explained Mary Gilbert, who is part of the Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality group known as RISE.
The donor has been identified on the Reno / Sparks Mutual Aid group as Patrick Sean Carter. He lists himself on Facebook as a “Poker Donk Extraordinaire. Derivatives price strategist” with a picture of himself leading a dog sled. We tried to friend him for an interview but did not hear back from him immediately.
RISE also operates the recently established Our Place shelter, on the corner of 21st St. and Glendale Ave., which currently has 102 beds for women. More than 50 women on the wait list for Our Place have already been given vouchers to stay at motels until the end of the month with money provided through a Washoe County program.
“Yesterday, our team started getting a little bit scared and stressed and worried that people were going to die in these elements,” Gilbert said of all the thousands of other people in our area sleeping in tents, cars, and along railroad tracks, alleyways, the Truckee River, and other hidden spots. “[Then] we received a call from one of the members of our team who let us know that she spoke with someone who wanted to donate $20,000 to get people into motel rooms and keep them out of these really gnarly, scary, unsafe elements. So as of last night, we in a rush got eight hotel rooms and we housed 12 adults and eight dogs. And as of today, we're hoping to at least triple or quadruple that.”
RISE has set up a table with forms for anyone who wants to get enrolled in the new program. Volunteers can gather there to help as well or spread the word that the informal intake center is at Deer Park. Recent figures have pointed to over 7,000 people in northern Nevada without stable shelter. Many avoid shelters saying there are too many rules and requirements, and that staff are not friendly. The new Our Place shelter for women is totally full.
“Basically at this point they just need to come down, bring their stuff,” Gilbert said of those who want to get a voucher. “We're hoping that some of the volunteers will be able to assist them with rides. We'll be doing like a quick intake process to make sure that they will be safe there. We'll also be providing them with local resources that might benefit them a little bit more than a temporary stay in a motel.”
Forms are ready for people to fill out if they want to get a free no questions asked motel room today through tomorrow at Deer Park in Sparks between F and 18th Street. “They are good for anyone. We are trying to get everybody as safe as possible and out of these elements as soon as possible,” Gilbert said of the vouchers. No ID is needed, and pets are welcome into certain rooms.
A Moment and Hope for Lasting Change
An Econo Lodge and a few Motel 6s have agreed to accept the vouchers, as well as other locally owned motels.
“We are currently trying to find additional places that are willing to house folks,” Gilbert said. “So far, we have reached out to the casinos in downtown Reno and they are not willing to house our unsheltered neighbors on a large scale.”
Wendy Wiglesworth who lived on the river herself has been doing outreach along the river, since late last night, to let people know of the emergency motel opportunity. Gilbert is hopeful this will start a new trend of caring and generosity for the unhoused in Reno.
“Honestly my hope is that this is just the beginning, that this is the catalyst that causes the community to start putting more money towards these things. My hope is that this starts like a chain reaction of folks wanting to donate more and more so that eventually we can get to a point where we can purchase our own place and, and be able to house folks on a regular basis instead of it only being for emergencies.”
Gilbert hopes with new money on hand they will be able to get over 20 rooms for a month. “Our hope is that with creative solutions that we can house more than 22 folks, for a much longer amount of time, we're creative, we're resilient, just like our unsheltered neighbors. This doesn't stop after the cold goes away. Community mutual aid has been something that we've been seeing a lot more of since the pandemic started. Regardless of the person they deserve shelter, more food and safety, and it's not just a city problem. It's not just a County problem. The reality is that we can't do anything without our community. It’s important to meet people where they're at never tell people that they should or shouldn't do something. It's walking with our neighbors and yeah, making sure that they're safe and feel welcome and make sure that they can trust us.”