Last Easter Sunday, I travelled to a tent city near Wells and 4th Street to document a day in the life of the houseless community living there. The overcast day brought heavy winds, often blowing against and through tents lined up next to the railroad tracks. The lack of sunshine and dust in the air made for a dismal scene next to the rushing Truckee River. Crossing the threshold from “riverside” apartments to the world of the unhoused on Easter, and the final day of Passover, brought a new meaning to one of the holiest days of the year for me. Despite this, volunteers with Reno Soup for the Soul showed up in tow with food and water to share. While these good deeds brought joy, volunteers can only heal symptoms of the housing crisis. Action is needed to solve the root of the problem: houselessness. The only solution to this problem? Homes.
The park rules and regulations, posted near the bank of the river, states rules including a ban of, “camping, storing personal belongings or washing clothes.” However, for now at least, houseless individuals have been urged to move to this area, rather than other areas of town, as a new super sized shelter campus prepares to open in late April.
A person walks on a bridge over the Truckee River, towards the tent city.
On the other side of the river, new apartments are being built under the advertisement of being “riverside” locations.
A person sleeps near the side of a building without shelter.
Volunteers push through the wind to hand out food and water.
A man walks across the bridge above an area of graffitied rock, painted with the words, “No Hope, No Love”.
The words “NO TRESPASSING” are spray painted onto a pillar of the bridge, nearby the tents. Local officials and officers have been allowing people to stay in the area without removing them, for now.
A group of three volunteers wheel a cooler of food and water to tents tucked away under the main road.
A volunteer chats with someone in their tent, as he holds a bottle of water in his hands. In the background, an apartment is adorned with the American flag and a Pride flag.