Merv Haak and Lorinda have it rough, but at least they say right now they have each other. And they love spending time at the Washoe County Senior Center on the corner of 9th street and Sutro. They consider themselves part of a growing group of Cares campus escapees.
Haak, 68, who goes by Rebel, and Lorinda who goes by Lori much prefer to hang out outside the Senior Center rather than the big compound set up to help the unhoused near 4th street.
Their challenges are still plenty. Lori can barely stand up straight and relies on a wheelchair, suffering from lupus. Haak can barely open his hands, having had metal implanted in both.
Unlike the Cares Campus, the Senior Center is only open weekdays and there’s no shelter here. “The rest of the time you just fend for yourself, but that’s fine,” Haak said.
He previously had a job in security but says he got fired for being homeless. He says his Social Security payments of about $900 a month aren’t enough for them to afford anything in town.
He used to live in a van near WinCo, then tried the Cares Campus and now just wants to be independent, as best he can.
Word has gone around that the Senior Center offers a more relaxed experience for the unhoused seeking community, shaded areas and a free lunch, with some of their friends also setting up on the sidewalk, with grocery carts full of their possessions, worrying some neighbors and local politicians.
“They're quite kind and polite to everybody,” Lori said of the Senior Center staff. “One of the workers even gave me a blanket to sleep with and a change of clothes.”
“The staff here unlike the Cares Campus they’re kind and polite, and you meet nice people here, and people want to talk, and not feel like you are all crammed in a prison or a warehouse,” Haak said comparing the two places. The Nevada Cares Campus has been building out its next phases of having more on site services and supportive housing, but many still feel unsafe there.
Lori said she felt looked down upon there as a disabled woman in a wheelchair, and got depressed, while staying at the compound, and doesn’t want to go back, whatever future changes there might be.
“I became a cutter again after 10, 15 years. They treat you so bad. Cares campus needs to be shut down,” she said.
She said they should have more games, activities, and even an art corner to make people feel more welcome, but that doesn’t seem to be the aim.
Rebel and Lori fear that as more and more people avoid the Cares campus, and gravitate outside the Senior Center, sadly new forthcoming rules and protocols will make it less welcoming to the unhoused and the disabled as well.
At the most recent homelessness advisory board meeting this week, County Commissioner Alexis Hill announced publicly that security will soon be added at the Senior Center.
Why people don’t feel safe at the Cares Campus was also brought up at Monday’s meeting, with indications of future plans for a specific space for vulnerable people there.
There’s also the reality that some people including seniors have been “86ed” or permanently banned.
County spokeswoman Bethany Drysdale this week wrote that: “As of Friday, there were 37 individuals who have been placed on a permanent sit-out. That total includes all permanent sit-outs dating back to October 1, 2021. Per the 11/4/2022 NCC policy, the following behaviors will result in a permanent sit-out: Assault and or battery with a weapon, Sexual assault, Possession of a firearm, Sale of illegal drugs, or related paraphernalia, Intentionally setting a fire, Recruitment of others into sex trafficking. Of the 37 current permanent sit-outs, common reasons include drug or sex trafficking, physical assault with a weapon, arson, and significant threats of harm to/stalking staff that resulted in a TPO or arrest. A NCC participant has a right to file an appeal regarding their sit-out of any length, including a permanent sit-out. The individual can approach the security gate at the NCC entrance and request an appeal form, fill it out, and submit it to NCC staff. NCC administrative staff have three days to respond to the appeal. There have been five individuals who appealed a permanent sit-out, the appeal was granted, and they are now allowed back on campus.”
Drysdale also wrote back about concerns that seniors with serious health challenges are not able to stay at the Nevada Cares Campus either, based on a policy there called “Activities of Daily Living”:
“NCC participants must be ambulatory enough to get in and out of their bed on their own and independently take care of activities of daily living (ADL), such as feeding themselves, hygiene, and bathroom needs. The NCC Intake and Diversion staff are required to complete an assessment regarding an individual’s ability to complete their ADLs every time the individual requests a bed at the shelter. If the person is unable to complete their ADLs, the staff attempt to assist diverting the individual to another appropriate location. NCC contracted operator staff are not trained to assist with personal care,” the policy reads.