What is Your Preferred Terminology?
Lisa Lee is on the Board of Directors for RISE (Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equity), and has more than 15 years of experience working with healthcare, public health, substance use, behavioral health, and people experiencing homelessness. Having experienced addiction and homelessness herself, Lisa focuses much of her attention and energies on peer recovery programs.
One of my first questions was about terminology. I asked Lisa what her preferred term for folks living outside might be. As a writing teacher, I know that words matter and can make a big difference, especially when they are used without care. Lisa explained, “I am a big fan of people-first language, realizing that the person is a person before and after homelessness and that homelessness can be a transitional experience. I do prefer ‘people experiencing homelessness’.”
Lisa Lee recently helped people who were being displaced by the City of Reno from an encampment under Wells Ave., ending the day with a potluck. Photo by Bill Macauley shared with Our Town Reno.
A Persistent Lack of a Diversity of Local Services
Lisa, when asked about what stands out for her, surprised me with responses about how manageable Reno’s issues can be compared to cities like New York and LA, where the numbers are in the tens of thousands, compared to the approximately 1500 people we are working with locally. While not everyone wants to end their homelessness, Lisa said that she sees them every day and that most do. “We have a pretty low population of people experiencing homelessness, which means that, if we were all living in the solution, this would be solvable.”
And Lisa’s perspective is not that none of this important work is being done. She pointed to a lack of diversity of services as a shortcoming, compared with the past when there was a Salvation Army facility and the Center Street Mission offering uncentralized spaces. Reno has focused its attention on the Record Street campus, with the best of intentions, but it has been overrun for some time.
With every sweep, favorite possessions are lost in the mix. Several dumpsters were removed as the encampment grew larger, creating more trash. Photo by Bill Macauley shared with Our Town Reno.
Positive Words for Washoe County’s Leadership
Lisa pointed to the county as an agent of real change:
Washoe County is building this new shelter that will house women and families. They also have a Temporary Assistance to Displaced Seniors Program. They’ve had that for a number of years. They have the Daybreak Program for seniors. They have Meals on Wheels. They have the Senior Center. They have Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services, Elder Protective Services, and I feel like they really do a lot for people experiencing homelessness, people living in poverty, families living in poverty. They have robust services . . . They say, “Hey, what can we do.” “Okay, let’s figure out how to do it.” And then they get the stakeholders to the table who have the subject-matter expertise and say, ‘Hey, we don’t know much about this; help us learn how to do this’.” And then they do it. For me, that’s amazing. I think that’s the most positive thing regarding homelessness for the community.