Helping out with Gas
Nevada residents need a legislative rent cap as soon as possible. Without it, our homeless population will continue to grow, along with poverty. It is unnecessary suffering amongst Washoe County residents.
I was driving down Longley Blvd today, in a hurry to get home after a root canal. Shortly past the Nevada Humane Society, on the opposite side of the road, I saw a disabled woman standing behind her large red van and an older woman sitting inside. It appeared that she must’ve had a recent stroke as her right arm was nuzzled outside her jacket and her left leg was supporting most of her body weight. It’s 44 degrees; the van was turned off; and this woman was holding a homemade cardboard sign that said, “Need gas.” I couldn’t help but drive a bit further up and turn around. I asked her if her van could make it across the street to the gas station, and she teared up replying, “Yes.” Up to this point, this seems like a heartwarming story, but I did not expect what happened next.
I pulled into the gas station behind her and noted the pump number she stopped at. I parked near the front door and thought I might as well get some Aleve and a ginger ale while I was there; I could feel the numbing somewhat wearing off and felt a bit grateful for the mask because my face was a droopy drooling mess. I entered the store and, shortly after I walked in, a man followed in behind me. He made quite an entrance, speaking loudly to get my attention.
“I just gave that lady $10 a bit ago. She pulled in here, got gas, and then went right back out there and put her sign up,” he said. He stiffened further and his volume increased, and it felt as if he expected me to say, ‘Well, screw that lady then. Geez, the audacity of some people!’ Instead, I replied, “That’s a really big van” and shrugged my shoulders. He knew I was insinuating that $10 would barely move the needle in that thing.
“I don’t care; if you still want to help her, then help her,” he puffed, and he walked out hastily. I paid $20 for her gas and exited the store. I could tell that she was relieved when I walked out and her gas pump turned on. I’m sure it had crossed her mind that I might not be willing to pay for her gas because that man gave her $10. Thoughts began to swirl in my head as I drove home.
Ignorant and Inconsiderate?
I thought to myself, ‘How can someone give $10 in gas and expect that to be enough for such a big vehicle? It’s almost as if they need what they give to be enough.’ Or, how can someone give with any expectations at all? Words I’d heard before also came to mind, like: ‘Well, people shouldn’t drive such large vehicles if they can’t afford the gas.’ My all-time favorite is, ‘People need to take what they’re given and be happy with it.’ And, that lady should’ve drove somewhere else if she was going to keep asking for money.’
I began to recall some comments I had read earlier in the day about the homeless who had been living in the weekly motels that were just knocked down, and ones we hear about all too often. ‘I was once homeless; I struggled; and I had to work so hard to get out of that situation. And I did. People just need to work hard and get a job.’ I found myself irritated by the time I pulled in the driveway. How could people be so ignorant and inconsiderate? How is it that people expect those who need help to live and make it with less that they have?
Obviously, those two women needed help, and they were trying to get somewhere. Sure as hell, excuse my language, they weren’t getting very far with $10 and, if I had the money, I would’ve filled their tank so they could dodge the scrutiny that the angry man was doling out. Ignorance. Yes, let’s force these women to drive to several different gas stations to ask for gas money so, by the time their tank was full, it would be empty again. We are not the ones standing out in the cold, disabled, and asking for gas money. People don’t just do this for fun. The struggle is real. I have experience.
My Mother’s Example
My mother makes a bit over minimum wage and yet, every time she sees someone asking for money, she gives what she has. As a child, I never understood. I often found myself upset and thinking that if she didn’t give her extra money away, I might’ve had a new pair of shoes for school. In reality, it wouldn’t have made much difference. What my mother was giving me was hope and kindness and what she was giving them was a few singles or change here and there.
It seems to me that often those who struggle the most, give the most. I think this is because we understand what it feels like to struggle. We just want to make someone feel a little bit better. My mother was in an abusive relationship early in her life and wanted to get away so bad, but money was the deterrent. Well, at one point, it became so bad that she bought a bus ticket from North Dakota to Reno. She was pregnant with twins and had two other toddlers. She was lucky when a woman making the same trip saw her struggle and gave her some money for food along the way. When she arrived in Reno, NV, she was homeless.
Stay with me because there are some important things that need to be said here. Some things that you won’t expect to hear. People, in general, have this notion of what it means to be homeless and why there is a homeless population. Not to the fault of many because their judgment has most likely been clouded with the ideation of the consensus. There is this looming judgement surrounding homelessness, that they choose to be homeless. They are drug addicts. They don’t work hard enough; and they just want a handout. Maybe this is because people find comfort in not taking a moment to think about how possible it is that, one day, they could be homeless. Or, how easy would it be to make one mistake or to be the mistake of another and end up homeless? Rent struggles only exacerbate these challenges.
Many Struggling
Often, it seems, the weeklies are the last stop to homelessness. I am not so sure that last stop can always be avoided through just hard work and perseverance. I tend to believe that it is luck of the draw pertaining to one’s circumstances. What circumstances you ask? To name a few: kids, age, race, mental capacity, immigrant status, and public assistance. Let’s talk about public assistance including higher education financial assistance.
The woman at the beginning of this story might’ve been on disability. Disability is around $1700.00 a month, if you’re single with no kids. There are several things one must do to keep that monthly check, like, endless weekly appointments. Not only are these people struggling to pay their rent and bills, but they must figure out transportation to these appointments and how to get food.
What about students who are on financial aid that barely covers the expenses that accompany the high cost of a college degree? Now imagine already struggling in such ways and then rent increases dramatically. Well, your money isn’t increasing and, if you get a second source of income, that’s likely going to be more than that funding allows. When someone is struggling, there isn’t one answer that will fix it all.
Hear Us out on Rent Caps
Now you have invested time in reading this article and might be questioning what any of this has to do with a legislative rent cap, especially, since I said one answer will not fix it all. Let me explain. When prices rise and income doesn’t, then those already struggling suffer the most. Living paycheck to paycheck or week to week in a motel means that one slip up or problem can equal homelessness. With rent prices hiking up so high, it’s almost impossible for those already struggling to keep up. The impact of that one problem is almost provoked by exorbitant rent prices. So many now have no room for any surprises, but life is full of surprises so, when that number is called, well… And, we all know that it is impossible to prepare for every one of life’s challenges. COVID-19 is a good and most recent example.
From the census bureau 2015-2019, the poverty percentage for Washoe County was 10.7%. This obviously doesn’t include the homeless population, so I imagine the real number is higher. Not counting the homeless, counted were 47,151 people living in poverty in 2019. COVID 19 happened in 2019 and many lost their livelihoods. Those already struggling… well, I think we can imagine the heart-breaking stories. My colleague, April Garcia, gathered narratives from people in our community who are struggling. Don’t let the number be deceiving because these narratives mirror a plethora of stories from throughout Washoe County. Her idea is that this community needs to hear the struggles of those productive citizens who are living on this verge. Hopefully, this will begin to change the common ideas of why people become homeless in the first place, as well as place an emphasis on the importance of rent regulation.
Huge Chunks Going to Rent
UNR freshman Denise currently lives with her boyfriend at the Greentree Apartments. They pay $1285 in rent for a 1-bed 1-bath that includes a laundry unit. Their biggest stress is money, especially now as they both just started new jobs and only work 35-40 hours a week (one earning $18.50/hour the other $22.00/hour). A huge chunk of their bi-weekly paychecks goes to rent. Most utilities are included except for electricity, and on top of other expenses such as bills, college tuition and food, they have very little money to save for personal expenses, let alone the upcoming holidays. Although home life is okay, Denise and her boyfriend both feel that the amount of rent they pay for a 1-bedroom apartment is suffocating. They struggle to keep food on the table, and there isn’t much left to budget with beyond a looming fear of what the future holds.
Stay-at-home mom, Lucille, lives in Fernley with her parents while her husband works in Reno as a truck driver. Lucille and her husband had originally lived in Reno at the Vineyards at Galleria, where they were paying around $1600 for a 1-bed 1-bath apartment. Although the rent included utilities and amenities, they were unable to renew their lease when she became pregnant because they needed more space and a budget shift. They moved in with her parents to save money and pay off hospital bills. It has been two years and tension has risen between them and Lucille’s parents. Lucille and her husband are desperate to find a place in Reno but the houses for rent are impossibly expensive. They wanted to find a decent house in a decent neighborhood to raise their child. One house that they liked asked for $2295 a month (2-bed 2-bath; 1,879 sq ft) with no utilities but appliances included. For Lucille, having to rely on her husband’s income has strained their relationship, too, and she wants to go back to work, but the cost of childcare is too high, let alone the cost and time of a regular commute between Reno and Fernley. The couple wish for some form of rent control that makes it possible for them to find a reasonably priced rental in Reno.
A reasonable price for housing in Reno no longer exists. A wide search on Zillow reveals 912 sq. ft. for $1375.00 a 2-bedroom 1 bath. Oh, and let’s not forget that, to move in, it’s first month’s rent, deposit, and $500 per pet if you have any. I guess pets will become a rich person thing.
We are Protesting
Well, here we find ourselves with a rent crisis that is bound to double the homeless population. What can we do? There is a lot we can do if we, the residents of Washoe County, band together to demand change. April and I have joined forces with another UNR student, Aspen Schuyler, to organize and carry out a demonstration.
We are actively calling out the residents of Washoe County who care to join us at the City Hall, One East First Street, on the 2nd of December at 6pm.
This is when City Hall representatives convene to discuss new building renovations and their effects on the public. We are the public, and we can speak in these meetings, as well. You can sign up at the City Hall the day of the demonstration or beforehand online.
Please know that this is not our job as students. It is not something we are assigned to do. This is an idea that we collectively created and are going to follow through with. We are doing this in the little free time we have. We work, raise kids, take classes, have relationships, and take care of personal obligations. But we know how important this is and how much it will continue to affect our community. So, at the end of our days and in the middle of our days, we sit just as exhausted as the next person and think of ways we can make a difference. How can we better our community? Right now, we have a rent crisis and see its effects everywhere.
We are calling out community to action. We can work with each other and for each other and demand that those who work for us take the initiative and implement something that will ease the burden on struggling Washoe County residents. We need our elected officials to enact emergency legislation that will deal with, what should be, a basic human right: housing. When will being human be enough for affordable housing to be important enough…