As a longtime resident of Reno, I have been keenly aware of the unhoused ever since I first served food with Food Not Bombs nearly two decades ago. About 18 months ago, I began listening to their stories and in that time, not only has the amount of people living on the streets increased dramatically, but resources have dried up, affordable housing has gone by the wayside and covering the stories of the unhoused has become more difficult.
In the past four years the population of the unhoused has increased by nearly 1000% according to official statistics (although their accuracy is always uncertain) while developers like Jacobs Entertainment have bought up and demolished many motels. These lodgings, though in poor shape, were often the last affordable place to live or the first for many people with bad credit and no savings. The motels have since been replaced with fenced empty lots and promises of an entertainment district.
This past year, local officials also proudly opened up the $17 million CARES Campus, a massive tent-like structure nestled against the freeway interchange on Fourth street, capable of holding nearly 800 people. The compound also included a strip of asphalt for about 40 tents, what was known as a safe camp.
This massive undertaking was made possible by emergency pandemic relief money from the federal government as well as the owner of an RV storage who accepted an offer on his lot nearly $2 million dollars greater than market value. Officials touted the ability to provide space for pets and couples, something not available at the former $20 million Record Street shelter. Some officials said the CARES Campus would help to eventually eliminate homelessness and blight altogether.
As a reporter for Our Town Reno I have tried relentlessly to get inside and show the community what this shelter looked like. Within weeks of opening reports began to surface from inhabitants and local advocates about moldy food and lack of cots. During July, which was officially the hottest month ever recorded globally, reports came out about no cooling stations and lack of water for hydration. As more and more of these stories began to surface, I wanted to get a firsthand experience of this to report back to the community.
The City of Reno has since transferred operations and management of the compound to Washoe County, which is reportedly in the process of injecting another $38 million dollars into the project. With this kind of public money behind a project, I reached out to County Commissioner and chair of the Community Housing CHAB, Alexis Hill about the take over. This podcast and interview was informative as she laid out plans the county has to reach zero people living on the streets. This includes the goal of building “a comprehensive real-time, by-name list of all single adults experiencing homelessness in our community.”
“It’s also working with our nonprofit partners to ensure that they use the same system,” Hill said. “We don't currently have a database where everyone is using the same system. So that's our next step is getting everyone incentivized to get on that same system.”
Hill also said she could help me get a tour inside to learn more about the shelter. As a photographer, I began thinking of a visual narrative that would tell the story and help educate the public about conditions inside the CARES Campus. The challenge would be to illustrate this story while protecting the privacy of people living there. From the beginning I was clear about not taking any photographs of inhabitants, but rather focus on the employees who run the shelter.
Hill directed me to Bethany Drysdale, the media and communications manager for Washoe County. Initially, she welcomed the idea of a photo story about working conditions and the CARES Campus. But after several weeks and a buried email, the tone changed to no photos and moving the interview off site. Some of the concern was to protect the privacy of the inhabitants as well as prevent COVID. This was also during a time when images of moldy food and broken showers were surfacing on social media from inside the campus. Drysdale said the concern came from Volunteers of America (VOA), who operate the shelter.
As winter returns, the city and county have been scrambling to provide enough shelter and refuge for the unhoused.
This lack of planning by local officials is dumbfounding and it seems to happen every year. They wait until the week of a cold snap to scramble and provide emergency shelter for the unhoused. This year the City of Reno has been distracted purchasing a dilapidated glass whale and bringing electric scooters to town instead of addressing the unhoused crisis.
While the CARES Campus does provide resources for many in need and a place to stay, there are members of unhoused community members who still avoid it out of fear of losing their possessions and the general atmosphere inside. I’ve heard numerous times the risk of theft is not worth staying in what they call a prison-like shelter. These possessions most often include paperwork and items needed to help continue the process of finding a job and housing. This is also one of the issues with sweeps, these items are thrown away by officials leaving many to start the housing hunt all over.
As winter has arrived, the local governments continue to apply a band-aid to a problem that is not being addressed. Affordable housing is non-existent in Reno. Recently, the City of Reno called the police on community members at a city council meeting when they arrived to provide public comment about the lack of affordable housing. Mayor Hillary Schieve called this protocol yet it might have been the first time a police presence was requested at a public meeting.
My reporting of the unhoused and affordable housing crisis has built a strong foundation of empathy and compassion in my journalism. It has also shown me the injustice the city is dolling out by providing tax breaks to out-of-state developers who promise so much while so far delivering very little but local problems.
As I branch out in my career, I cannot help but wonder, where is Reno headed and what will it become when we prioritize ephemeral entertainment development projects over supporting people who live and work in this community?