As the weather turns chillier, especially at nights, I recently set out with my partner Niki to see if anyone from the unhoused community would like to share their story, to learn more about their challenges.
Living in Reno’s downtown, we encounter unhoused neighbors often, and as winter approaches the conditions for them get brutal.
According to the Washoe County Coroner’s Office, nine people died of hypothermia in 2023. Environmental exposure continues to be one of the main challenges for the unhoused, but many of their ordeals go unnoticed.
With us, we brought some gift cards for pizza and hand warmers to share with people, regardless of if they wanted to be interviewed. With many unhoused camping along the Truckee, we started down the Riverwalk path, where we would find our first interviewee Joe.
Wrapped in a large coat and beanie, Joe stood on the corner with a cane and had asked us for change. We gave him what we had, and asked if he wanted to be interviewed and emphasized there was no pressure. He agreed, though in a soft voice.
Joe told us he’s had a very rough month. He said he’s been waiting for his trust fund to come through, and in the meanwhile has found out his “wife and kids are fake”. He also said he was an army veteran. Though the cold was bothering him, he said his biggest need at the moment was more cash. He seemed reluctant to go into greater details, so we didn’t press him on his statements. We thanked Joe for sharing, and for his service, and carried on.
Next, we met a woman sitting on the grass wrapped in blankets in the middle of Wingfield Park. Looking clearly distraught, Niki asked if she was okay.
The woman shared that she’s not usually on the streets, but was a victim of domestic violence and had run away from her husband. She broke down in tears and asked us for something warm.
We gave her the hand warmers, but she asked if we could get her something else like coffee or tea. We went to a nearby café and brought her a coffee. In our absence, a Reno downtown ambassador had walked over to her, and was walking away by the time we arrived. She shared with us the ambassador told her that she can get temporary housing by calling a hotline, and had given her the number.
We then walked to the Believe sign in the heart of downtown Reno. There, we found another woman who was also bundled in blankets. We asked if she’d like to share her story. At first she said yes and started to speak normally. She then began talking about a number of random topics, saying she was speaking to angels and warning us of demons. It was clear she was not in a state to be interviewed, so we gave her what we still had to give out, thanked her, and moved on.
At the Believe plaza, we had hoped to encounter the larger group that typically congregates there. However, it was barren.
After having a few more people on the river tell us they didn’t want to be recorded or interviewed, we called it a day. This type of reporting is very heavy, and you only want to interview people who are in the right mindset, condition, can give you meaningful, sober consent, and of course are willing to share their story.
Everyone’s story is important, and those of unhoused neighbors often go unheard, creating a missing link for a community which needs dire help.
Our Town Reno Citizen’s Forum by Dan Mariani, December 2024