“Just emotional, unconditional love,” said Rebel about his two dogs, Freyja Marie and LadySyff. “You feed ‘em, you take care of em, you get it back.” Rebel flagged me down and asked if I could take a photograph of his two dogs. We then started talking about his experience here in Reno and how he came to be without a reliable place to live.
Rebel arrived here almost three months ago because he had some friends whom he could stay with. Previously he lived in Colorado, off the grid, and enjoyed a simple life. Then came the pandemic and he was forced to leave due to the risk of transmission. He has been homeless before and this time around is glad to have his dogs.
Born and raised in Indiana, he has family in Las Vegas and plans to eventually reconnect with them in the next year. Until then, he is trying to find a place to stay and get off the streets as soon as possible. Rebel has suffered with anxiety stress disorder and has found natural ways to manage the issue and no longer relies on pills. Having worked in construction when he was younger, he recalled a day when he was just feeling two crowded and flipped out on the jobsite. Fortunately, his boss at the time knew this was an issue and paid for a medical evaluation which led to his diagnosis. He explained the issue originated when he was thirteen years old.
When we met him, Rebel had been homeless for about two weeks due to a bank problem and had to leave where he was staying. Though he hopes to get back on his feet and find a place to live, he knows it is near impossible. He has tried various motels and the cheapest rate he has found was over $100 a night before pet fees and taxes, which would only go so far on his $850 disability check. Rebel is also concerned this amount will not be enough to get any reliable housing.
“Not enough actual low income places anymore,” said Rebel. With no credit history and an income far lower than the average rent price, Rebel is concerned for the houseless community. He said the biggest problem is money and without low-income housing, the houseless community will still struggle to get a stable place to live.
Rebel heard about the tiny homes that have recently been built and thinks this is a viable and realistic solution to addressing those without homes. “Cause there’s some of them out here, that I know, if they didn’t have access to the booze as much, and work, they wouldn’t be here.” Rebel has had his struggles with drugs and has been sober off of meth for twenty years. When another person heard this, he asked for Rebel’s help.
“Only thing I can do is make you stop and think,” he said “if you truly want to quit, I’ll talk you through it.” He is hopeful he will be able to help this person transition off drugs.
He’s heard of the new massive shelter going up but isn’t too sure what it will mean for him yet.
“A lot of it is location,” Rebel explained “like me, I’ve got two dogs...it’s distance, really.” He foresees the biggest struggle people will have to contend with when living in the new CARES Campus is the distance from the services they rely upon. He recently began having some pain in his leg and is worried he will not be as mobile as he used to be. Rebel knows there are others who struggle more with injuries and their mobility.
“A lot of what’s going on out here is just because there is not enough low income [housing] for the ones like me,” Rebel emphasized again. He knows the affordable housing crisis needs to be addressed and urged the community of Reno to call upon state legislatures and local politicians to address this issue. “I don’t make a minimum of $1200 a month and I’m having a real hard time getting into places.”