Reno City Council Members Offer Some Pushback
The monthly CHAB meeting had more pushback than usual, especially from alternate Devon Reese, raising concerns about barriers being too high for people to get into transitional housing to the alarming lack of available cooling centers during this current heat wave.
Reese pointed to emails and messages he’s been receiving and conversations he’s been having at multiple levels, from advocates to government employees, trying to improve certain services and conditions for “our vulnerable neighbors.”
The City Council member, who doesn’t usually attend this Reno/Sparks/Washoe County collaborative session, lamented the slowness of intake at transitional places such as the Hope Springs tiny homes compound. Reese said the interview process there was taking five to six weeks, and with a last round of 200 people being interviewed, he reported only three being selected while vacant units remain.
“We’ve struggled with the barriers,” said Reno councilwoman Neoma Jardon, a regular at these meetings, as the current chair.
Jardon also spoke to the lack of information for those seeking housing solutions in emergencies, specifically referencing a local pregnant woman living in a car, and recently pleading for help.
“What is the number for a Sunday at 8:30 p.m. to help these people get resources?” Jardon asked. “I think we as a region have always struggled with that…. What happens with an 11 p.m. call of the situational sort of stuff? We need to fix that part of it. I think we took the big steps in getting the [Nevada Cares Campus] facility and now we need to work on how we appropriately and quickly transition people into a safer place as best we can.”
Current Built for Zero statistics point to higher numbers of unhoused, but many who follow these issues closely say even these numbers are an undercount.
“No Easy Way,” Problems with Information System, and Lack of Case Managers
There is no “easy way” to determining bed availability for certain people in specific situations, admitted Dana Searcy, the Washoe County Special Projects Manager behind the local implementation of the so-called Built for Zero model to end homelessness. So far, that initiative has been partly driven by data gathering, but with limitations there as well.
Many local providers have yet to enroll in the Homeless Management Information System, known as HMIS, which is supposed to help create a cohesive strategy. Searcy pointed to the $750 cost for each user as one hurdle, as well as that system not having “a very robust case management program.”
During his presentations, Doug Thornley, the Reno City Manager, talked of “bumps and bruises” along the way. He said having just six Volunteers of America case managers for nearly 500 “guests” at the new Nevada Cares Campus was a challenge.
Screengrab of local providers not yet enrolled in HMIS, which is meant to have a consolidated number of people in region accessing services for the unhoused.
More Clarity on Costs and the Need for Cooling Centers
Reese said the community was hoping for a more “detailed breakdown of costs,” related to the NCC, saying $8 million was spent on land, $7 million was spent on the compound’s construction and nearly $2 million on operating expenses.
An even more pointed suggestion by the councilman was the need to have a clearly designated “regional cooling center” which could also be used as a warming center during winter months. Thornley said that was a “fair observation,” and called Reese the “tip of the spear” on the issue.
Thornley called an announced spraying Wednesday at the campus an “ordinary operational feature of sheltering people”, and “prophylactic” rather than a response to any existing issue. People inside the compound have told Our Town Reno some sleeping there have complained of scabies and others not showering, and worsening smells.
The City of Reno responded to a tweet from earlier in the day which Our Town Reno posted, saying the start of the spraying would begin at 10 am rather than 8 am as initially posted and that only portions of the shelter would be closed. The city’s tweet also stated: “there is no bug infestation at the Cares Campus.”
The lack of laundry facilities at the compound was also brought up during the morning meeting, to which Thornley responded that was currently “top of mind,” and that “another container with commercial grade facilities” is currently being looked into.
Searcy gave updates on the Washoe County run safe camp, also at the compound but in a different location, where the population has now grown to nearly 30 people, according to her information. Four cats and two dogs are also reported to be staying there. Having more dogs remains a problem, and she alluded to future plans of having a dog kennel area. She said operations for a permanent operator will be decided by an open process, hopefully before “snow flies.” That’s the same timeline to move the tents onto the former Governor’s Bowl baseball field, just below the current location.
Karma Box Project is the current operator. It is dealing with staffing struggles, and some employees reportedly only lasting a few days. When Reese asked about the possibility of opening up more safe camps, for specific populations, Searcy said it was “something that we could do,” but talked of logistical and budget challenges.
Searcy was repeatedly called upon during the CHAB meeting which can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE5a28e3aAw&ab_channel=CityofReno
Jardon Seeks Updates on Transition of Leadership and Other Pressing Matters
The agreement for transitioning the lead on sheltering services from the city of Reno to Washoe County was also briefly discussed, even though Thornley offered no firm progress. He said going forward, post agreement, Reno federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HUD money, the “bulk of which is now” for contracts with Volunteers of America, which operates the Cares Campus, could be used instead for other supportive housing.
The meeting closed with Jardon seeking multiple updates for the next meeting on August second, from getting more clarity on the tiny homes facility and their intake process, the Village on Sage street, future laundry services at the Cares campus and safe camp, the availability of cooling centers in the area, hiring more case workers, moving along on the idea of having a safe parking program, coming up with a local map of overall homeless facilities, and facilitating advocate outreach at the compound, among more than a dozen requested items. She said the next meeting would have to start earlier and last longer to address all these issues.