A former employee at the Cares Campus reached out to Our Town Reno wanting to divulge what it’s like to work there, calling it a “cluster f***,” with repeated deaths on site, inconsistencies in applying different rules, favoritism, as well as alleged drug use and dealing by staff and those sleeping there.
He said in the past six months or so over a dozen people had died at the compound, with bodies found in their beds or in bathrooms.
A sense of permanent insecurity, repeated fights, visible alcohol and meth use, people pleading for emergency help, overdosing and having threatening hallucinations are hallmarks he said of campus life for those working or staying there.
There have been suicide attempts as well, he said, including a man trying to light himself on fire and another trying to slit his wrist with a plastic knife.
People are sometimes banned for a few hours to up to a year, from offenses ranging from fighting to pulling guns, he said, bringing knives and doing drugs inside. He complained that the bans were sometimes reversed without explanation, and applied without any logic. He said there were many repeat offenders, while he worked on the compound.
The anonymous whistleblower said security could only check backpacks and could not search people’s bodies when entering the premises which led to weapons and drugs being brought in.
The former employee also described a segregated environment, with many racial slurs coming from white people staying there.
As we’ve reported before, he described mold in bathrooms and showers, and unhealthy and expired food being served for meals. He shared disappointment that donation groups have been prevented from doing outreach just outside the campus as they did initially.
Mini tent cities occasionally pop up right outside the compound, and are repeatedly removed.
The former staff called the cleanliness of bathrooms “horrendous,” despite repeated attention to trying to solve the problem. “Stalls have no doors, toilets and urinals are broken, and often clogged,” he said.
When cleaning does happen he said “an absurd amount of ammonia is used.” He alleged cleaners “don’t care about allergies to bleach as beds are cleaned with bleach. You’re going to have someone with allergies with bleach they are going to have a reaction to it,” he said.
Dumpster trucks of belongings are thrown out periodically, he alleged, including important documents and medications belonging to people who used to be on the campus but were incarcerated or hospitalized at the time of the cleanup.
The former worker wanted to remain anonymous fearing professional reprisals. He said nurses, psychologists, therapists and mental health professionals are urgently needed on the campus at all times.
He talked of mothers dropping off their troubled sons at the compound, to not have to deal with them anymore, but said “it is not a good place,” for that, or for those who just completed rehab.
The lack of consistency is a theme he returned to several times. “There’s no consistency with anything, how it’s cleaned, how it’s run,” he said.
He complained of other staff whose cars allegedly “smell like a dispensary,” “who are just there for a paycheck,” “who go into bathrooms with pipes,” “who flirt with clients.”
He said he often felt bad for those staying there and so paid out of his own pocket to help with their medication and clothes, but he said he was often ridiculed by other staff when doing so.
For months, we’ve tried to get a tour but have been repeatedly turned down. A former resident who also reached out to us recently wrote about concerns of a “suicide chain,” a public hanging attempt, understaffing outside of daylight hours, and overwhelmed security guards. He said staff and residents felt forced into a traumatic environment with inadequate grief counseling.
Other former residents who have reached out to us also complained of a prison like environment, calling the campus a “zoo”, with drug dealings, constant fights and arguing, occasional stabbings, frequent visits from law enforcement, multiple, traumatic deaths inside and overall difficult, dirty, and unhealthy conditions.
They also point out the previous Record street shelter had more on site services, and while challenging as well, felt less daunting and isolating.
After we emailed Bethany Drysdale, the communications manager for Washoe County, she responded: “The Cares Campus was designed to welcome individuals as they are (physically, mentally, and emotionally) and with partners, pets, and their possessions. Our vision is to provide the shelter and services needed to help our unhoused neighbors transition into their next step of housing. Many of our guests have struggled with homelessness for many years, and face compromised health conditions and unaddressed addictions, and mental health. As the campus expands adding new services and facilities, we will continue to partner with VOA to provide a continuum of care that is shown with kindness, compassion, and dignity. In addition, we partner closely with our guests to create the plan that best fits their needs. All concerns are addressed collectively with our partners.”
Drysdale also attached the Volunteers of America Professional Code of Conduct (partly in screengrab above, for current operators of the compound under Washoe County supervision) and pointed us to the publicly available Cares Campus Policies and Procedures document: https://www.washoecounty.gov/homeless/Cares-Campus/Emergency_Shelter/cares_campus_policies_and_procedures.php
Concerning deaths on the compound, Drysdale suggested we reach out to the Medical Examiner’s Office and said she could assist with obtaining specific information. She also suggested “a quarter-to-quarter comparison of indigent deaths, January through March 2021 vs. January through March 2022, for example. Because more people experiencing homelessness are now housed at the Cares Campus, the deaths are happening there and not elsewhere in the community,” she wrote.
In terms of bans at the compound, she wrote: “Our policy on exclusion from the Cares Campus can be found in the Safety & Security section of the campus policies (pg. 13)”
She added that on July 1, “Washoe County will be entering into a new contract with VOA and that contract will transfer the procedures of the campus to Washoe County. We currently set the policy, and VOA enacts the procedures. This will change. It will become a joint effort that will allow for checks and balances and better cooperation between the two agencies. The procedures for exclusions and the appeal process will be managed by the county.”
Concerning the lack of body searches (screengrab above), Drysdale wrote: “It is true that we don’t currently do body searches. It is not practical. However, we have ordered walk-through x-ray scanners and bag scanners very similar to what you see at courthouses and airports. These will provide a better method of stopping weapons and drugs from being brought onto the campus.”
In terms of possible drug dealing by staff, she wrote: “We have no knowledge of staff misconduct, particularly criminal conduct that you’re suggesting. We have a code of conduct for county staff, and VOA has a code of conduct for their staff, and we would certainly take appropriate measures if staff are found to be violating the codes of conduct.”
She also pointed us to the Washoe County Code of Conduct document. https://www.washoecounty.gov/humanresources/files/hrfiles/Code_of_Conduct_Final_5_24_05.pdf
As far as a possible lack of mental health staff, Drysdale indicated this should soon be corrected : “We’re very happy that the Board of County Commissioners approved six new positions for behavioral health professionals for the campus, and we are actively recruiting to fill those positions. We have also issued an RFP for 24/7 on-site medical care on the campus,” she wrote. “Washoe County is transferring case management, which will be county-operated. We have increased the number of case managers from 10 to 20. Currently 16 case managers and 3 case-man[a]ger supervisors are in the onboarding process.”
Many people living on the streets have told Our Town Reno they find the compound unwelcoming and dangerous.
Asked about cleanup days and documents allegedly being lost by clients while they are in the hospital or incarcerated Drysdale wrote: “We have not been made aware of this as a problem, and would defer to VOA for information on the procedures for cleaning days.” In terms of possible allergies to bleach of people sleeping at the compound, she added: “VOA has a procedure for making accommodations and is willing to work through needs such as this with guests.”
In terms of the ongoing issues with bathrooms, and repeated claims (and photos) of unhealthy food being served, Drysdale wrote: “There have been problems with the temporary bathrooms and showers. The next phase of the campus will include newly constructed bathrooms and showers that will be built to stand up to long-term use. Claims of expired or unhealthy food have not been verified and would need to be directed to the food provider.”
Drysdale also reiterated preventing the presence of mutual aid and outreach groups right outside the compound’s entrance. “Donations groups gathering at the entrance of the campus are still an issue and still create a safety hazard, blocking access for emergency and medical vehicles. They are still not permitted to gather at the entrance,” she wrote.
Concerning the prevalence of trauma with reports of multiple deaths on the compound recently and talk of a “suicide chain,” which is also referred to as suicidal contagion or a suicide cluster when multiple suicidal behaviors fall within an accelerated time frame, within a defined geographical area, Drysdale responded: “As we fill the positions for mental health professionals, grief counseling will be available. We’re not sure what you mean by “suicide chain.””