As if it never snows in Reno in December
Advocates have pleaded for the Record Street shelter (above) which seems to be on the selling block to instead be converted into an emergency shelter run by RISE. That seems not to be a priority for the powers that be, even though the safe camp, Cares Campus and Our Place are all running at full capacity and more inclement weather is on its way.
At-large councilman Devon Reese, who is the most active of our elected Reno officials on social media, instead proclaimed Wednesday on Facebook: “The Reno Housing Authority (RHA) has agreed to lease land and two buildings adjacent to the Cares Campus on 4th Street in Reno to Washoe County for approximately six months. RHA held an emergency meeting Tuesday, Dec. 7 to expedite the agreement with Washoe County to allow them immediate use in anticipation of the extreme cold weather expected this week.”
Problem is the finer details and why everything always seems to be treated as an emergency situation, even though advocates have for months been warning about inadequate winter preparations, despite the millions and millions of COVID money spent on this local sheltering reset and reorganization.
For example, the ModPods which are to replace the leaky tents at the safe camp haven’t arrived yet, despite a promised arrival in late November. Well shouldn’t county officials, who used the excuse of unavailable trucking, have thought of possible delays earlier and planned better or differently? Don’t tell us it’s unsurmountable to move items from Portland to Reno. One occupant of the safe tent program says he’s already been moved to one of the bays inside one of the buildings, which used to be for storage, and that “they are trying to get the heaters working.” Doesn’t seem to be quite up to code, as one advocate pointed out.
The above screengrab, part of Reese’s Facebook message, seems to indicate late next week as a possible larger opening of this new overflow shelter option. What about the snow and frigid temperatures forecast from Monday through Thursday? There’s been discussions in the past of Reno not having a cooling center for hot and smoky days or a community warming center. Why hasn’t anything already been established? “We are trying the best we can … We are working as fast as we can … We are dealing with staffing shortages …” are familiar refrains. But how long can you use the same excuses, as we’ve seen this scenario before? Where is the long term contingency planning here and who is responsible for these repeated lapses?
Our showcase reporting this week was about a new doctor in town (above) helping teenagers deal with a still surging mental health crisis, and a sister’s relentless push to clear her late brother’s name, who died incarcerated after being convicted for a robbery and sexual assault in Sparks, while always maintaining innocence and a mistaken identity.
The incentive is simply not there. Reno is not alone in this. Seattle, LA and Austin Texas are just a few prominent examples. I do not know about Reno or LA but there is the potential for money to be made from the homeless crisis. Administrators tasked with finding solutions are often making six figures. It’s wild. It’s not an easy fix for sure. Although there are potential solutions to be explored. Just nobody seems to take the initiative.