Linda, 70 and Unhoused, Packed and Ready to Leave, but Not Sure Where to Go

After experiencing roughly 13 years of living on Reno’s streets, Linda, 70, says she wants to leave the Biggest Little City. She recently survived a stroke, but says she will not stay in local shelters anymore. “They're not nice. Everybody fights to their teeth. I'm staying out on the streets where I’m safe,” she said. Although Linda is among the demographic most susceptible to Covid-19, she remains unafraid. “I'm 100% safe. I have taken the test eight times and negative eight. Now I can leave Nevada safely,” she said. She's survived fights, thieves, and mistreatment by others, so she is fearless in a way. But she says she does suffer from “loneliness.” She says people like her gather along railroad tracks, but when the group gets too big, it attracts unwanted attention. She says she feels she’s one of the “mentally ill,” but has given up on seeking out resources as well. It’s too much of a hassle, she says. She says she burned her hair. Where will she go? She doesn’t want to say, but her rolling suitcase seems neatly packed and she’s by the downtown bus station. In this episode, we will also hear from Tony who says he tries to find harder to access spots not to bother anyone or to get booted in police sweeps. ”They go on the other side of the river, where all the parks are, so the police kind of leave us alone here,” he said. Unlike many others living in their tents, Tony says he keeps very little so he’s able to quickly adapt to any situation that may come his way. He says some of his neighbors sometimes try to go into local shelters on cold nights, but have to wait hours and sometimes get turned away, so many give up even trying. Our reporter for this episode is Gracie Gordon.