Why we try and interview the unhoused in our community
Highlights of our weekly reporting plus bonus content.
Why do we interview the unhoused?
It’s not to exploit them or glorify them as some readers contend in comments.
It’s simply to hear their unadulterated views as we often post in the in their own words style.
It’s to give them a local platform where they can share their experiences and perspectives.
It’s so others who are already helping, say they want to help, or don’t want to see people unsheltered, can maybe read what they have to say, and gain some insight into what they are going through.
Very little mainstream media coverage actually focuses on issues of poverty.
And when journalists do, the same studies indicate, they usually interview police, officials and academics, but not the poor themselves, or the credit underclass.
This is our foundational running tag line: as Reno expands and rebrands, what about those struggling?
It’s not easy to interview someone who is living on the streets, but we still try to do it because we believe it’s important.
The person being interviewed can also sometimes feel valued due to the exchange.
We started Our Town Reno with a documentary film about youth on the streets and the very beginnings of the Eddy House.
We then reported about neighbors being displaced from shut down motels. We reported extensively on the spring and summer of sweeps in 2021 with many still reeling from pandemic chaos.
Now we’re seeing more and more seniors on the streets and it just breaks our heart. We believe it’s important to share their story, one story at a time, one word at a time, one picture at a time, one short video moment at a time, to open up other hearts perhaps, and to #helpeachother with each of our abilities, power, networks, convictions, time and energy.
Our Reporting Highlights This Week
Mark Toomey, An Insurance Agent Helping the “Forgotten and Overlooked” in Northern Nevada
Students Struggle with Reno Rents while Balancing Work and Classes
A Couple Avoids Shelters due to a Warrant, and Looks out for Others on Streets
