With concerns from many in the community about why so many neighbors without housing still avoid the Cares Campus, and with recurring accounts we receive of favoritism, racism, unhealthy food, unclear guidelines, drug use, feeling cramped and unsafe from both people sleeping there and staff, Isaac Cancoby recently went around the compound on 4th street to find out more.
He met several people who shared their displeasure, mostly in general terms but with a few specific situations which disturbed them as well. Overall, the Cares Campus is still described by many as a warehouse with overworked staff. People staying there say they see few of their friends and acquaintances getting into permanent housing, while growing increasingly annoyed at their experience staying and sleeping there. The official numbers back this up.
While unique clients by month have gone down of late from over 1,300 in June to less than 850 in November, so has the “total number of exits to permanent housing,” from 39 in August to 18 in November.
In an email forwarded to Our Town Reno, Dana Searcy, the County’s Division Director for Housing and Homeless Services, took the time to respond to some of the complaints made by people who say they are currently sleeping at the Cares Campus.
Those people all wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.
One said her ex-boyfriend had a stroke while staying at the Cares Campus and was sent to the hospital. Upon his return, the next day, she alleges staff refused him entry.
“Typically if a participant goes to the hospital and staff are aware of hospital discharge dates, Case Managers coordinate with the operator staff to have a bed available upon return,” Searcy wrote. “If a participant leaves campus voluntarily or is checked into a hospital while off campus, we have no communication from the participant, and the participant is absent for 24 hours or longer, their bed will be given to another person and the participant can request a bed upon return; a bed will be issued on a first come, first served basis. If a participant is asked to leave the shelter for violation of policy and is issued a sit-out, the participant can return to request a bed at the end of the sit-out period or can file an appeal to request the sit-out period be removed.”
This person staying at the Cares Campus also complained about unclear rules, which they said keep changing, without clear notices or flyers being delivered. “Rules are outlined in the Cares Campus policy, which was first available in 2021, edited in November 2022, and has not been updated since,” Searcy wrote back in detail. “As new buildings open there may be operational procedures developed to align with the campus policy. Upon enrollment into any program at Cares Campus, staff review basic rules with participants, and they are offered a copy of the policy if they would like one. Participants sign a waiver at program enrollment, which includes several guidelines they must follow while on campus, which are a summary of the rules outlined in the policy. In several common areas on campus, the rules and associated sit-outs are posted for participants to see. The policy is publicly posted on the Housing and Homeless Services website and participants have been given copies of the policy if they ask staff for a copy.”
One rule several people said had recently changed was about no longer being allowed to bring food or ice inside. We asked about that specifically in a follow up email but did not hear back.
Another person staying at Cares Campus said she had over the counter medication taken away from her while trying to get through security and she didn’t understand why it wasn’t allowed and why she was also refused entry.
“I have gas reflux… I suffer from that, it’s very painful,” the woman said. “They acted like they did a drug bust and just totally kicked me out…”
“Every individual entering the Cares Campus must enter through security, which includes the person walking through a magnetometer and personal items being x-rayed through a bag scanner,” Searcy wrote. “If illicit drugs or unmarked pills are found, the drugs or pills are not allowed to be brought on campus and the individual is asked to dispose of the drugs or pills. Participants are responsible for managing their personal medications and are encouraged to keep personal medications on their person in a purse or backpack, or in their storage lockers or storage bins. Personal property is not searched unless the individual abandons their property at the campus, or there is an emergency or legal situation warranting a search. Legally prescribed medications to an individual are not seized. If an individual has medication that is not prescribed to them, it is disposed of properly.”
Others said they didn’t understand why a basketball court was recently added, with almost no one playing, and most of the regular Cares Campus population over 45 and disabled. Several complained of a lack of resources to change their predicament with minimal interactions with case workers to actually get into housing or receive needed help.
“On campus Case Management and Behavioral Health help connect participants with resources needed,” Searcy wrote. “The Case Management and Behavioral Health team focus on trying to connect people with resources off campus in hopes of establishing connections to resources that they will be able to maintain when they move into housing. VOA provides shuttle transportation to several community services on a daily/weekly basis. Case Management staff take individuals to DMV and Social Security on a weekly basis. Several community agencies provide outreach at Cares and Our Place.”
Our Place in Sparks, which helps unhoused women, children and families, is often at full capacity, and gets much better overall reviews from those we’ve been able to interview who stayed there compared to the Cares Campus.
Reporting by Isaac Cancoby shared with Our Town Reno