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Homeless Nevada: Clean and Safe Team

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Homeless Nevada: Clean and Safe Team


All week we have brought you stories from the City of Reno as part of our Homeless Nevada initiative.

This time we look at the Clean and Safe program.

There are lots of elements to the Clean and Safe Team. They include the City Walk team – comprised of Reno Police, city leaders, code enforcement, parks and rec and others who walk the streets and offer help.

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Last year 33 people accepted services.

They also work with outreach programs like RISE, and Karma Box.

According to the city’s annual report on homelessness – in 2023 the team helped 36 people into housing – and nearly 50 were reunited with family.

This story, produced by the City of Reno shows how one local family was supported:

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Jamie (J): “I’m Jamie Peek with the City of Reno. I’m with Housing and Neighborhood Development and I’m a Housing Coordinator. And I met Michael, with the Clean and Safe Team. They were really instrumental in getting Michael into kind of, like, in contact with us. But we’ve helped him, with some rental and deposit assistance and some private funding for a motel stay while we’re trying to figure out his next moves.”

Michael (M): “My name is Michael G. St. Clair. I’m a Reno resident here in Reno, Nevada. I’m sharing my story about how outreach helped, me and my family out over the last year. My wife passed away about a month ago, so… it’s hard. This is, my wife and my three kids, Michael, Tish and Reba. My kids, they’re my life.

And I guess it was them that kind of maybe helped me realize that I needed to get out of this one situation about being in—living in the RV and getting a place of our own. Well, we were staying with some friends and, then the landlord found out we’re staying there. So I got my RV out of storage, and, we—me and my family—we stayed in it for about three years, I believe. Three, maybe four.

And living in the RV – it was rough. You know, five people in a small area. And then my RV broke down. They put a sticker on it for it to be towed, and one morning I woke up and the tow truck was there. And said that we had—they’re going to tow my vehicle. They wouldn’t even give me a chance to move it.

And they notified, you know, these people from the state. They helped me get into, you know, put me and my family in a motel until they found us this apartment. It’s good to have family and friends and people like outreach to help out. I’m glad there’s people like them out there to help. Just don’t give up. You know, there’s people out there that can help. And if they offer to help take the help.”

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Adam (A): “RISE – well, especially the outreach – is mostly compiled of lived experience Outreach Specialists like myself. I was in a tent three years ago, so we understand what it’s like to have that desperation and we just try to meet people where they’re at.”

M: “Just got tired of living the way we were living. I mean, we only had my wife’s check and my daughter’s check, and we’re trying to find a place, but, you know, it’s hard trying to find a place when everybody kind of looks down on ya, you know. I appreciate the outreaches, you know. And my goal is just stay here, provide for my—I made a promise to my wife that I’ll make sure the kids always had a roof over their heads. So that’s my goal.”

A: “Well, outreach would like to do anything we could to assist you in doing so.”

M: “Yes. And like I said, I appreciate all your guys’ help and… yeah.”

A: “It’s all good brother. Yeah, I’m glad we could help.

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M: “And I appreciate it.”

If you missed any of this week’s series on homelessness, you can check out the Homeless Nevada section of our website.



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Nevada

28-year-old inmate at Southern Nevada prison dies

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28-year-old inmate at Southern Nevada prison dies


A man serving time at the Southern Desert Correctional Center for felony reckless driving died last month, the Nevada Department of Corrections said Tuesday.

Shiloh Walker, 28, died at the Indian Springs facility on Nov. 24, a news release said. Cause of death was not listed.

Walker was serving a sentence of up to six years after a plea agreement was reached in 2022 following a DUI crash that happened May 31, 2021 in Las Vegas, according to online court records.

An autopsy was requested following Walker’s death, though results were not available as of Monday evening. Attempts to reach Walker’s family members have been unsuccessful, according to the department.

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Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.



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Is USPS breaking vow not to use Sacramento for Northern Nevada mail?

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Is USPS breaking vow not to use Sacramento for Northern Nevada mail?


After widespread condemnation last year, the U.S. Postal Service backed away from plans to move its Reno mail-processing operations to Sacramento — but did it stay true to what it told the public?

The question arose recently after letters sent from one Carson City address to another in Carson City were both postmarked in Sacramento.

Northern Nevadans did not want first class mail sent from one Northern Nevada address to another going first to California. They sent a unified message to the USPS all the way up to the postmaster general.

Critics of the USPS plan were especially worried about delays from mail having to go back and forth over the Sierra during winter.

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The Washoe County District Attorney’s office filed a lawsuit over the plan, the Washoe County Commission voted to oppose the plan, public comment was universally opposed, and Democratic and Republican elected officials from across the state joined to stop it.

Could it possibly have happened anyway? The answer is yes, temporarily, for a brief time.

How letters sent in Carson City came to be processed at Sacramento USPS facility

A reader told the Reno Gazette Journal they’d twice had letters internal to Carson City postmarked in Sacramento, so we asked USPS if the policy had changed.

“Mail processing for First Class mail that originates in Northern Nevada and is destined to Northern Nevada has not changed,” USPS spokesperson Sherry Patterson responded by email.

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“However,” she added, “without the specific mail piece and class of mail, we cannot determined if there is an issue.”

The reader then supplied a photo of the two envelopes postmarked Nov. 5 in Sacramento, and this was shared with USPS.

“Our processing machine in Reno was temporarily out of service while we awaited a replacement part,” Patterson said after viewing the postmarks to nail down the specific date the letters went through Sacramento.

“To ensure that mail was not delayed during this time, we implemented a contingency plan that involved routing certain mail to our Sacramento facility for cancellation and processing. This measure allows us to maintain service continuity and minimize disruptions for our customers. We understand that this may cause some confusion, and we are committed to ensuring that all mail is processed efficiently and accurately.”

Bottom line: Regarding first class mail that’s being sent to and from Northern Nevada addresses, it’s still USPS policy to process that in Reno at its Vassar Street facility, she said.

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The path these particular letters took, Patterson added, “is indeed an unusual occurrence.”

Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to mrobison@rgj.com or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.



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Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones

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Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones


LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Loneliness has become a significant health issue for people everywhere, and the holiday season sometimes intensifies those feelings. For many, December looks like family gatherings, matching pajamas and bustling homes. But this time of year can also be very difficult for those who may be battling distance, work commitments or recent life changes.

Marc Valli, an Army veteran who served in Vietnam, has lived in Las Vegas since 1988. He moved to Nevada to join a ministry and be closer to his wife’s parents.

WATCH| Shellye Leggett talks to an army vet who’s recently moved into Escalante at the Lakes assisted living facility

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Holiday loneliness affects thousands in Nevada as many face Christmas away from loved ones

“I wanted to come and join ministry here. Also my wife’s parents lived here,” Valli said.

Valli’s wife Barbara, known to friends and family as Bobby, passed away in 2018 after 54 years of marriage.

“I’m still counting the years. We’ve been married 54 years,” he said.

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His children moved him into Escalante at the Lakes assisted living facility in June, making this his first holiday season in his new home.

“People are very nice, they treat you good,” Valli said.

Come Christmas Day, the facility’s common room will be filled with residents ready for holiday activities, but Valli hopes to get outside these walls to see his family that still lives nearby.

“I have grandkids. One goes to Cal Poly. He’s here right now, but he’s on vacation, and then I have two little granddaughters, one’s 11, one’s 7,” Valli said. “I don’t know if they’re gonna come for Christmas or I’m going there.”

Gus Farias, the executive director of Escalante at the Lakes Assisted Living, says many of his residents don’t have family nearby. Keeping their spirits high throughout the holidays is an important task.

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“We can tell when our residents are feeling down. There’s a lot of pressure during the holidays because some of our residents don’t have families that are nearby, but they have us,” Farias said.

The organisation A Mission for Michael released a study showing just how many people are expected to spend the holidays alone this year. Nevada ranked 43rd on the list of loneliest states, with more than 212,000 people expected to spend Christmas by themselves.

“It’s pretty surprising that there’s so many Nevadans that are gonna spend the holidays by themselves,” Farias said.

He says combating loneliness will take a community effort.

“When you’re at the grocery store or whatever, reach, look back and ask them, you know, wish them a merry Christmas or happy holidays and ask them how they passed their holidays in the past because we, we as a younger generation than our seniors, we can learn a lot from that,” Farias said.

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It’s an effort that Valli says makes the holidays a little brighter.

“Oh, it makes a big difference,” he said.





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