On Tuesday, City of Reno leaders released the 2022 Clean and Safe Program annual report.
The Clean and Safe Program provides outreach and services to the unsheltered community, while also maintaining clean, accessible, and safe public spaces for all to enjoy through education, outreach and restoration.
The first-ever report includes a timeline of the major highlights of the program, outreach success stories, and statistical analysis to show changing trends in unsheltered residents.
The Clean and Safe team and its partners, the Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality and the Karma Box Project, provided one-on-one outreach to the unsheltered community in four key areas: housing arrangements, identification replacement, family reunification, and resources accessed. Some key statistics from these four approaches include:
- 244 housing arrangements, with 49 individuals placed in permanent housing.
- 180 identification replacements (driver’s license, identification and social security cards)
- 60 family and friends reunifications
- 96 resources accessed (Medicaid, SNAP, mental health, detoxification facilities etc.)
Clean and Safe also responded to 3,624 service requests. These service requests were collected through Reno Direct, and addressed by the interdepartmental Clean and Safe team.
“These service requests highlight our community’s needs and prove the importance of what we are doing,” said Doug Thornley, Reno City Manager. “By involving several City departments, we are executing a cohesive approach to solve one of our area's biggest challenges.”
City departments involved include the City Manager’s Office, City Attorney’s Office, Code and Parking Enforcement, Housing and Neighborhood Development, Maintenance and Operations, the Reno Municipal Court, Parks and Recreation, Reno Police Department, and the Reno Fire Department.
Earlier this year, Washoe County recently releasedresults of the January 26, 2023, Point in Time (PIT) Count. In that report, there was a 21 percent decrease in the total number of people who were living unsheltered, with the figure dropping from 417 in January 2022 to 329 in January 2023. This success is attributed to coordination amongst outreach staff and community programs including Clean and Safe.
The Clean and Safe annual report also includes several success stories, including the story of ‘S,’ an unsheltered resident of 35 years. It took five months to get him housed with the help of the Clean & Safe program. As Clean & Safe staff drove S to his new apartment in July of 2022, he said, “I never want to be homeless again.”
“The work of this team highlights the person behind the number and provides an outreach approach to meet their unique situation,” said Cynthia Esparza, Chief Equity and Community Relations Officer. “When we are able to see a person become housed or access services to address their overall health and wellbeing, it makes all of our work worth it.”
Last year, the Clean and Safe team collaborated with several community resources for the unsheltered population through various agency tours and training to not only create meaningful strategies, but to foster relationships with stakeholders that serve unsheltered residents. Those community partners include:
- Washoe County
- Downtown Reno Partnership Ambassadors
- Eddy House
- Village on Sage Street
- Northern Nevada HOPES
- Northern Nevada Mental Health Services
- University of Nevada, Reno School of Social Work
- Karma Box Project
- Join Together Northern Nevada
- Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality (RISE)
- Nevada Department of Transportation
- Reno Behavioral Healthcare Hospital
- Wellcare Nevada
Established in January 2020, Clean & Safe builds positive relationships and trust, while increasing efforts to provide sustainable life transitions. Through a collaborative approach with staff, community partnerships, and regional non-profits, outreach efforts have connected unhoused individuals with emergency shelters, employment opportunities, case management, and medical services.
(City of Reno assisted in this story)
