One-at-a-Time Homeless Outreach

In fall 2019, the Downtown Reno Partnership and its ambassadors changed their approach to homeless outreach. Our two Outreach Ambassadors focused on a few chronically homeless individuals full time instead of working with a lot of people for a little amount of time each day. The goal is to assist people as closely as possible while helping them navigate service providers. We do whatever it takes to keep individuals off the streets and out of the penal system.

The first person was Charles Anderson. After an average of 20 daily engagements over six months, Charles finally told us he wanted to get sober and off the streets. Outreach Ambassadors were able to find him a room in a hotel which was paid for by his Social Security check. Ambassadors worked with Washoe County Community Court to force him to use Nevada Fiduciary Solutions, where his money will be managed for him to pay bills on time. Over the course of two weeks, Ambassadors took him to food pantries, helped him find clothing and other necessities and helped him get to all his appointments.

In less than a month, Charles moved to permanent housing. where he pays his own rent and maintains his sobriety. Outreach Ambassadors follow up with him as needed to make sure he stays on track.

We use this experience as a template for creating a custom approach to homeless individuals who are ready to take steps toward stability. Each person has different needs, but all our Ambassadors are familiar with this approach because many of them also experienced homelessness and addiction prior to employment. They know what it takes to exit the cycle of poverty and show people how to do the same.