Community Homeless Advisory Board Meeting - May 11, 2026

The Washoe County Community Homeless Advisory Board (CHAP) convened on May 11, 2026, at 9:00 AM. The meeting included public comment, approval of prior minutes, discussion on expanding board membership to include individuals with lived experience, a presentation on transforming the CARES campus, and updates on permanent supportive housing projects and street-based healthcare. The board also received presentations on supportive housing planning, the Hope Landing and Highway 40 projects, data from Our Place shelter, and the Street Reach street medicine program. The meeting adjourned at 11:34 AM.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes (March 16, 2026): Motion made and seconded; passed unanimously without public comment.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Paul White (Education Crusade): Proposed transferring the CARES campus to a nonprofit coalition of local churches. Argued the current program has zero success stories (defined as clean, sober, employed, and independent), is a $300 million failure, and results in high crime and public safety burdens. Advocated for enforced rules, sobriety, and work requirements.
• Tammy Holtstill (Washoe County District 5 candidate): Criticized CARES campus for lack of accountability, citing personal experience with her son. Also opposed using local taxpayer funds to serve out-of-state homeless individuals, referencing a 2015 precedent (San Francisco v. Nevada).
• Lawrence Dotson (ABLE, lived experience advisory board): Expressed that CARES campus saved his life, crediting a caseworker for connecting him to stable housing. Asked the board to include a person with lived experience on CHAP with full voting rights.
• Pastor Pepe Gonzalez (Victory Outreach): Described his church's 70% success rate in rehab programs through accountability and faith, and stated that volunteers were previously asked to stop providing free services at CARES campus. He was never allowed inside.
• Pam Dar: Called for mandatory treatment or removal of homeless individuals, citing safety concerns and a desire for clean streets.
• Deanna Hover: Shared a positive story of receiving services from Our Place, including housing and case management, which helped her and her son rebuild their lives.
• Taylor Balk (USC graduate student): Advocated for expanding peer mentorship and lived experience support within homelessness response systems, and urged the board to create clear mechanisms for integrating lived experience into CHAP decision-making.
• Tim McGivney: Argued that CARES campus requires sobriety as a first step, stating that low-barrier approaches enable drug use and relapse. Supported the church coalition proposal.
• Bob Chittester: Described his brother-in-law as a "vagrant by choice" and said the problem is worsened by buses bringing homeless individuals from other states. Called for a new approach.
• Eddie Lorton (Reno Mayor candidate): Stated that current spending has not reduced homelessness, and suggested focusing help on those willing to accept it.
• Drew Rebar (Assembly District 40 candidate): Blamed government regulations and drug policies for the crisis, arguing that the homeless problem is primarily a drug problem and that government programs have made housing unaffordable.
• Tricia Creedon: Criticized city sweeps, saying they disrupt relationships and treat people like criminals. Called for social services, not police involvement.
• Melanie Denny: Asked the board to direct staff to develop a comprehensive plan addressing homelessness and affordability, noting federal funding changes (CDBG, HOME, Continuum of Care) that threaten local programs.
• Bruce Parks: Called CARES campus an "I don't care campus" and asserted it has produced zero success stories. Supported enforcement of laws as the only effective solution.
• Phil McKay (Pastor): Supported the church coalition proposal, emphasizing that accountability and addressing the moral/spiritual dimension are essential.
• Joni Hammond: Said CARES campus is a failure, and that half of sheriff's office time is spent responding there. Supported redirecting funds to the church proposal.
• Clifford Thomas: Stated he lasted only a week at CARES due to contradictions and lack of accountability. Claimed many homeless are addicted to the lifestyle.
• Teddy Craig (Catfish Kickstarter Program): Reported that the term "NRP" (not real people) is used on death records at CARES. Described seeing overdoses, drug dealing, and slow ambulance response. Supported the church coalition.
• Trista Gomez: Provided cost data: $44 million annual spending on homeless services, $27 million county deficit, $40,000 per person per year. Criticized lack of sobriety, work, and residency requirements. Later offered solutions including balance between government and church-based programs.
• Catherine Yarte: Raised concerns about a DMV kiosk at CARES making out-of-state individuals instant residents, and described law enforcement resistance when investigating a violent crime on campus.
• Victoria Meyer: Supported transferring CARES to a church coalition, citing waste and lack of results.
• Final public comment: Tammy Holtstill suggested using abandoned warehouses for housing. Teddy Craig reiterated the NRP issue and asked for funding for his reentry program. Trista Gomez advocated for balanced approaches and accountability.

Discussion Items

• Item 5 – Adding Members with Lived Experience to CHAP: The board discussed whether to recommend adding individuals with lived experience as voting or non-voting members. Councilmember Taylor suggested letting Washoe County take the lead on representation. The consensus was to bring a staff presentation with options to a future meeting, and then take a recommendation to the governing bodies.
• Item 6 – Presentation by Paul White (Education Crusade): White proposed immediately canceling all CARES contracts, rejecting federal grants with restrictive rules, and deeding the property to a coalition of local churches. He claimed the church-run model would enforce sobriety, work, and time limits, leading to a 60-70% reduction in homeless population. Board members questioned the feasibility and the claim that 90-95% of homeless individuals are "vagrants by choice."
• Item 7 – Supportive Housing Action Plan Update (Brooke Page, CSH): Page reported that the region is moving from planning to implementation, with a growing pipeline of supportive housing. She highlighted the need for formal agreements on definitions, target populations, and coordinated funding. She noted that the state has created supportive housing funds but capital remains a challenge.
• Item 8 – Hope Landing Update (JD Clippenstein, Reno Housing Authority): Clippenstein announced that Hope Landing, a 15-unit permanent supportive housing project, is breaking ground in May 2026. Total development cost is $7.8 million, with over 75% funded by RHA. Services are funded by state grants. Units will have project-based vouchers and 24/7 staff.
• Item 9 – Highway 40 Update (Juliana Glock, VOA): Glock reported that the 15-unit permanent supportive housing project (motel conversion) is complete and will begin housing residents in June 2026. Total construction cost was $6.9 million, funded by state and local sources. Services include case management and peer support.
• Item 11 – Our Place Data Presentation (Penny Adams, VOA): Adams presented data from July 2025 to March 2026: 1,044 individuals served in emergency shelter, 363 families, 188 exited to permanent housing. Over 80,000 direct services provided. The safe parking pilot served 7 individuals, with an average stay of 1-2 nights; the program will continue.
• Item 12 – Street Reach Presentation (Jane Fox, UNR Larson Institute): Fox described a new street medicine program providing wound care, bloodborne virus testing, and linkage to care. In April 2026, 172 interactions occurred, with 72 receiving services. 12% of blood draws showed active hepatitis C. The team operates without law enforcement and has been well-received.

Key Outcomes

• Approval of Minutes: Passed unanimously.
• Item 5 – Lived Experience Members: The board agreed to place a staff-developed proposal on a future agenda, with options for one member per jurisdiction or a subcommittee, and to subsequently forward a recommendation to the county commission, Reno City Council, and Sparks City Council.
• Board Member Requests for Future Agendas:
  • Councilmember Taylor requested an assessment of heat-related shelter and cooling center preparedness for the upcoming summer.
  • Chair Hill requested a presentation comparing low-barrier shelter models to the CARES campus, including successes and challenges.
  • Chair Clark requested information on tours of CARES campus and the reason why church groups (e.g., Victory Outreach) were asked to stop providing services.
• No formal votes were taken on presentations (Items 6–12) as they were non-action items.