More than 100 homeless people were able to get a reprieve from freezing temperatures and the snowstorms of last week. The Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality (RISE) helped with a community fundraiser that quickly raised $50,000 to get people out of the cold.
More than 250 people donated $30,000 to the effort, and an additional $20,000 was matched with a private donation by Patrick Carter. ijji Noodle House provided 100 warm meals as part of the effort.
“Something amazing has happened,” said Mary Gilbert with RISE. “The numbers are in after collecting all of the data that were taken over the past few days in our guerrilla organization of getting our unsheltered neighbors sheltered, away from the elements.”
The group said 115 adults, two children and 18 pets received temporary shelter in more than 80 rooms in Reno and Sparks.
“We were also able to connect three women and two families with Our Place to begin receiving wrap-around services,” Gilbert said. “We couldn’t have done this without the support of our community.”
“The main reason for people not wanting to go into an emergency shelter [was] because couples do not want to separate from each other,” she added. “We need to come up with better solutions.”
RISE today posted the following video announcing the results of the campaign.
