A damning report presented this week to the Community Homeless Advisory Board (CHAB) called the Nevada Cares Campus, Reno’s massive homeless shelter, unsafe and understaffed.
“We have known from the beginning that the Cares Campus would require increased staffing, and the report from JD Consultancy validated that,” County Manager Eric Brown told This Is Reno today. “We appreciate the credibility that a third-party brings to the issues that we are trying to address.
“We are actively working to hire staff, which will go a long way toward addressing the safety and security concerns identified in the report,” he added.
Volunteers of America, which operates the shelter, is hiring new positions for the campus with salaries ranging from $15/hour to $23/hour based on experience and education level.
Washoe County is hosting a job fair Saturday, Nov. 6 at Rancho San Rafael’s Wilbur D. May Museum for the Cares Campus jobs. The hiring event is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Washoe County, Allied Security and VOA will be on hand seeking new employees.
“We will be conducting interviews on-site in an effort to expedite the hiring process,” said Washoe County Public Information Officer Bethany Drysdale. “[County] positions will be under county management either as staff or contractors.”
CHAB member and Reno City Council member Neoma Jardon said the issues need to be immediately addressed.
“The consultant’s report at CHAB identified serious issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible,” she told This Is Reno. “I believe everyone is committed to addressing the issues with this newly opened facility so as to achieve long-term success.”
Officials said hiring has been difficult given the glut of available jobs and a job market where people no longer have to accept lower-paying jobs.
Update: This story has been updated to clarify the location of the hiring event.
