Washoe County employees who work at the region’s massive homeless shelter, the Nevada Cares Campus, say they are being subjected to the same security measures as shelter clients, exposing them to safety threats.
The employees say that means they are being faced with fights, attacks, theft, dangerous drugs and bodily waste. At the same time, senior-level staff have their private entrances to offices on the campus, something other employees said was unfair. An Aug. 1 memo from the employee association was sent to county commissioners after employees said county officials with the Human Services Agency ignored their concerns.
“The civilian employees of the Sheriff’s Office go through less security screening than the employees of the Cares Campus.”
“With the prevalence of fentanyl in our current times, and the documented multiple overdoses at the Cares Campus, even residue has been proven to have dire impacts on someone who has no tolerance to such a substance,” Donald Gil with the Washoe County Employees Association (WCEA) wrote to commissioners. “One of our members was caught in the middle of a fight between participants where three participants jumped another participant, and the single security guard did nothing.”
County officials dismissed the employee concerns as having been addressed, something WCEA continues to dispute. County spokesperson Bethany Drysdale told This Is Reno twice that the employees’ concerns were resolved.
“The concerns in the letter have been discussed with Cares Campus management, Human Resources and WCEA, and the issues have been addressed,” she said. “There are already some measures in place to address employee concerns about safety, and staff is encouraged to continue bringing concerns to the Cares Campus management as they move into the building.”
Justin Norton, president of the WCEA, disagreed that employee concerns have been resolved. Among the problems is that county employees must be screened upon entering the campus the same way residents are screened.
“While the county has taken steps to try to resolve the concerns of the affected employees, neither the employees nor WCEA feel the issue is resolved,” he told This Is Reno. “This week alone, WCEA has received complaints from several employees, including multiple reports of one who had their personal effects run through security screening and come out covered in an unknown white powder.
“Other employees complained of standing in a security line with a client who was reported to have a highly contagious illness,” he added. “Frankly, WCEA does not see any reason that these employees are being singled out to go through this type of screening instead of allowing them to use a separate employee entrance. The employees in the County Manager’s Office and Human Resources Department have separate private entrances.”
Washoe County recently canceled Drag Queen Story Hour events at county libraries, citing safety concerns after an employee was injured in an altercation with a Drag Queen Story Hour protestor in June. “Employee safety was addressed in both situations – the library and the Cares Campus,” Drysdale said.
When told the WCEA disagreed that the problems had been resolved, Drysdale said the new welcome center would fix the issue. “Now that the Welcome Center has opened and security has enacted its procedure for entering the campus, I’m sure concerns will be addressed as they arise,” she said.
WCEA’s Norton still disagreed. “The Comptroller’s Office, Treasurer’s Office, Assessor’s Office and Medical Examiner’s Office employees all have separate employee entrances,” he said. “The civilian employees of the Sheriff’s Office go through less security screening than the employees of the Cares Campus.
“Even restaurant and casino employees don’t use the same entrance as their clients, so it is understandable why the Cares Campus employees feel singled out and are frustrated by the way they are being treated,” Norton added. “These are passionate and dedicated people who took jobs to help their community. Seeing them treated like they are a security risk is incredibly disheartening.”
