Carson City Mayor Lori Bagwell talks to Chamber of Commerce members on Sept. 8, 2022.
Photo by Scott Neuffer.
The Carson City Board of Supervisors will be asked to review materials to begin a competitive grant process for its new homelessness plan on Thursday. The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. in the community center boardroom.
The city’s plan would use $1.1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to provide temporary housing for unsheltered individuals. The housing – either leased units or modular construction – would come with a certain level of commitment from participants as they transition to independent living. Spearheaded by a coalition of community members, the Carson City Housing Plan calls for “wraparound services” like medical assistance and life-skills training to help individuals stabilize and thrive.
If supervisors approve a letter-of-intent notice for the grant process, interested parties would have until Oct. 14 to send a letter of intent and project description. Those focused on the plan’s street outreach program would be able to apply for up to $90,000 in funding. Those focused on providing temporary housing and other services could apply for up to $600,000. The program is scheduled to run for two years, starting in February.
According to Carson City Health and Human Services, there are 69 unsheltered individuals in the capital city. That number comes from an official count in February and could be much higher.
On Sept. 8, Mayor Lori Bagwell presented the city’s new plan to members of the Chamber of Commerce.
“I am convinced that doing nothing is not the answer,” Bagwell said, shortly after Flavors of India owner Dolly Kaur donated $1,000 to the cause.
The question of what to do with unsheltered individuals is complex and includes variables like housing costs, employment, identification and documentation, and medical conditions, among other things. One thing people shouldn’t do, Bagwell said, is come to the issue with preconceived notions about the homeless.
The number one reason for homelessness, Bagwell said, is “loss of job,” followed by divorce and domestic violence. In other words, people may be living on the streets because they don’t have another choice. Bagwell shared data from the sheriff’s office that shows the average age of those arrested without an address is 38 for males and 37 for females.
“You cannot fix this if people don’t have a place to sleep,” Bagwell said.
The Carson City Sheriff’s Office already has small teams of mental health professionals and deputies that respond to critical situations, but the city plan calls for new outreach teams – including formerly homeless individuals – to gain trust and help the transition to independent living. Bagwell said businesses and individuals are welcome to assist, which could be as simple as donating furnishings for housing.
“It takes all of us,” she said. “How do we bring the entire community and all service organizations to one thought, one issue?”
Kaur, for her part, said she just wants to help.
“Whatever the need is, I’ll be there.” she said by phone. “I used to feed the homeless at our old location. Whatever I make here, I want it to go back to the community.”
In other action:
Supervisors will be asked to approve a second reading of an ordinance that changes the number of retail marijuana dispensaries in Carson City from two to four.
The first reading of the ordinance passed on a 3-2 vote on Aug. 18 after extensive public comment, mostly in opposition to the changes. The applicant, Las Vegas-based Qualcan, previously proposed another dispensary in south Carson but couldn’t proceed under city code, which capped the number of retail establishments to two and required they be co-located within existing medical marijuana establishments.
The new ordinance expands the number of retail outlets to four – as allowed by state law – reverses the co-location requirement, and allows drive-through service.
Currently, Sierra Well and Rise are the only dispensaries in Carson. Rise is owned by Green Thumb Industries based in Chicago. Sierra Well was recently acquired by Verano, which is also based in Chicago.
