Homeless teens in Reno don’t have access to an overnight shelter specifically for them, and many don’t feel safe at an adult shelter. On Wednesday, two short documentaries exploring local youth homelessness will be screening in Reno. Our reporter Paul Boger spoke to the organizer to learn more.
According to a U-S Housing and Urban Development survey from 2014, nearly one and three homeless individuals were under the age of 24. Nico Colombant is with the street reporting outfit from Our Town Reno and he says the pervasive nature of youth homelessness is often overlooked.
“It’s often called a hidden or invisible population because you are homeless if you’re not in a stable home. You have a lot of young people who live on a friend’s couch or in abandoned houses, buildings, roofs, parks. You have a lot of young people who do not sleep at night because it’s too dangerous for them, so they walk around all night long," said Nico Colombant.
Our Town Reno is a street reporting project produced by the Reynolds Media Lab at the Reynolds School of Journalism. Wednesday’s screening is at 7 pm at The Potentialist Workshop in Reno. Along with two short documentaries, there will also be a community conversation about this issue. Learn more here.
