Amy Alonzo

Fernley Leader-Courier

There are no mailboxes or addresses along the unnamed dirt road that runs north from Mound House, but to several Lyon County residents, the road through Bureau of Land Management property means home.

“By summer, there’s eight or 10 of us out here,” said Marnie Halbritter, 65, who lives in a fifth-wheel trailer with her husband, Tony and their cat, Sabrina. “I want the people who are creating the homelessness to see what they’re doing.”

The Halbritters were among the dozens of homeless residents identified by Lyon County Adult Services and teams of volunteers Thursday during the annual Rural Nevada Continuum of Care 2020 Point in Time Homeless Count. The count is a one-day survey of homelessness in rural counties that tallies individuals living in emergency shelters, transitional housing, motels and vehicles.

This isn’t camping

The Halbritters aren’t your typical homeless couple – or maybe they are, as the face of homelessness continues to shift.

Tony is an honorably-discharged Army veteran who used to work in maintenance and construction. Back and knee injuries in 2018 put him out of work, and in 2019 he was diagnosed with colon cancer. He now collects a disability check.

Marnie has a background as an office manager and a domestic violence coordinator.

“I have skills, but this is what happens when you don’t pay attention,” she said, gesturing to their trailer. “You’re one check away from it happening.”

Combined, the couple brings home just over $1,100 per month.

“Who on God’s green earth can live on $1,100 per month?” she said.

Prior to Tony going on disability, the Halbitters were living in Reno in a one-bedroom, one-bathroom single-wide trailer that had “a mushroom problem.” They were paying $1,000 per month for it.

Since 2018, the couple have lived in a 26-foot, 1994 fifth wheel, supplementing their meager income with food stamps. They’ve been living on BLM land in Mound House since September.

Tony hasn’t had a solid night of sleep since.

“I kind of sleep with one eye open,” he said. He worries about their safety on the public land. Each morning, he wakes up early to start a generator so he can warm the trailer for Marnie. They pay $300 per month for propane and gas to heat and run the trailer and have a state park pass so they can dump their sewage tank for free.

They’ve looked for housing opportunities in RV parks, but most of parks have rules that prohibit vehicles older than 10 years, Tony said.

“It makes it hard,” he said. “If you’re in a park with hookups, it makes a big difference … I love camping, I grew up camping, but this isn’t camping. I’m waking up with aches and pains.”

The Halbritters are working with Lyon County Human Services toward securing a housing voucher that will help them find permanent shelter.

“It would be nice to have a permanent spot all the time,” Tony said. “On our income, we can’t get too much of a place.”

‘The situation got bad’

Billy Smith, 50, and his wife, Brenda, work at Walmart, as does their teenage daughter – but the family is still living in a 1990 RV in Mound House.

During Thursday’s Point in Time Count Brenda was already at work, he was getting ready for work and their daughter was getting ready for school.

The Smiths have been homeless since September. They were living with family members when “the situation turned bad and we had to go,” Billy said.

They each make between $12-$15 an hour, which puts them over income to receive assistance through programs such as SNAP or Medicaid, but they can’t afford a rental large enough for their family – two of their kids are currently living in other locations, and they have several dogs.

“At least we’re off the ground not living in a tent,” Billy said. “If our credit gets better, we’ve thought of getting a newer, bigger RV. Housing is outrageous.”

By the numbers

Thursday’s count included 12 search teams that covered Fernley, Dayton, Yerington, Silver Springs, Mound House, Stagecoach and Smith Valley.

Teams included county employees; volunteers from organizations such as Healthy Communities Coalition and Volunteer in Policing; Lyon County Code Enforcement; and Lahontan State Park rangers.

Preliminary numbers from the count should be ready by mid-February, according to Division Manager of Adult Services Heather Benson. She said initial information shows there are homeless individuals living in each Lyon County community, with the largest increase in the Mound House area.

During the 2019 count, nearly 100 Lyon County adults were identified as homeless and nearly 100 others were living in motels.

“This year’s count had more community participation with donations and phone calls reporting encampments,” Benson said. “I think this shows the community is concerned for the health and wellbeing of citizens experiencing homelessness and is interested in assisting with addressing homelessness in Lyon County.”

Amy Alonzo covers Mason Valley and rural Nevada. See her work right here. Here's how you can support local journalism.