State and city agencies investigating group homes in Panther Valley

I live next door to one of the homes managed by Project Uplift. The story presented by Brooke Boone is a welcome light at the end of a tunnel of years of problems with these homes. They are poorly managed and poorly supervised. The residents, while innocent, are not adequately cared for or medicated. They are dangerous to themselves and to others. The Reno Police have been called on numerous occasions to this house, and residents have been forcibly taken away to get them medicated because the health care workers have not done their jobs. Some of the residents are aggressive and have broken into neighbors homes late at night and refused to leave. They are also allowed to roam the neighborhood unsupervised late at night and are actually in danger of being hit by a car. The health care workers invite their friends over for socializing, and cars and people are coming and going at all hours of the day and night. They arrive in cars with the stereo so loud it rattles the nearby houses. Alcohol containers are strewn about the yard the next morning. Even on good days, when the residents are properly supervised and medicated, the homes and yards are so trashy, filthy and dilapidated that they have lowered the property values of the homes nearby. Used medical syringes are buried in the piles of yard debris around the houses. No one does any yard or house maintenance on these homes.

Seems that "values" really has a bone to pick. While i am sympathetic to her cause, the story (on-line, anyway) wasn't really inflamatory nor overly negative; it merely outlined the gist of the situation. While this is often an excuse for actions which would justify "value"'s concern, I don't see this yet. However the other (negative)comment which concludes with "nail in the coffin" belies the cynical and biased attitude of your typical NIMBY NV homeowner. I know that Reno Code can be a bunch of Gestapo types. Let's just house the 'clients' in the old Super Kmart-I mean, buses go there.

The service provider for Project Uplift is just in for the money and not really caring about the well being of their clients, the staff is not full trained to deal with the problems that may arise on a day to day. If you were to make a suprise visit on any giving day you will see what I mean. I used to work for Al (the provider) and again he is in it for the money and the is sad on his part.

Dear Brooke Boone, You should check your facts before going on air! These are NOT "Facilities", they are residential homes that persons with disabilities live in. This is the old "not in my backyard" mentality. Persons who are diagnosed with mental illness have every right to live in our community as anyone else. Some live on their own and some prefer to live with roommates. The way in which you have portrayed these people as being "mental patients" has done nothing but set the stigma back about 50 years. Good job Brooke! How would you like it if someone in the media portrayed women journalists as nothing but airheads reading off a teleprompter setting the old "women can't report real news" stigma back for you? If you were really trying to assist in the process of proper licensure then you would have stuck to that issue instead of broadcasting the street name and address of these peoples home on the news. Good job instilling fear into the residents of Reno, better watch out for the "mental patients" in our neighborhoods. The saddest part is that the damage is already done for these people and not even a recant of the story would fix it. Good luck explaining your inconsiderate, irresponsible, and shameless "news story" to those people with disabilities and to organizations like NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) who have fought hard to erase the stigma. Sincerely, Angry viewer!

Brooke Boone should check her facts! These are NOT "Facilities", they are residential homes that persons with disabilities live in. Project Uplift simply provides supportive staff to come in and provide rehabilitative services for them. This is the old "not in my backyard" mentality. Persons who are diagnosed with mental illness have every right to live in our community as anyone else. Some live on their own and some perfer to live with roommates. The way in which this broadcaster has portrayed these people as being "mental patients" has done nothing but set the stigma back about 50 years. Good job Brooke! How would you like it if someone in the media portrayed women journalists as nothing but airheads reading off a teleprompter setting the old "women can't report real news" stigma back for you? If you were really trying to assist in the process of proper licensure then you would have stuck to that issue instead of broadcasting the street name and address of these peoples home on the news. Good job instilling fear into the residents of Reno, better watch out for the "mental patients" in our neighborhoods. The saddest part is that the damage is already done for these people and not even a recant of the story would fix it. Good luck explaining your inconsiderate, irresponsible, and shameless "news story" to those people with disabilites and to organizations like NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) who have fought hard to erase the stigma.