Sleeping bag? Socks? Cheeseburger? — A Reno social media influencer uses his income streams to buy unhoused people whatever they need

A man in a hoodie with a salt-and-pepper beard asks random people living outside in Northern Nevada: “What would you do if you had a few hundred dollars right now?” 

The man goes by “Just Knate.” (In third or fourth grade, there were too many Nates in his class, so he added a silent “K.”) 

Nine times out of 10, it’s simple things: socks, a hat, shoes, a blanket, a cheeseburger, a phone—“things that make them feel the way they used to.” Sometimes it’s pet food for their support animal, or a hotel room for a night. It’s all pretty basic and immediate—just what they need right now.  

He videos the entire encounter, from the initial sighting through completion, and posts it on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Patreon. If someone doesn’t want to be photographed, he puts away his chest-mounted body-camera and still gives the help. He explains to them, though, that it’s the video that gets the exposure to raise more funds so he can continue his mission of compassion and hope: The greater the exposure, the wider the reach, the more money comes in, and the more homeless people he can help. They then often agree to be filmed. 

In the less than two years he’s been doing this, Knate has amassed nearly 5 million followers on social media. Many viewers donate; others are inspired to help someone themselves.  

Recovering from hard times 

Knate wasn’t always in such a good place. 

“I was doing a lot of dumb stuff, and I had my own issues with addiction,” he said. “My little dog, Scruffy, was crucial to my recovery. I had someone else to take care of; I had to get myself together.”  

He started riding his bike again. A month sober, he broke his ankle riding in the hills. A disabled homeless man, walking with a makeshift crutch, came out of nowhere and helped Knate to his feet. He let Knate use his crutch until he could get back on his bike and coast downhill. 

“He made a big impression on me,” Knate said. 

In 2018, he came to Reno to take a position as supervisor in a licensed cannabis cultivation facility owned by a friend. Six months later, he lost both the job and the friend. Unemployed and nearly broke, he spied a man on the curb holding up a cardboard sign. Man, he thought, if I’m not careful, I could be that guy. … That guy could have a similar story to mine. That was his epiphany, and life hasn’t been the same since. 

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic came along. A lot of people faced hard times. 

“Everybody has two to five to 10 dominos, and if all those dominos go down, all at once, they could be outside,” he said. “They could lose everything.”  

Knate wants to help them get back on their feet. “They’re only a couple of steps away from getting back on track,” he said. 

Building a brand 

Knate is currently kind of a one-man-band, providing short-term relief. But his vision is greater: He is building a business to help people find housing. He says he’s tried to find unhoused people jobs, but it’s virtually impossible for someone who doesn’t have an address or ID. You can’t get an address without an ID, and you can’t get an ID without an address. 

“It’s not easy to just go and get an ID,” Knate said. “Plus it costs $20. Homeless people get a discount, but some don’t want to be labeled ‘homeless’ in the system.” 

That’s where the idea for the company came from. It’s also called “Just Knate,” and Knate describes the goal as “relief, not profit.” Using the BOGO (buy-one-give-one) model, he sells branded hats, socks and blankets, with more coming soon. Supporters can buy one item for themselves and donate a second to an unhoused person at no extra charge. Many donate both items. 

Knate’s vision is to one day hire people who are unhoused and provide, as part of the job, an address, a shower facility, clean clothes, help getting an ID and/or Social Security number, and a safe storage space. 

Just Knate’s Amazon wish list offers yet another way to help. It currently lists sleeping bags, and Knate and his girlfriend, Litcia, plan to add additional items such as sweatsuits, bags of dogfood, menstrual products and backpacks with a complete toiletry kit—including underwear, socks, T-shirts, a hairbrush, a comb, a razor, a blanket, a flashlight and a first aid kit.  

Items from the Amazon list are shipped straight to Knate in Reno. He loads them into his car and goes out to find people who need them. Occasionally, he does a large giveaway: He takes 100 of every item and does a pop-up event at a local park, the location of which is announced on fliers in neighborhoods with high rates of homelessness on the day of the event. Cory White joins him with his food truck, Northern Envy, and feeds everyone. 

When asked about his job title, Knate said: “I don’t like the term ‘influencer’ because of all the so-called ‘influencers’ dancing on camera and whatever. However, I am influencing people—in a good way. People tell me that, and I see the feedback, so I guess that’s probably the right term.” 

And his income?  

“I make money from ad revenue,” he said. “I get a certain amount per view on every video, if it’s watched the entire length. That’s considered ‘retention.’ The better retention a video has, the more it gets pushed out, and the more views it gets. … Eventually, the more ads that are seen, the more revenue comes in. So that’s how I pay my bills. That’s how I survive.” 

He noted that every cent donated, and all of the proceeds from purchases made on JustKnate.com, directly support the mission to aid the homeless community. 

Knate is a problem-solver. Years after his epiphany, he is still working on solutions—and he hasn’t forgotten his little dog, Scruffy, or the man with a makeshift crutch. He said that people see him as some kind of saint, but he’s quick to correct that notion. 

“I’m not perfect,” he said. “I make mistakes. … You don’t need to be perfect to do good.”