Located in the heart of Midtown, Palomar has been the central hub for victim services in Oklahoma City for nearly a decade. Collaborating with 44 partner organizations, Palomar has served over 29,000 clients over the last eight years — survivors of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, stalking, elder abuse and human trafficking.
Named after the palomar knot that is renowned for its strength and resilience, the center offers itself as “a kind-hearted home where clients and their children come first as they work through the healing process” in a holistic manner, according to its website. More than just a resource center, Palomar is a “community of healing” offering a plethora of free and confidential assistance to “people of all ages and genders, regardless of sexual orientation, language spoken, immigration status or income.”
By providing security, support and a tightly bound network of care through wraparound services at a single location, Palomar streamlines navigating victim services to cater to every individual client’s needs as accessibly and properly as possible. With help available as soon as one walks through the doors at 1140 N. Hudson Ave., Palomar is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and welcomes walk-ins before 4 p.m.
From the moment a client arrives, a navigator is available on staff to greet, assess needs, explain available services and help coordinate next steps. Victim advocates guide clients through paperwork, offer emotional support and even accompany clients to court. Clients don’t have to come to Palomar alone. While friends are welcome to support the client, even children are welcomed and cared for in the Children’s Sanctuary by specially trained children navigators who will watch over them. This all-encompassing approach ensures that every client is welcomed with open arms, no matter their situation or availability.
Palomar walks hand in hand with clients through immediate support, legal assistance, the healing process and moving forward. Provided victim services include:
- support for survivors: client services, safety planning, crisis intervention, advocacy, emotional support and transportation
- support for families: adult protective services, pet care, parenting classes, trust-based relational intervention, child protective services and child care
- legal assistance: protective order representation, child support, divorce and custody help and civil legal representation
- holistic healing: counseling, support groups, spiritual care and medical treatment
- housing and financial assistance: job search assistance, classes, emergency shelter, re-housing and emergency needs assistance
- offender accountability: criminal prosecution, investigation, forensic exams and virtual privacy officer services
Among the partner organizations, 11 are hosted in-house and provide full-time services. These partners and the services they provide include:
- Oklahoma Department of Human Services (Child Protective Services)
- EMBARK (client transportation)
- Homeless Alliance (long-term housing support and advocacy)
- La Luz Org (bilingual advocacy)
- Latino Community Development Agency (bilingual advocacy)
- Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Inc. (civil legal assistance)
- Oklahoma City Police Department (domestic violence unit)
- Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse (connection to mental health services)
- Oklahoma Humane Society (pet advocacy and resources)
- Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office (victim protective orders)
- YWCA Oklahoma City (community, sexual assault and court advocacy, forensic nursing and support groups)
While the recognition for the need of Palomar’s services goes back to the initial discussions in 2012 between Chief Visionary Officer and Founder Kim Garrett-Funk and the Oklahoma City Police Department, the fight against domestic violence is tragically all too close to home.
According to the Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board, “domestic homicide numbers for the past four years are substantially higher than numbers prior to 2019” with an average of 114 victims between 2019 and 2022 alone. With Oklahoma ranking in the top 10 states for women murdered by men since 1996 and currently ranked second in the nation, the need for healing is recognized by both sides of the aisle.
For National Domestic Abuse Violence Awareness Month in October 2024, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s “Generally Speaking” column cited, “It is estimated that 51.5 percent of Oklahoma women and 46.0 percent of men will experience sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime.” Most poignantly, however, is the reminder that these numbers “represent shattered lives, broken families and communities in pain.”
Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board recommended the state Legislature focus on “establishing a fund for a statewide program focused on providing direct trauma-informed services, enacting a domestic violence-specific hearsay exception to bolster evidence-based prosecution, strengthening areas of state victim protection order laws and amending state statutes to eliminate discrepancies related to domestic violence crimes.”
New facility
One of Palomar’s greatest strengths is its investment in the future. Rather than just being reactive, it has been proactive in its mission to serve Oklahoma City to the best of its ability. Recently, Palomar broke ground on a new facility thanks to a $42 million expansion project sponsored by MAPS 4 in 2019 that will open in early 2027.
Sharing the future of Palomar with News 9, Garrett-Funk explained how the new center will expand on its current offerings through 24-hour services, comprehensive care with a new and robust medical center, a cafe staffed by survivors and a two-story children’s sanctuary. Additionally, the new center will even have desk areas with cribs.
Palomar has operated Camp HOPE America since 2016 as “the first evidence-based camping and mentoring program for children exposed to trauma” in the nation, according to its website. Aiming to break generational cycles of family violence “by offering healing and hope to children and adults who have witnessed and been impacted by family violence,” the camp offers a safe space for young people to grow into themselves beyond the abuse that they have faced. Providing such healing services is essential because Palomar cites that 78 percent of children who grew up in violent homes without help will continue the cycle of violence.
Palomar is intrinsically rooted in the community. From the work of local organizations to MAPS 4 and fundraising, Palomar highlights what it means for Oklahomans to come together for the good of one another. It offers a variety of volunteer opportunities, including both one-time service events and long-term services including special projects, front desk and phone hospitality, children’s sanctuary, emergency services shop, special projects and community events, spiritual cafe program, animal advocacy, Camp HOPE mentoring and the Palomar legal network. Other ways to help include internships, donation drives, benefit events, fostering pets, helping at open houses, offering testimonies, giving donations and supporting via social media.
By meeting each person where they are and helping them in every way they can, the work of Palomar is in the living testament of each individual survivor and the wounds healed in the face of Oklahoma’s domestic abuse crisis.
Visit palomarokc.org.
This article appears in Best of OKC 2025.