Its never one thing. Its 20 different things, and there is no single agency that is able to address all those issues, said Dan Straughan (pictured), executive director for the Homeless Alliance. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to reducing and preventing homelessness in Oklahoma through collaboration with government, faith-based and nonprofit service providers, city government and local businesses.
The organizations latest project, WestTown Resource Center, located at 1729 N.W. 3rd St., is a $6.3 million facility spanning an entire city block that aims to become a one-stop shop for social services with multiple agencies and a day shelter located on site.
According to Jane Ferrell, urban redevelopment specialist for Oklahoma Citys planning department, the capital project received $4.3 million in stimulus funds through the state Department of Commerce and another $550,824 in stimulus funds through the city. The Inasmuch Foundation also provided private funding for construction.
The 17,000-square-foot resource center opened in May, and the 12,000-square-foot day shelter is expected to open in mid-August. The entire campus is not open yet; construction is wrapping up and a grand opening is set for Sept. 8.
All in one place
Lack of transportation is one of the top barriers keeping people from ending their homelessness, Straughan said when the project broke ground in February.
Low-income and homeless individuals and families will have many of the services they need under one roof, greatly reducing the barriers to these services, he said.
The resource center and day shelter were built in two old warehouses, renovated in an environmentally friendly manner. The resource center will feature a pharmacy, office space, classrooms, a computer lab, a nicely appointed lobby and a play area for children. The day shelter planned with help from Oklahoma Citys eight overnight homeless shelters features a commercial-grade kitchen, showers, storage, offices, common areas and quiet rooms. Operated by local nonprofit organization City Care, the day shelter can also serve as a disaster relief shelter.
Both
buildings contain geothermal HVAC systems donated by a local business.
Fencing surrounding the campus will be constructed out of 6-foot-tall
corrugated steel panels that have been decorated by local professional
artists, students, corporate sponsors and homeless people.
The
types of services planned for the campus include a health clinic,
employment training, drug and alcohol counseling, housing assistance,
family support, homeless prevention, government benefits programs and
other vital services. A mobile medical and dental facility is also
planned.
In
all, 10 agencies are currently on-site, and seven more have committed to
joining the team. Straughan said he hoped to add five more agencies by
years end.
Providing the homeless with resources
all in one place is cheaper, more efficient and with way better
outcomes, Straughan said.
New model of service
Patrons
of WestTown Resource Center are served by a new model called
coordinated case management. New clients fill out a single intake form
and are seen by one case manager, who has the combined resources of all
the agencies at his or her disposal. Clients are assigned housing
plans, which they are expected to sustain over time through continuing
education and counseling.
In
the old model, youd go from agency to agency all over town trying to
get services to help you, Straughan said. Youd be making your own
appointments, and those case managers might not even know about one
another, much less be working together.
It sounds simple, but coordinating nonprofit and government agencies can be a bureaucratic mess.
Different funding sources require different data collection from
respective clients. The consolidated intake form that WestTown Resource
Center uses had to be whittled down from 28 pages to a more manageable
size.
Weve been using it for two years, and its worked beautifully, Straughan said.
Although
other major American cities have consolidated resource centers, nowhere
else are the services so consolidated. The program is being researched
for possible national expansion, Straughan said.
Cost of homelessness
According
to an Oklahoma City point-in-time count conducted in January, the
total number of homeless individuals and families was 1,221, up from a
year ago, but down slightly from 2009.
What
were seeing is a change in the homeless population. Its not always
just individuals. Its becoming more families. That is a disturbing
trend, but it also fits with the state of the economy and people losing
their housing, Ferrell said.
Point-in-time
counts are merely snapshots of the homeless population on a given day.
Estimates show that a communitys annual number of homeless can be four
to five times its one-night census.
A
study conducted by Oklahoma City between April 1, 2009, and March 31,
2010, showed the total spent on homelessness during that time was $28.75
million.
One
of our highest costs per individual or family relates to emergency
services, (such as) calling the ambulance to come pick you up and take
you to the hospital to see the doctor for the flu, Ferrell said. The
cost of that is just incredible. If we could cut that cost alone, we
would save the city several million dollars.
The cost to provide the homeless with
social services is far less than allowing them to live alone on the
streets, Straughan said.
Our
goal with these families is to provide them supportive services so that
in 30, 90 or 180 days they will be back on their own two feet, he
said.
Click here to download Oklahoma City's 2011 Point in Time study.
Click here to download the official Oklahoma City report on the cost of homelessness.
Photo by Brendan Hoover