Norman, Oklahoma, City Council Seeks Community Input on Proposed Permanent Shelter

The Norman City Council is one step closer to establishing a permanent shelter location, according to a KGOU report by Hannah France. Norman Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman said homelessness has been a topic of discussion throughout his 13-year tenure on the council. He pointed to the difficult conditions people face outdoors in Oklahoma, saying, “Very cold in the winter, very hot in the summer, and then severe weather storms, winds, hail in the spring and the fall.”

A 2020 bond vote included a $5 million proposal for the City to build a permanent shelter where people could stay year-round, but it failed. Holman said that proposal “had no details,” with no design, location, operator, or operating budget. Holman also said recent City Council races, including his own mayoral race last year, suggest Norman voters support a permanent shelter. He noted that every candidate who said they supported it won, and every candidate who opposed it lost. The report also cites a recent survey of Norman voters conducted by Amber Integrated, which found 86% agreed homeless shelters are important to the community.

In November, the City finalized a purchase agreement for about three acres of Griffin Memorial Hospital property off Reed Avenue. Earlier this month, the City unveiled plans for an $8 million permanent shelter on that property. Holman said the site’s proximity to other service providers, including the Norman-based nonprofit Food and Shelter, is one of several reasons it was chosen. He acknowledged that many residents may support a shelter in general but prefer it not be near their own homes or businesses, and he called the Griffin Memorial campus, home to social services for more than 100 years, “the most logical place of anywhere in Norman” for a shelter.

Shawn Loyd, Chief Programs Operator for the Oklahoma City-based nonprofit City Care, said the organization has worked since last year, when it took over operation of Norman’s current emergency overnight shelter on Gray Street, to show it is a good neighbor. Loyd said there had been a gap between some citizens or business owners and service providers, and that City Care has worked to bridge it, along with relationships with the police department, fire department, and transportation. If voters approve the new shelter, City Care will remain the operator. Loyd said the nonprofit helped with the design process and that a purpose-built facility could “bring more dignity to every guest that we see.”

The concept design includes two buildings. The first would have beds for 76 men and 44 women. The second would include family apartments and medical respite rooms. Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant said these services would benefit the whole community, noting that unhoused people recovering from surgery or cancer “would not have to do that on the street,” which she said would save the city money and emergency services. Grant also described family rooms where children could have a stable place and tutors could work with them in common areas. Ward 4 is where the proposed shelter would be located, and Grant said most of the constituents she has spoken with support it, including the Alameda Church of Christ. A community meeting is planned at the church on January 31 from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

The proposal is scheduled for a second reading at the Norman City Council meeting on Tuesday, January 27, when the Council could also schedule a bond election for the cost of a new shelter.

Source: Read the original report