From The Oklahoman:
When it comes to addressing homelessness, service providers believe Oklahoma City is at a tipping point.
Housing costs are rising. Serious mental health disorders are a continuing problem. Substance abuse plagues communities. Social services are strapped for funding.
If left unaddressed, these factors bring about long-term crises comparable to the significant housing and homelessness issues in cities like Denver and San Francisco, said Ian Colgan, assistant executive director of the Oklahoma City Housing Authority.
“In those cases, the government wasn’t quick enough to get ahead of those issues,” Colgan said. “But we are in a position where we can still get ahead, which is really unique in American cities.”
And to get ahead, organizations like the housing authority, the Homeless Alliance and Mental Health Oklahoma plan to take a $50 million investment from MAPS 4, leverage over $400 million in outside funding and reshape public housing in Oklahoma City.
Read The Oklahoman's article "Housing Hope: Affordable housing proposal to address homelessness," featuring the Oklahoma City Housing Authority.