Quote Originally Posted by Pete View Post
Living near I-44 & Penn, the City has pretty much resolved the long-standing problems in that area.

There are still some panhandlers at the intersection, but no longer any sort of camp and when a tent pops up, it gets taken care of.

They transitioned most of those people into low-threshold housing; requiring sobriety just doesn't work for most this population and that's why they prefer to stay on the street. They are basically following the very successful model pioneered by Houston and continue to add more apartments and shelters.

It's all part of a new "Key to Home" program:
https://www.okc.gov/government/key-to-home

Anyone can call 2-1-1 to be connected to resources.


BTW, James Cooper deserves a lot of credit in this area. That dude works his tail off and is always realistic about the compromises required to accomplish anything in politics. Asst. City Manager Aubrey McDermid has also been incredible. We have some really good people working for OKC these days.
Housing the homeless is a passion for Cooper. He is a great public servant. People need to get involved with the Alliance and with the OKC Community Foundation.