OKLAHOMA CITY — The Key to Home Partnership is providing case management support and housing for 26 individuals residing in encampments along Oklahoma City Boulevard and close to downtown.
The effort has crossed the halfway point of the entire goal, placing 332 persons who were living outdoors in homes since September 2023.
More than 50 organizations are collaborating through the Key to Home Partnership to address homelessness in Oklahoma City in novel ways. By the end of 2025, the Partnership hopes to have 500 unsheltered homeless people rehoused through the Encampment Rehousing Initiative.
“We are thrilled at the progress we’ve made so far, and we look forward to continuing the work of the Encampment Rehousing Initiative because we are making real strides in reducing long-term, unsheltered homelessness in our community,” Key to Home Partnership Strategy Implementation Manager Jamie Caves said.
“As we continue our efforts, we’re excited to honor the nonprofit service partners who’ve joined forces to achieve this milestone. They’ve shown incredible teamwork and creativity, stepping up to new challenges to serve their clients, and we are grateful for their partnership. This achievement highlights their success and shows that we are always more effective working together.”
People wanting to learn more about the Key to Home Partnership should visit keytohomeokc.org.
Partners
Staff from Key to Home Partnership, Mental Health Association Oklahoma, and Homeless Alliance provided outreach and engagement services to those living in the encampments.
- City Rescue Mission secured the apartments.
- Focus on Home furnished apartments with necessities.
- OCHA assisted with rental subsidies.
- Case managers are provided by the Homeless Alliance, Northcare, Catholic Charities, and City Care, who will help people stabilize and recover over the next year.
- Healing Hands provided health screenings and emotional support assessments.
According to the annual Point in Time count, more than 1,800 people are living on Oklahoma City’s streets. Oklahoma City’s homelessness rate is a result of a myriad of complex factors, such as low wages, the lack of affordable housing, rising eviction rates, and inflation.
About Key to Home Partnership
To address homelessness differently in Oklahoma City, a new system of governance called the Key to Home Partnership was launched in April 2023. Key to Home is a public-private partnership of over 50 agencies whose mission is to address homelessness differently in OKC alongside the City of OKC and the private sector.
The Key to Home Partnership’s action plan is to reduce unsheltered homelessness through housing. The four goals for 2023-2025 include:
- Create a new governance system.
- Address homelessness differently by improving infrastructure and capacity.
- Achieve a reduction in Youth Homelessness by rehousing or diverting 100 youth by the end of 2025.
- Achieve a reduction in chronic unsheltered homelessness by rehousing 500 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness by the end of 2025.
Brett is the founder, and editor in chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He continues to contribute reporting and photography to the efforts of the publication as well as leadership in developing support.
