The Coty Of OKC and the Key to Home Partnership send this information as posted below:
The Key to Home Partnership and Catholic Charities are proud to announce the launch of a new pilot program that provides immediate assistance to people and families who are newly homeless and need an alternative to emergency shelters.
The Diversion and Rapid Exit pilot offers critical support to keep people from entering emergency shelters whenever possible, or to help them quickly leave shelters and return to stable housing.
“By intervening early and helping people quickly reconnect with safe alternatives, we can reduce the number of people entering homelessness, which will free up resources for people with more complex needs,” Jamie Caves, Strategy Implementation Manager for the Key to Home Partnership, said.
Catholic Charities will embed three case managers who specialize in housing problem-solving, diversion and rapid exit at system entry points across Oklahoma City. They will engage with people at the front door of homelessness and use flexible private assistance funds to support diversion interventions when necessary.
“Catholic Charities brings years of experience in housing stabilization and client-centered service delivery to the partnership,” Caves added.
“We are honored to be part of this forward-thinking initiative,” said Patrick Raglow, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. “Diversion gives us a real opportunity to walk with people in crisis and help them avoid the pain and disruption of homelessness. It’s compassionate, effective, and deeply aligned with our mission to serve the most vulnerable.”
Why diversion matters
Diversion is a strategy designed to help people identify safe alternatives to emergency shelter by leveraging their own support networks, social connections, family supports, community resources, or, if necessary, one-time financial assistance.
“This pilot is a vital step in shifting how we respond to homelessness in Oklahoma City,” said Caves. “Diversion is not just a program—it’s a strategic investment in long-term solutions for our community.
The new Diversion and Rapid Exit Pilot complements existing diversion programming for youth, operated by Pivot. The program is tailored to youth rather than families and single adults, but the goal is the same: identifying safe alternatives to entering shelter and avoiding unsheltered homelessness.
With diversion services available to people of all ages experiencing homelessness in OKC, these new interventions will help slow the inflow of new households falling into homelessness. These tactics help achieve a long-term goal of equilibrium for our homeless response system: balancing the number of people entering homelessness with the number of people exiting homelessness to housing.
Diversion is a cornerstone of the Key to Home strategic framework for addressing homelessness in Oklahoma City. This framework prioritizes:
- Decreasing the number of people entering homelessness through Diversion and Rapid Exit services;
- Supporting street-to-housing pathways through initiatives like the Encampment Rehousing Initiative and coordinated street outreach; and
- Creating more connections to housing by identifying additional resources to increase available rental subsidies and building the system’s capacity to meet housing demand.
For more information on the Key to Home Partnership and its strategic framework to address homelessness in OKC, visit www.keytohomeokc.org.
About the Key to Home Partnership
The Key to Home Partnership is a collective of more than 50 local agencies, service providers, funders, and government partners working together to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring in Oklahoma City. By aligning efforts, sharing data, and investing in proven strategies, Key to Home is building a stronger, more effective homeless response system.
About Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Founded in 1912, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is a major private provider of social services to Oklahoma families in the Western parts of the state. It works alongside public and private organizations to help meet the basic needs of those who have the least and advocates for public policy that will promote the common good on behalf of those whose voices are not heard. Catholic Charities responds to changing community needs, providing comprehensive social services to children, families, pregnant women, the elderly, immigrants, and refugees seeking a new life free of persecution. Catholic Charities assists the poor and vulnerable regardless of religious affiliation, race, or national origin. To learn more about Catholic Charities, visit www.catholiccharitiesok.org.
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