Federal Grant Funds Could Transform High Crime, Poor OKC Neighborhoods

Oklahoma City is looking to revitalize high crime and poverty-stricken neighborhoods with a $500,000 federal grant. The city was among 14 recipients nationwide of the Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The grant will be used to create a comprehensive plan to transform Will Rogers Courts and the neighborhoods that surround it.

Will Rogers Court is the oldest and largest public housing area, but despite the problems it has, the people who live here are very proud and willing to do their part.

“As soon as you pick it up, they mess it up,” said Victor McAlester.

McAlester hates trash, especially when it litters the neighborhood where he’s lived in for 30 years.

“I'm used to seeing all that trash, it's just they're messy, messy, messy every day,” he said.

For about four hours every day, you find him pulling his wheeled trash can around the grounds, picking up and sweeping up the mess.

“It makes me feel good, it kind of keeps my heart going,” he said.

The work also helps supplement his rent at this public housing area where the poverty and crime rates are high. In fact, the Choice Neighborhoods grant is aimed at creating a plan to address an area where 48 per 1,000 people were victims of violent crime from 2020 to 2022 compared to the city average of .25 per 1,000 in a city population totaling 681,054. The area’s poverty rate is an estimated 40 percent. 

“It's very scary, I don't really go outside very often,” said Crystal Kiesel.

Kiesel has only lived at Will Rogers Courts for one month and showed us where someone tried to steal her AC unit.

“There's a lot of violence,” she said. “Stuff getting broke into and stolen and tires getting slashed.”

She along with other neighbors here say they are excited about the chance of revitalizing the area all with items they want addressed.

“Really, I feel like the only thing they need to do is increase their security around here,” said Kiesel.

“Pest control would be at the top of the list as far as spending the grant money,” said Jamie Davis. “There's rats and roaches in every apartment I don't care what apartment you walk into you're going to see both of them.”  

The barrack style housing was built in the 1930’s and has had little done to it since then.

“I haven't had an oven in my apartment since February of this year,” Davis said. “I am aware they are highly understaffed, and I do take sympathy with that but also I’m a single father with an 8-year-old son and we do like to eat.”

According to the city’s housing authority, the funds will allow them two years to come up with an action plan which will include residents, city, police, and civic leaders. Some other improvements residents mentioned were to the park and laundry facilities along with central heating and air. However, the plan could include more mixed-income housing with a market, retail, and schools. For now, despite the problems, the neighborhood is full of families and people helping people.

“We tend to take care of each other’s kids, we cook out all together and things like that try to make it as peaceful as possible,” said Davis.

For Victor, he makes it as clean as possible.

“It can get very messy,” he said. “Boy I tell ya, it can get frustrating but I just kind of keep on working and go ahead and ask God to help me pick it all up, keep it clean.”

Once the city gets the plan in place, it will apply for further grants to help implement that plan.