OKC Continues Homelessness Outreach As People Raise Concerns About Dolese Park

As the temperatures decline, the danger increases for people living outside. People raised concerns for those living in an Oklahoma City park. 

City outreach teams are out in the community every week talking to people experiencing homelessness. This process takes time and resources, but they say they’re making necessary progress.  

At Dolese Park, plenty of things catch your eye but they come as no surprise to those who visit the park in northwest Oklahoma City. However, some citizens capture a glimpse of where some people live.  

“People that are unhoused have to go somewhere,” said Jamie Caves, communications manager for Key to Home, an OKC public-private partnership whose mission is to prevent and end homelessness. “It’s a key to finding solutions to end homelessness,” Caves said. 

Since September, Key to Home has housed 40 people. “We’re reducing barriers to housing. So, we’ve cut that process down to three to six weeks,” Caves said. 

The city’s outreach teams travel to parks to get unsheltered people food and supplies for survival. “It’s imperative that we have shelter available to save people’s lives,” Caves said. 

The Homeless Outreach Team through Oklahoma City Police responds to keep people safe. “We’ll send out a couple of the officers if there is a need to respond to someone immediately,” Caves said. 

The Homeless Alliance and executive director Dan Straughan opened a 300-bed permanent winter shelter. “I really feel like we’re on the right path,” said Straughan, during an interview last November. “We have a long way to go but we’re headed in the right direction.” 

Oklahoma City and MAPS 4 will turn this Bricktown motel into affordable housing.“Because without housing on the back end, people are just stuck in shelter forever and that isn’t a solution,” Caves said. 

The scene at Dolese Park has no overnight solution. “Homelessness is a really complex problem,” Caves said. 

However, the opportunity to help people, Caves said, lies in plain sight. “Just provide dignity and respect to those that have different circumstances than we do,” Caves said. 

The city is working on a plan to expose gaps in services. Homelessness coordinators want to house thirty people a month, but they need to know what to improve to meet their goals. They expect to know what they need to expand services in the next month.