“Key to Home Partnership” governing board forms to work together to end and prevent homelessness in OKC
11/01/2023
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On any given night, about 1,400 people experience homelessness in Oklahoma City. Of them, about 500 are sleeping outside, and a growing number have been homeless for more than a year.
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. Two people working full-time on Oklahoma’s minimum wage can’t afford a two-bedroom rental home at fair market value without exceeding the recommended 30% of income to be spent on housing.
To address homelessness differently in Oklahoma City, a new system of governance called the Key to Home Partnership was launched in April 2023. The Partnership is a public-private partnership of over 40 agencies whose mission is to prevent and end homelessness in Oklahoma City alongside the City of OKC and the private sector. This is achieved by:
- Fostering shared responsibility between partner agencies, public and private stakeholders.
- Collaborative planning among community stakeholders.
Aligning the stakeholders and resources essential to implementing the strategic priorities of the community-approved long-range plan.
“Homelessness is a generational issue that we have to solve. We can’t continue the status quo and expect different results. It will take public-private partnerships and collaboration at every level to reduce homelessness in Oklahoma City,” Key to Home Board Chair Clay Moss said. “The City of OKC and the private sector have aligned with the service providers to help end homelessness. This is the Oklahoma Standard.”
The Key to Home Partnership created an annual action plan to reduce unsheltered homelessness through housing in Oklahoma City. This plan establishes a new model for annual action planning and results. The four goals for 2023-2025 developed by the Key to Home Partnership are:
- Create a new governance system.
- Address homelessness differently by improving infrastructure and capacity.
- Achieve a 25% reduction in Youth Homelessness by rehousing or diverting 100 youth by 2025.
- Achieve a 75% reduction in chronic Unsheltered Homelessness by rehousing 500 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness by 2025.
The Key to Home Partnership meets at 11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. on the third Monday of each month at locations throughout Oklahoma City. Governing board members include:
- Gary Brooks, Business Representative
- Oklahoma Department of Human Services Leadership
- Mark Gillett, Oklahoma City Housing Authority
- United Way Leadership
- Carrie Slatton-Hodges, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
- Deborah Jenkins, Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency
- Gary Jones, At-large
- Aubrey McDermid, City of Oklahoma City
- Clay Moss, At-large, chair
- David Odle, At-large
- Justin Brown, At-large
- Traylor Rains, Oklahoma Health Care Authority
- Raymond Rivas, Lived Experience
- Robert Stonebraker, Lived Experience
- Dane Valentine, Youth Action Board Chair
- Erika Warren, Philanthropic Representative
- Dan Straughan, CEO Provider Seat
- Faith Committee Seat to be voted on
A Key to Home management team has also been developed to align, manage and account for action and results by supporting the board and implementation work groups.
Implementation work groups are made up of service providers, those with lived expertise and stakeholders who drive action, test and report results. The Partnership has multiple work groups focused on landlord engagement, communications and coordinated street outreach, to name a few.
The Key to Home Partnership carries out its mission through a set of core values:
- Every youth and adult has access to proactive, preventive services and a choice of prompt, safe and low-barrier housing options.
- Choice, inclusivity, trust, empathy and respect are the core values driving Oklahoma City’s shared vision to end homelessness.
- Exit pathways are scaled to meet demand and targeted to meet the needs of specific populations.
- Accountability and success are demonstrated using data.
- Engagement and transparency are central behaviors in all efforts.
The Key to Home Partnership is a private-public partnership funded in part through federal programs.
“Oklahoma City Business owners are seeing the need and benefit from collaboration and strategic thinking as well and are willing to work together towards solutions,” Business Representative Gary Brooks said. “There are many effective and committed organizations working hard to reduce homelessness in our city. But it’s going to take a proven strategic plan that engages existing non-profits alongside public and private partners to eliminate homelessness. We believe Key to Home is that plan.”
To get involved or learn more about Key to Home Partnership, visit keytohomeokc.org.
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Media Contact: Lindsay Cates, (405) 297-3609, lindsay.cates@okc.gov
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