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$ Issue 64
UNPACKING THE 2020 POINT IN TIME COUNT | P. 10 Suggested
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LIMITED TIME ONLY
C A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
>> Nathan Poppe discusses the latest Point in Time Count, Black
J U LY 2 0 2 0
e homelessness and lending a hand in 2020 4 Lauren Palmer shares advice on
having a conversation about racism
r,
. 6 George Lang explores the role of
empathy during a pandemic
10 Explore 2020 Point in Time Count
results and what they mean for OKC
16 A behind-the-scenes look at how the
2020 Point in Time Count came together
24 Examining historic barriers and systemic
causes of Black homelessness
30 Spike Lee discusses his new film and
discusses race and rage in America
r 34 On the Move highlights Anita who
n ended her homelessness
May Cruz conducts the Point in Time Count survey in downtown OKC on the
morning of Jan. 23. [Photo by Nathan Poppe]
A
re there two Oklahoma Cities? I was sitting inside the Urban
League of Greater Oklahoma City’s offices and Valerie Thomp-
son brought up the idea as we ended an interview. “Your re- COVER CREDITS: OKC graphic designer
ality is not the same reality as everyone in OKC,” she said. Her William Muschinske handled layout and design.
words have stuck with me for months. Why? Because I think Inspiration for the cover came from the idea that
numbers have a lot to say. They represent human
she’s right. There’s the camera-ready version of OKC that’s
beings that are fighting every single day to break
ready for “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” and another reality where people
the chain of homelessness.
don’t know where their next meal is coming from. It’s complicated, and it takes
work to recognize and wrestle with both. “I’m honored to help on an issue that gives
people representation and helps with community
If there’s a silver lining to 2020, I hope it’s given you time to slow down, focus awareness,” William said. “We’re only as strong
t on what’s essential and take note of people who were impacted during the
pandemic. Think of this as a chance to practice empathy and to understand
as our weakest link. It’s our future, and we must
build it together.”
n how tough times are likely going to put more people closer to poverty. We
have three stories in this issue focused on the annual Point in Time Count
— think of it as a census for people experiencing homelessness in OKC. We
share the count to not only get an estimate of how many people are living
outside but also to document the massive outreach effort letting our neigh-
bors know help exists. We took a close look at Black homelessness and how
systemic issues are persisting and changing in our community. The PIT Count
continues to change how I look at my city. I hope it does the same for you.
I imagine this issue might leave you with one question: How can I help? Well,
you’ve already done an incredible thing by having a conversation with a Curb-
side vendor and opening this magazine. It’s a small gesture, but it goes a long Director Ranya Forgotson
way. Beyond that, consider following the Homeless Alliance online for dona- Editor-in-Chief Nathan Poppe
tion campaign announcements when it gets exceptionally hot or cold. There’s
r also volunteer opportunities. Thanks as always for your support, and I’ll look
forward to seeing you right here next month. Oh, and a special thanks to Stitch
Advertising
Vendor Coordinator
Whitley O’Connor
David Delgado
n who re-designed our logo.
Address: 1724 NW 4th St. OKC, OK 73106
General inquiries: 405-415-8425
it Vendor assistance: 405-628-2367
The Curbside Chronicle is Oklahoma City’s street paper.
m It was created to provide both a voice and employment
for people experiencing homelessness. Our vendors
Email: info@thecurbsidechronicle.org
buy magazines at 75 cents per issue and sell them for Follow us on social media at @CurbsideOKC
a suggested $2. They keep the profit. Thanks for your
n? NATHAN POPPE
support in ending homelessness in OKC.
et A PROGRAM OF THE HOMELESS ALLIANCE
nt.
LY
GOOD TO KNOW Practical advice from passionate people
How to talk about
guage to describe my ancestry and
the ways I felt walking through the
world daily.
systemic racism By Lauren Palmer My interest peaked in Anthropol-
ogy classes I attended in college,
but I quickly realized the depth I
longed for was not available to me.
> Welcome to our column, Good to Know. The idea is to explore topics — in a quick and Specifically, we rarely discussed the
easy way — that can be part of your everyday life. We hope it'll both entertain and educate relationships between Blacks and
a broad collection of readers who are mindful about everything from food and fun to politics Whites in the U.S. and never thor-
and public transportation. oughly.
In fact, the history in my core univer-
sity classrooms was ethnocentric —
Where do you even begin a con- there are a few key postures to hold based mostly on Western European
versation about systemic racism? that make you a thoughtful and ap- stories. Creating opportunities for
First, you must own that systemic preciated contributor to this con- myself to engage stories and ideas
racism affects us all — regardless versation. Consider the following from BIPOC has become a part-time
of race, education, status or even practices when you’re talking about job, completed in the wee hours of
your conscious awareness. This is race. the night and on weekends after
the foundation. If you haven’t grap- coming home from my floral design
pled with that fact, I encourage you Be fully humble. Abandon any ego- studio. My initial research became a
to begin there. This takes work, as centrism or ethnocentrism. catalyst for the bold, beautiful work
you may feel like you have a han- that my sister and I get to lead in, all
dle on the topic. Chances are you Hone your empathy. This is a mus- toward our collective healing.
need to learn, or unlearn, in order cle that must be trained.
“
to come to this conversation pre-
pared. Speak the truth. But first, you will
have to seek the truth. You cannot
If you’re looking for ways to educate rely on what you know right now.
yourself and others, there are end-
less books, podcasts, articles, film Be held and hold others account-
projects and more that are helpful. able. Remain vigilant to altering
There’s one particular project that is the systems of oppression that have
close to my heart: I am a founder of harmed Black and Brown people for You will have to
The Conversation Workshops, a cre- centuries. Vote. Organize. Teach
ative and brave anti-racism curricu- Others. seek the truth.
lum that fosters intentional dialogue
for change-oriented communities. Take inventory of your rhythms. You cannot rely
The first two years of facilitating
Evaluate where you spend your
money, your spheres of influence,
on what you know
these workshops were in-person how you receive your local, nation- right now.”
with schools, churches, and friend al, and world news, who you date,
groups. We had the privilege of where you worship, among many
piloting our work at Oklahoma others factors.
State University, where students — Lauren Palmer
and professors provided feedback Be open to correction. Enough said.
that helped us refine the contents
of our workshop, making us ready Remain consistent. When the so-
to launch Summer of 2018. Today, cial media frenzy dies down, pro- Editor Note: Lauren Palmer is a studio
we also offer an online iteration testers fade from the streets, and the floral designer and interpersonal activist
of our workshop as a response to trend to support Black, Indigenous in Oklahoma City. To learn more about
COVID-19 and the current race-re- and People of Color (BIPOC) com- The Conversation Workshops please visit,
lated uproar the world is experienc- munities ends, will you still stand in converasationworkshopsok.com or via
ing. solidarity with the oppressed? Instagram at @conversationworkshopsok.
She would be remiss if she didn’t recog-
nize the co-creators of the workshop: Dr.
Whether you choose to engage The For me, applying the above tips Hillary Coenen, Kate Strum and her sister
Conversation Workshops as a re- began about 10 years ago. I was Leah Palmer. To learn more about her
source, or you engage one of the ti- seeking answers about the intersec- floral work, visit thewildmother.com or
tles on our website’s resource page, tionality of my identity. I needed lan- via Instagram at @thewildmother.
4
ILLUSTRATION BY JAYNA HADWIGER
COVID-19 has tested the
world. It’s unlike any
experience the U.S. has seen
before. So, what role does
empathy play in our recovery?
Will it change how we look at
our neighbors and make us
take a hard look at our
learned behaviors?
Story by George Lang
Illustration by Cash Wheeler
“It seems to me, looking at
the big picture, that the
defining response in the
United States was an inability
to put ourselves in the shoes
of someone else who lived
across the globe.”
— William Liakos
IN
those final weeks before the coronavirus pandemic turned their
worlds upside down, Brittany Dalton taught her eighth grade stu-
them get a little bit of empathy. They’re teens and they are learning
so much about the world, and I know they may forget the details of
dents about the Holocaust. One of the key elements of her study plan what they read, but at the end of the unit and my time with them, I
was a discussion about an understanding of the human condition, emphasize I want them to leave my class as different people.”
something that was in short supply in 1933 Germany when Adolf The emergence of coronavirus as a global pandemic threw the
Hitler rose to power. question of empathy’s role in a functioning society into sharp relief
“It’s fitting that the last unit I did with my students was about the for many Americans. Political divisions had already created a height-
Holocaust and empathy,” Dalton said. “Because this is a time we ened sense of difference in the country and encouraged “othering”
have to come together in what little ways we can, because nothing people for the sake of electoral gains, but when COVID-19 started
about caring is too small these days.” impacting U.S. residents in mid-March and forced people into isola-
Her students at Oklahoma City’s Capitol Hill Middle School, 2717 tion, nearly everyone became an “other.”
S. Robinson Ave., are mostly Latinx and live in a city where the
majority of residents still live in demographically similar enclaves, Terms and conditions
where they rarely interact with people who are different from
themselves. As she and her students explored the fall of the Weimar To put it in the starkest terms, sympathy is an act of feeling and
Republic, the election of Hitler as chancellor of Germany, the end of empathy is an act of understanding. Giving someone who is standing
legislative power and the eventual mass murder of six million Jews with a sign on a median at an intersection a $10 bill because you feel
in concentration camps, Dalton saw as her students processed the sorry for them is sympathy; doing the same because you identify
story and applied it to their own experiences. with the emotions of loss, instability, fear and shame associated with
“They’re in eighth grade and a lot of them are, to be honest, kind that situation is empathy.
of tough on the outside and outside of school, but I frame the Holo- In a May 2 column published in The Washington Post, a third-
caust whenever I teach it as social responsibility, and how discrimi- year medical student named William Liakos discussed the role em-
nation and just the simple choices we make add up to the Holocaust pathy plays in response to a major crisis. While Liakos was writing
and other atrocities, and that our individual choices have strength,” specifically about the U.S. response to coronavirus, he could have
she said. “They always get a little overwhelmed by the historical been talking about any kind of cataclysm.
background, but when we break into the social aspect, they really “It seems to me, looking at the big picture, that the defining
connect with it. response in the United States was an inability to put ourselves in
“My students had a lot of connections to the current political state the shoes of someone else who lived across the globe,” Liakos wrote.
of affairs, especially being in a dominantly Hispanic school,” Dalton “What if we’d imagined ourselves living the plight of Chinese resi-
said. “I encourage the real world connection, and I loved to see dents trapped in Wuhan during the first stages of the pandemic, or
7of the Italian doctors forced to triage ventilators and deny them to of much of his teaching. Without empathy, the study of societies and
people over a certain age? Might a deeper sense of empathy and ur- group behavior loses much of its impact.
gency actually have led us to put together a response that was more “Max Weber said to really understand a group of people, you have
pragmatic, and more effective?” to develop empathy, you have to be around the group and under-
Empathy is needed to meet human needs in such conditions, and stand why they do what they do and understand the pressures on
yet the U.S. government’s response to the early crisis in Wuhan was them in their everyday lives,” Kurtz said. “We don’t do a lot of that —
to “other” the Chinese and blame them for the outbreak. Dr. Howard we get socially isolated in our jobs and our professions.”
Kurtz, a professor of sociology at Southwestern Oklahoma State An Oklahoma example of empathy deficit and its dangerous effects
University in Weatherford, said there are several current surveys on society made national news in the spring. On May 11, truck driver
indicating that empathy is declining not just in the United States, but Travis Miller Sr. had just dropped off a delivery at a residence in
on a global level. Ashford Hills, a gated community in Edmond.
“People don’t seem to care about other peoples’ dilemma,” Kurtz As he tried to exit the neighborhood, a resident of that commu-
said. “Obviously, there’s two sides of this, the side that says people nity, David A. Stewart, blocked Miller from leaving Ashford Hills,
want to go back to work, they want to go out and play and live nor- telling him he could not go through the gates unless he told Stewart
mal lives, and they want us to be empathetic about that. On the other his name and what he delivered. Miller is 42 years old and Black;
hand, if you’re a service worker, if you’re working in a meatpacking Stewart is a White business owner in his mid-60s.
plant, if you’re working in an large fulfillment plant, an industrial The standoff lasted nearly an hour, and Miller, who recorded the
complex, whatever — you’re at a great deal of risk, and I don’t get the incident on Facebook Live, stayed relatively calm as he was chal-
sense that people are that concerned, and that’s very disturbing.” lenged by Stewart and another resident. The incident echoed the
Such attitudes were illustrated by protests at state capitals across story of Ahmaud Arbery, who was allegedly confronted and shot by
the country in late-April and early May, as demands to re-open three attackers in February while he was jogging through a neighbor-
businesses and resume normal life became louder. People began to hood in rural Georgia.
“The mental gymnastics to get there is
mind-boggling for some of us. We’re in this very
strange time where someone who disagrees
with you is a bad person who is trying to
somehow take away your life, liberty and
pursuit of happiness. We’ve got to find a way
to come back to that common good place.”
— Rev. Lori Walke
ascribe political significance to the simple wearing of a cloth mask, “It could have ended in a very bad way if the truck driver hadn’t
that it signaled a kind of disrespect when wearing a mask actually been so patient,” Kurtz said.
does more for others than it does for the wearer.
Rev. Lori Walke is pastor of Mayflower Congregational UCC Special delivery
Church, and much of her average week is spent working with orga-
nizations like The Education and Employment Ministry (TEEM) and Michelle Stricklin, 35, runs a property management company for
the Homeless Alliance, helping marginalized people find comfort and several Airbnb properties in central Oklahoma City, handling all
stability, as well as working with undocumented immigrants who guest communication and maintaining the booking calendar. Before
live in fear of being detained and deported. Their crises are often far early-March, business was not just good — it was great.
more difficult to personally overcome than what much of the world is “This would be the peak time of year for travel,” Stricklin said.
experiencing during the pandemic. “For Oklahoma, starting around the end of February and the begin-
Walke said she believes that people can be taught empathy. While ning of March, we usually see an uptick in bookings, and by April
working on church projects this spring, she said that many mem- and May, most of the properties are booked solid and stay that way
bers of her ministry found they were able to identify with those who until mid-August. So, COVID happened at the peak of our travel
are “homebound.” That word typically applies to older people who season.”
are unable to leave their homes, but Walke said that the pandemic When COVID-19 reached critical mass in early March, Airbnb
helped her colleagues and church members to understand the help- business fell off sharply throughout the country, and the bottom
lessness of the homebound. fell out with Stricklin’s Oklahoma City bookings. In one week, she
“We now understand what that is like,” she said. “So, a lot of peo- went from 95% booked down to near zero. On March 16, Airbnb
ple are re-evaluating how we’ve always done things.” announced its decision to “pause all Airbnb experiences until at least
Personal interactions tend to be superficial without sufficient April 30.”
levels of empathy for the experiences and conditions of other people. Once the company announced cancelations and refunds, Stricklin
Kurtz said that understanding and embracing empathy is a key tenet had to act quickly. Her property management business was her sole
8Travis Miller Sr. said he was prevented from leaving a gated community outside OKC after making a delivery. This is a still from his 37-minute Facebook Live video of the incident. source of income, and so she started thinking about how commerce continues to move forward in a pandemic situation. After all, people need food and always will need food. So, Stricklin joined Postmates as a delivery driver. At first, she had to wrap her head around the fact that, having earned two bach- elor degrees, she was doing the same work as some teenagers half her age. She received her delivery card from the nationwide food delivery company the day Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced his “safer at home” policy for the state. As she began deliveries that day, Stricklin described her inter- actions with customers as “overwhelmingly positive.” It was not unusual for her to receive large tips for deliveries, and many of her experiences were memorable for their graciousness and emotional generosity. “There was a woman who ordered and had me deliver to her hotel,” Stricklin said. “She came down to the ground floor to get it from me; usually, I will take it directly to their rooms. She asked me where she needed to sign, and I told her, ‘Oh, you don’t have to sign anywhere — everything’s paid and taken care of.’ She looked startled and said, ‘But, how do I tip you?’ ” After Stricklin explained the process, the customer, who she described as her mother’s age, seemed pleased, telling her that it was her first time to order food through an app. When Stricklin returned to her car, she learned the customer had given her a $20 tip — roughly a 120% gratuity for the order. Those expressions of empathy and gratitude offer glimmers of hope that, in some way, COVID-19 might be teaching people how to empathize with those around them. Walke has seen it first-hand, though the behavior of anti-maskers during the pandemic tells her there is much work to be done. “The mental gymnastics to get there is mind-boggling for some of us,” she said. “We’re in this very strange time where someone who disagrees with you is a bad person who is trying to somehow take away your life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. We’ve got to find a way to come back to that common good place.”
Breaking down the
numbers behind
homelessness
in OKC
The first step in solving
homelessness is learning how
to count. It’s hard to fix a
problem that you can’t quantify.
Collecting accurate, timely data
is critical for identifying trends
and determining solutions.
But this report is more than just
numbers. These are people, too.
Data provided by
CITY OF OKC + HOMELESS ALLIANCE In 2019,
Illustrations and layout by 10,171 people received
WILLIAM MUSCHINSKE
Compiled by
homeless services in OKC.
CURBSIDE STAFF
The Homeless Alliance maintains a database of people
experiencing homelessness in OKC. This database allows
the community to measure homelessness, understand
who’s using services and identify trends. Last year, 10,171
people were served by programs recording data in this
Homeless Management Information System.
101,573
homeless individuals
on a single day.
OKC conducted its annual Point in Time Count of the homeless
population on January 23, 2020 and 1,573 people were counted.
It should be noted that these statistics are from a one-day count,
required by the federal government, meant to provide a snapshot of
homelessness on any given day. The study is not designed to be a
complete analysis of the issue.
Homelessness is challenging to quantify. Although a lot of planning
and research goes into making sure the count is as accurate as
possible, things like weather on the day of the count can impact
results. It shouldn’t be considered an exclusive measuring tool.
Instead, OKC has adopted a coordinated entry process and database
to more accurately measure the population on a daily basis.
Three hundred additional people were counted this year compared to
the same day last year. While this represents a 24% increase, it does
not necessarily mean homelessness increased by that amount in
OKC. Throughout 2019, the community increased its street outreach
efforts which allowed several organizations to collaborate on their
engagement with people who are unsheltered. As a result, outreach
teams have better pinpointed the locations of people and camps and
established rapport with people making counting easier and more
organized this year. Better counting strategies likely contributed to
the increase, according to the Homeless Alliance.One day of
homelessness
in OKC
This is what homelessness looked like on
Jan. 23, 2020 based on Point in Time Count data.
Age Gender
11% 22%
Male Female
Under 17 18-34 66% 33%
41% 24%
Trans
1%
35-54 Over 55
Living situation
Transitional housing Emergency shelter Unsheltered
166 850 557
or 11% or 54% or 35%
Time-limited, temporary housing People temporarily living in a People living outside or in a
and services. Catholic Charities supervised, privately operated location not meant for longterm
and Neighborhood Services shelter. Salvation Army and City habitation like in a car or a
Organization are local examples. Rescue Mission are local examples. camping tent.Barriers
Report severe Suffer from Have
mental illness substance abuse HIV or AIDS
405 523 30
or 26% or 33% or 2%
OK Policy Institute Substance abuse is both There are approximately
estimates 97,000 uninsured a cause and a result of 37.9 million people living
Oklahomans live with a homelessness, often arising with HIV globally, and tens
mental health diagnosis, after people lose their of millions of people have
roughly the entire population housing and struggle to cope. died of AIDS-related causes
of Broken Arrow. since the beginning of the
epidemic.
Suffered from Unaccompanied Chronically
domestic violence Youth Homeless
128 90 441
or 8% or 6% or 28%
On average, an Oklahoman People under the age of 25 HUD defines chronic
dies every five days as a not sleeping in the same homelessness as a person
result of domestic violence, place as a parent or guardian. with a disabling condition
more than 1,600 victims Most unaccompanied minors who has either been
between 1998 and 2016, are between 18-24. Youth are continuously homeless for
according to the Oklahoma more challenging to locate as a year or homeless at least
Domestic Violence Fatality they tend to make an effort four separate times during
Review Board. not to be found. the past three years that
combined equal a full year.
This survey did not attempt to count people who are staying in motels, treatment facilities,
emergency rooms, jails or who are couch homeless — people who are homeless but are
temporarily staying with a friend, relative or acquaintance. The number of couch homeless in
OKC is uncertain, but the Oklahoma City Public School district had 2,474 homeless children
enrolled at the end of the 2020 school year, the majority of whom were couch homeless.
13Race 61% 26%
White Black
Multiple Native
Races American 5% 8%
Multiple Native
Races American
Most non-White communities in the U.S. experience
homelessness at higher rates. The most striking disproportions
can be found among African Americans, who make up 26% of
the homeless population despite only representing 15% of OKC’s
general population, and Native Americans who make up 8% of
the homeless population despite representing less than 3% of
OKC’s general population.
There are many causes to homelessness including housing
disparities, criminal justice involvement, access to health and
mental healthcare, education and employment gaps. All of which
tend to disproportionately impact people of color.
Black White For a closer look at Black homelessness, turn to page 24.
Ethnicity
8% Although race and ethnicity are often used interchangeably, race
is more often defined by physical characteristics while ethnicity is
more often thought of as culture, language or place of origin. The U.S.
Latino
Census and PIT Count look at whether or not people are of Latino
origin. Latinos make up 8 percent of the homeless population while
representing 19 percent of OKC’s general population.
Veterans Families
150 264
or 10% or 17%
Many veterans returning from deployment A homeless family is defined as a household
often face invisible wounds of war, including living with at least one child under 18. Youth
traumatic brain injury and PTSD, both of under the age of 18 account for 65 percent
which correlate with homelessness. of this number.
14Conclusion
Although the number of people counted during the Point in Time Count
increased this year, the good news is our community is getting better at
housing people. Thanks to years of collaboration, local organizations are doing
a better job of coordinating services. It makes it easier to track resources as
they become available and allows the agencies to pool their efforts to house
clients faster. The public also voted to pass MAPS 4, which included funding
for additional affordable housing in years to come.
But services to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place
are largely beyond what local service groups can provide, and significant
increases in local housing costs over the last decade and stagnant wages
have added pressure for people with financial difficulties. It’s also difficult
to predict the economic impact of the coronavirus on our community. With
some of the highest eviction rates in the country prior to COVID-19, it’s
possible we will see more people fall into homelessness as unemployment
rates increase nationwide.
The community is working to bring together multiple nonprofits and
government agencies to take a team approach to housing people.
It’s working. We just need to invest in more affordable housing,
supportive services and addressing systemic issues that cause
homelessness, according to the Homeless Alliance.
OUR 55 EMPLOYEES
HEARD ON HURD REACHED OVER VOLUNTEER AND AVERAGE OF
200,000 ATTENDEES 20 HOURS
PER YEAR
WITH AN ECONOMIC IMPACT OF $6 MILLION IN 2018
COLLECTIVELY THAT IS
WE SUPPORTED THE REVITALIZATION
IN UPTOWN 23RD THROUGH THE
TOWER 1,100 HOURS
REDEVELOPMENT OF THE HISTORIC THEATRE OF DONATED TIME
EVERY YEAR
WE SPONSOR OVER 60 LOCAL
BUSINESSES & NON-PROFITS
AND DONATE OVER
$ 114,000 ANNUALLY
AND FOR EVERY DEPOSIT WE RECEIVE
WE LEND 95% BACK
DIRECTLY INTO THE EDMOND &
citizensedmond.com OKLAHOMA CITY COMMUNITY WE LAUNCHED
1 east 1st street, edmond,ok CASH MOBS
WE DONATED 117 TURKEYS
TO DIRECTLY SUPPORT
405.341.6650 TO THE EDMOND COMMUNITY
SMALL BUSINESSES IN
TO CELEBRATE 117 OUR COMMUNITY
YEARS IN BUSINESSBEHIND THE
COUNT Story by MIGUEL RIOS + MOLLIE BRYANT
Photos by NATHAN POPPE
Th
to
h
u
a
About 250 volunteers combed streets, shelters,
libraries, meal sites and helped host a youth event
for the city’s annual Point in Time Count of
people experiencing homelessness. Here’s a
look at the groundwork that made it happen.
When D’Metryus Lacopo, 24, got an apartment with his husband in December, it was
a major triumph. Not only would they have a space to make their own but also they
were ending a struggle of sleeping on the streets, in parking garages and in their car.
“As a married couple, it’s really hard to feel married when you’re not allowed to sleep in the
same bed or give each other a kiss, and we weren’t allowed to do that at the shelter,” he
said. “I’m also transgender, and it makes it really difficult for me to just exist in a space that
I don’t know for a fact is completely safe, and while Sisu is really good about making sure
that people who come in are respectful of people, you don’t always know exactly who you’re
talking to. Everyone you’re interacting with, you’ve met in the last month or so. Feeling com-
fortable changing, taking a shower, even using the restroom is really difficult.”
Sisu Youth Services is a local nonprofit focusing on providing services and assistance to
youth experiencing homelessness. Lacopo said that when he was homeless, he felt there
weren’t enough resources for LGBTQ+ youth. He’s planning to enroll at Rose State College,
with the goal of becoming a social worker.
Volunteers
surveyed
people at
city shelters,
libraries,
churches and
meal sites
throughout
the day.
16Editor note: This article is part of a
collaborative project about homelessness
in Oklahoma City by the Curbside
Chronicle, Oklahoma Gazette and Big If
True. This project is funded through a
grant by Inasmuch Foundation and
Ethics & Excellence in Journalism
Foundation facilitated by the Center for
Cooperative Media at Montclair State
The 2020 Point in Time Count
took place Jan. 23, with the
University.
help of more than 200 vol-
unteers throughout the day
and across the city.
Organizers say the 2020 Point in Time Count
for people experiencing homelessness was
the most organized it has ever been.(405) 526-2321
BEHIND THE
COUNT
“I was homeless throughout most of my first chronically homeless, a group that is most said. “Every team we have, we put an out-
semester, but when I was in school, I didn’t likely to use emergency rooms, be hospi- reach provider on. We try to put a VA provid-
feel homeless. I felt like a student,” Lacopo talized and frequently interact with law en- er on each team as well.”
said. “It was a way to get away from the fact forcement.
that you’re sleeping in a car. It was a way Before the Point in Time Count, officials also
to get away from the fact that I didn’t know The count helps provides a snapshot of the make sure the survey is easy and efficient.
when I was going to be eating next.” scope of homelessness in Oklahoma City Volunteers attended a mandatory training
but isn’t an exclusive measuring tool. Num- session the day before the count.
Lacopo shared his story at an event con- bers from the count only represent a portion
nected to the city’s 2020 Point in Time of the actual homeless population, which is Beyond asking people experiencing home-
Count, which took place all day Jan. 23. much higher. In fact, 11,278 people received lessness what factors contributed to their sit-
In the past he was counted as homeless homeless services in the city in 2018, ac- uation and the length of time they have been
during the annual survey, but this year he cording to the Homeless Management Infor- homeless, the survey also asks about things
was a volunteer. mation System. like substance abuse, physical health, men-
tal health and domestic violence.
Before there was any sign of the sun, more PLANNING THE COUNT
than 80 volunteers arrived at Homeless Al- “Some questions ask for very personal infor-
liance’s day shelter to help with the count. Although it’s an estimate that can be affect- mation, so you want to make the question as
ed by factors like the weather, the survey non-threatening as possible,” Shadid said.
By 4 a.m., 16 teams spread across the gives the city and service providers an idea
city to count and survey people of all ages of the scope of the issue and helps them Despite only being required to count peo-
sleeping on the streets. Other volunteers identify trends that might be affecting our ple experiencing homelessness every other
did the same across city shelters, libraries, homeless community. year, Shadid said they do it annually and go
churches and meal sites throughout the day. above and beyond to create better outcomes
In an effort to better count youth experienc- Jerod Shadid, homeless services program and strengthen their own data trends.
ing homelessness, almost 40 volunteers planner for the City of Oklahoma City, said
also hosted an event where young people they begin planning and preparing for the “I’d like to think that we possibly have the
could get services, food and incentives to count about six months out. Officials start most organized count, at least in the state,”
take the survey. by reviewing a map that shows the location he said. “If we have to do something just to
of various camps throughout the city. The get the bare information, we want to put our
The count and survey results, which repre- map is broken into sections to determine the time into something that’s going to be use-
sent an estimate of the number of residents amount of morning teams. ful to us too. We go well beyond what we’re
experiencing homelessness throughout required to collect just to get the information
the community, are submitted to the U.S. This year, Shadid said 250 volunteers that allows us to see where we’re having
Department of Housing and Urban Devel- showed up throughout the day. For the successes and where we need to focus
opment to determine what funding cities morning shift, roughly 80 volunteers were more resources.”
will get to address homelessness. This is split up into 16 teams. Teams going to more
required at least every other year for cities secluded locations also have a police officer COUNTING YOUTH
that receive federal funding for homeless on the team, but Shadid said they've never
assistance programs. had any violent or threatening encounters Last year, 7 percent of those surveyed were
since they've done the count this way in homeless youth, who are 25 years old or
Last year’s survey identified about 1,300 2012. younger and not accompanied by a parent
people on the day of the count, including or guardian. The study identified 85 home-
children, who were experiencing homeless- “We work closely with all of our outreach less youth, but service providers said that
ness in Oklahoma City. About 1 in 5 were providers to build out the teams,” Shadid figure represents just a fraction of the total
group, which is notoriously undercounted.
May Cruz, right, surveys a man Over the years, service providers were
experiencing homelessness at a frustrated by a pattern of finding homeless
downtown OKC gas station on
youth camps only to have them vanish on
Jan. 23.
the day of the Point in Time Count. Youth
avoid the survey out of fear that they’ll be
arrested, returned to homes that might have
been abusive, placed in foster care or other
concerns.
“They have a tendency to want to hide from
service providers because they don’t have
the same autonomy as an adult, so they are
a little hesitant that they’re going to be re-
turned to a situation they don’t want to be
in, that they’re going to be turned in, and
they’re also just more hesitant of service
providers in general,” Sisu executive direc-
tor Jamie Caves said.
An estimated 40 percent of homeless
youth identify as LGBTQ+, and many have
19In downtown Oklahoma City, a man experiencing homelessness is counted by Cale Powers on Jan. 23.
BEHIND THE
COUNT
faced rejection by their families. “Often- vene, the better, and if we intervene now as choice but to send them wherever they were
times, they’re scared of DHS,” Caves said. youth, they will not be cyclically homeless, last night, which could be bridges and camp
“They’re scared of being placed in another they will not be chronically homeless and sites and behind buildings,” Dallaly said. “I
home that is not affirming, so that’s a con- they will not be in need of systems of care have to field these calls of people needing
cern.” for the rest of their life,” Johnson said. shelter in this age group, and I can’t place
them anywhere and it breaks my heart.”
This year, to address the historically low es- Falisha Baxter, 25, grew up with chaos in
timate, service providers experimented with foster care, moving constantly before she ON THE STREETS
a new event for youth without a home, a aged out of the system. She had been
welcoming environment where youth could homeless for the past three years and had Volunteers came from the nonprofit, private
take the survey while also getting access to camped in a wooded area with her boy- and public sectors and said they wanted
a number of vital resources. Sisu organized friend. At the event, she received clothes to help address homelessness and learn
the event, and nine nonprofits and agencies and hand warmers, which she said can be more about the issue. Oklahoma County
provided services. a lifesaver. commissioner Carrie Blumert was one of a
few elected officials who participated in the
The event provided youth with a warm meal, “With resources like this, it helps a lot be- morning count.
backpacks filled with food, cold-weather ne- cause … it literally makes people think that
cessities like hand warmers and an array of there’s still hope, that not everyone’s given “It was this weird dichotomy where when
“
services, including HIV testing, therapy and up on us,” Baxter said. “There are still peo- you’re out there and looking for people,
assistance filling out housing ap- you want to find people to talk to
plications with Oklahoma Housing you, but in another sense, I wish
Finance Agency. that we wouldn't have found any-
one because that would mean that
In addition to youth counted our area didn’t have anyone living
throughout the day, Caves said outside,” she said. “My communi-
40 youth participated in the event, cations director came with me, and
which she expects to continue and I think she was nervous at first. But
potentially expand with a second
location next year. I DON’T THINK when we finished up, she goes, ‘I
want to do that again. I want to do
that next year.’ ”
Service providers like Pivot direc-
tor of emergency services Lindsay
ANYONE WHO Being her first time participating,
Cates believe the event could be
a route to building trust with youth
experiencing homelessness.
LEAVES THIS she said she felt a responsibility to
get involved and meet people who
are affected by her decisions that
“My hope is that the more volun-
EXPERIENCE might not typically interact with her
otherwise. Blumert said she plans
LOOKS AT THE
teers we have, the more our com- to volunteer for the count again
munity starts to actually look at that and promote it, which she hopes
issue, things could change,” Cates will encourage more people to do
said. “A big thing is a living wage.
... We have a low cost of living in CITY THE SAME. the same.
Oklahoma, but it’s really not be- “One man that I interviewed had
cause wages have not increased. — CYNDI MUNSON, just gotten out of prison and was
We’re not setting up youth for suc- literally sleeping under a bridge.
cess.” STATE REPRESENTATIVE His name was Elvis, and he just
stayed curled up in his sleeping
Despite Oklahoma’s low cost of bag and talked to us,” she said.
living, minimum hourly wage in the “I think that every elected official
state has remained $7.25 since should have to go through this be-
2008. According to data from Oklahoma ple who want to help and opportunities to cause it really, really puts you in contact with
Housing Finance Agency, in 2019, it took turn our life around, and the most important people whose lives are affected by the deci-
a $14.92 hourly wage to afford an average thing: It gives us the opportunity to look for- sions you make. I will probably never forget
one-bedroom apartment in the city. This ward for tomorrow.” Elvis.”
means a minimum-wage worker would have
to work more than 80 hours a week to afford Andru Dallaly, a program manager for The 2020 count was the fourth time State
a one-bedroom apartment. homeless youth services at the Department Rep. Cyndi Munson volunteered for the
of Mental Health, said the youth who attend- morning shift. She said since the count hap-
Heather Johnson, Sisu’s board president, ed were grateful to receive things like new pens a few weeks before the legislative ses-
previously served as the homeless liaison clothes. But despite the event’s success, sion begins, it’s a “grounding practice” that
for Mid-Del School District, where she was he was reminded that ultimately, there just fuels her to advocate for those who don’t
struck by the number of students struggling aren’t enough resources to help the city’s have access to many basic necessities.
with homelessness. She said some of Sisu’s homeless youth, especially when it comes
clients became homeless after aging out of to shelters. “I don’t think anyone who leaves this ex-
the foster care system, and others escaped perience looks at the city the same,” she
homes where they faced abuse and neglect. “All the youth that we have here who are said. “You can’t look at anyone or our city
homeless, we don’t even have enough the same because now you know, you’re
“I very much believe the earlier we inter- shelter beds to give to them, so we have no more knowledgeable, you had firsthand
21“
BEHIND THE
COUNT
IT’S ALMOST LIKE THEY
FORGET PEOPLE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS ARE HUMAN.
— JEROD SHADID, CITY OF OKC
experience having a conversation through He said everyone who sleeps under the
those surveys. It should change our mind- same bridge knows and keeps one another
set to then ultimately advocate for better accountable to make sure they don’t run into
outcomes and keep those in power account- problems with the police.
able to make sure we're not just thinking of
those who can call us and visit us but those “People think that most people out here on
who are just trying to survive and thrive in the streets are either criminals or steal or
their everyday life. We have to be more con- beg, and it’s not,” he said. “Most of these
cerned about the services they need.” guys that are down here — I’ve been down
here the longest — they’re really good peo-
Oklahoma Gazette tagged along with Team ple. Really good people.”
2 led by Sonrisa Nowicki, a case manager
at the Homeless Alliance. From 4 a.m. to Wren also expressed his gratitude to the
roughly 7:30 a.m., the team visited several person conducting the survey and said he
encampments and underpasses, counting was more than happy to contribute in any
and surveying almost 30 individuals while way that could help get at least one person
handing out bus passes and donations. into housing.
Throughout the morning, Team 2 encoun- “When someone does come and talk, it
tered several people sleeping on the streets makes you feel like somebody is thinking
who, while taking the survey, said they were about you,” he said.
not homeless. Officials said that while peo-
ple might not want to admit to being home- DIRECTING RESOURCES
less or needing assistance, it’s typically a
coping mechanism or due to mental health Shadid said this year’s count was the most
or substance abuse issues, pride or wanting organized it has ever been and went off
to avoid the stigma associated with home- without any significant hiccups. Everyone
lessness. who signed up for the morning shift showed
up or called ahead to cancel, and through
“There’s a stigma on homelessness. There’s the various morning teams, the count also
a stigma on, ‘I can’t take care of myself. I’m reached more places than it ever had in the
vulnerable,’ ” Sonrisa said. “No one really past.
wants to admit that. That’s why we tell peo-
ple we just want to help you be self-suffi- Results from the count help identify areas
cient. … We don’t want to force anybody to where more resources need to be directed.
do anything. We want people to live their For example, when numbers go up for vet-
best lives.” erans or families experiencing homeless-
ness, efforts are better coordinated to ad-
Team 2 also encountered a pregnant wom- dress that subpopulation and specific issues
an who said she simply could not afford a they run into. Shadid said another benefit of
home. Others told volunteers they did not the count is getting people from the public
have a home because of incarceration, ag- directly involved and meeting with people
ing out of foster care, mental health issues experiencing homelessness to better under-
or a combination of other factors. stand the issue.
Dennis Wren, a man who slept under a “A lot of people see this, and they don’t un-
bridge the night before, told Gazette he had derstand it. And … it’s almost like they for-
an accident that caused him to have major get people experiencing homelessness are
migraine headaches. He said living with oth- human,” Shadid said. “It's nice to get people
ers intensified those but once he was on his in contact with them, talking with them to re-
own, they subsided. mind them that you’re talking about people
here with problems. And yes, it is difficult to
“Police, they come through here and said handle, but imagine how difficult their lives
as long as I keep it clean, there won’t be are. It helps to just humanize the issue so
any problems,” he said. “You make it work people are not so reactionary about it and
for you.” kind of understand it a little better.”Inside the OKC Day Shelter, volunteers
administer the Point in Time Count survey in
the early morning on Jan. 23.
23Dominique Gray was photographed outside the Ralph Ellison Library in Oklahoma City.
INEQUALITY
CHECK
Black Americans continue to be overrepresented in the local and national homeless population.
Historical housing discrimination, income inequality and an overwhelming state incarceration rate
aren’t helping. This story examines systemic burdens — which extend far beyond poverty — that are
making it more difficult for Black Oklahomans to secure and maintain a home as well as build wealth.
Story and photos by
Nathan Poppe
D
ominique Gray lost his safety net at 17. He was sleeping “I wanted to go to school during this time but, you know, the pandem-
outside of the Ralph Ellison Library in Oklahoma City. ic,” Dominique said. “So, it’s kind of changing the game a little bit. I’m
Beneath the book drop. For a full year, he experienced building up financially. I just bought a used car and already paid it off.
homelessness until a librarian connected him to a path- I’d like to save up for my own place again.”
way home. How had things gotten so severe?
Throughout the country, a third of Black households experience severe
Bouts of depression, constant bullying and fights at school culminated rent burden. That means half or more of their income is dedicated to
with his mom kicking him out of the house. Before that, Dominique covering rent. In OKC, Black households experiencing severe rent bur-
survived an abusive foster family. He remains estranged from his bio- den are at 25%. It’s been stuck this way for more than a decade, accord-
logical father. Growing up poor in a single-family household with five ing to Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.
brothers, his hardships were frequent. But homelessness made Domi-
nique feel like the world was against him. There is no single cause, or convenient fix, for homelessness. And the
issue isn’t color blind. The odds are against Black Oklahomans.
“I didn’t want to be here anymore,” he said. “That’s tough to even say. In
my head, I knew I wanted to learn. I wanted to get somewhere in life. I Meghan Mueller works as the director of community capacity building at
felt like people just didn’t see that.” the Homeless Alliance and identifies individual circumstances, systemic
failures and structural factors as the root of homelessness. She said it’s
Black Americans make up 15% of Oklahoma City’s population, but they oversimplifying to attribute homelessness to substance abuse or domestic
are 26% of the homeless population. Roughly 11,000 OKC residents violence because most individual factors don’t impact everyone equally.
experience homelessness annually, according to the Homeless Manage-
ment Information System. Same goes for systemic failures which occur when safety nets fail —
think aging out of foster care or someone getting discharged from jail
This racial trend isn’t unique to our city. It’s a national disparity. Four with nowhere to live. Structural factors are large-scale societal issues like
out of every 10 Americans experiencing homelessness are Black, despite the cost of living, healthcare or racism.
comprising only 13% of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. De-
partment of Housing and Urban Development. Homelessness doesn’t happen in a vacuum, Meghan said. It’s dozens
of different systems interacting and ultimately failing people. In 2019,
Now 22, Dominique has finished high school. Life is better. He ended Homeless Alliance and partner agencies housed 854 people — more than
his street homelessness and recently received his first promotion work- 300 were Black.
ing at the Will Rogers Airport. His sights are set on OSU-OKC. Domi-
nique wants to become a paramedic. “Black Americans are disproportionately impacted by a myriad of social
issues because of generations of trauma and oppression,” Meghan said.
But rebuilding one’s life is a delicate process. When COVID-19 impacted “You can’t look at individual homelessness without considering the en-
his work schedule, Dominique moved out of his apartment after living tire picture.
there for more than a year. He now relies on a support system of friends
and his church community for a temporary place to stay. Until recently, “I think it is certainly a major concern for us as homeless service pro-
Dominique depended on Uber to drive him to work, a daily cost of $20. viders. When you look at the disparities in housing and health outcomes
across the board, I think it is a crisis. These disparities will not go away
That amount doubled if a co-worker couldn’t bring him home. without major reforms in a variety of systems.”
25INEQUALITY CHECK
The Black-White homeownership gap not
only has persisted but also has widened to
historical lengths. Not since before the 1968
Fair Housing Act — which made race-based
housing discrimination illegal — has the Black
home ownership rate dipped to 41.8 percent,
a stunning 30.1 percent less than White
homeownership. The gap’s growth has been
attributed to three main factors: income,
marital rate and credit scores.
VIA urban institute
READING A REDLINING MAP
Robert Nelson, director of the Digital Scholarship
Lab at the University of Richmond, helped design
and lead the efforts of Mapping Inequality.
The project collected more than 150 archived
redlining maps and overlayed them over modern
city maps.
Nelson explained the key for Oklahoma City’s
1930s-era redlining map. It’s best interpreted by
the following letter grades.
A — green, labeled as #G, considered best
B — blue, labeled as #B, considered desirable
C — brown, labeled as #Y, considered declining
D — red, labeled as #R, considered hazardous
The white areas, labeled as #W, were
commercial or undeveloped properties.
REDLINING REALITIES contagion. Redlining went beyond FHA-backed loans and spread to the
entire mortgage industry, which was already rife with racism, excluding
Although Oklahoma was still a young state in the aftermath of the Great Black people from most legitimate means of obtaining a mortgage.”
Depression, the seeds of housing discrimination had been planted in the
Sooner State. The evidence of inequality was painted on redlining maps. Camille Landry is a community activist and owner of Nappy Roots
Books, which is known for both retail and being a community center
In an attempt to gauge the riskiness of housing mortgages in the late for northeast OKC residents. She has felt the impact of redlining for as
1930s, the U.S. government — through its own Home Owners’ Loan Cor- long as she can remember. It’s obvious to anyone who’s lived it, she said.
poration — created color-coded maps. The term redlining was born from
neighborhoods with non-White residents, commonly marked in red. For When she used to flip houses throughout the city, Camille would always
Oklahoma City, much of the east and south residential portions of the check to see if there was a clause in the property deed prohibiting a
city were red and also labeled “hazardous.” Black owner. There often was.
Ta-Nehisi Coates — in his essay “Case for Reparations” — detailed how “I’m sitting here in a house, which according to the State of Oklaho-
Black families seeking a home were often forced to rely on predatory ma, it’s illegal for me to occupy,” she said. “Now those provisions were
lenders when they couldn’t access Federal Housing Administration-in- overturned … but that legacy of discrimination still exists. It’s still on
sured mortgages. Although Coates’ words focused on Chicago’s history, the books.”
the practice commonly occurred in cities across the country.
Another example can be seen in the ongoing lack of a grocery store on
“Neighborhoods where Black people lived … were usually considered the eastside. Camille remembers discussions from 25 years ago aimed
ineligible for FHA backing,” he wrote. “Black people were viewed as a at fixing the problem. Black doctors, dentists and business leaders were
26interested in investing and Associated Wholesale Grocers was considering
building a grocery store near the Oklahoma State Capitol. It ultimately
fell through.
Camille was confused. She was hoping to represent other single mothers
just wanting the same resources available in more affluent parts of town.
She knew other members on this grocery store committee were better off
financially and had business savvy, but she didn’t yet understand how
they lacked the wealth to attract the store. So, she asked why it couldn’t
be done independently.
Construction loans. Building costs. Freezers. Gas, sewer and electrical
lines. Hiring and training a staff. Stocking an entire store. All that and
more had to happen before the doors could open and a register made a
sale.
“That’s what redlining does,” Camille said. “It removes the financial clout
from my community that would enable the people who work hard, have
business knowledge and are careful with their money. It’s not that they
have any less money than the person who is a real estate developer, but
they have the wrong skin tone to be able to go to a major bank and ask
to develop a shopping center. Therefore, there still isn’t a grocery store
in my neighborhood.”
WAGE GAP
Tony LeSure hasn’t experienced homelessness but currently feels the
stress of living from paycheck to paycheck. The Oklahoma City native
recently lost a telemarketing job and took a paycut at his new employer.
Tony went from making as much as $38 an hour to $13 an hour. He also
used to be able to take mental health days when he felt stressed or over-
worked. Today, it’s much harder for that to happen. He said he simply
can’t afford to miss a day of work.
“I know there are people who struggle with this,” Tony said. “They’re not
OK. Yet, they have to keep pushing because the bills have to be paid. I
feel your pain on that. I hate it for you. You’re not by yourself.”
Across the board, it’s becoming harder and harder for Oklahomans to
meet their basic needs such as housing, food and transportation. Accord-
ing to Living Wage Calculator, a single adult living in the Oklahoma City
metro needs to make $11.27 an hour to achieve a living wage.
Minimum wage has been frozen at $7.25 an hour in Oklahoma since
2009. A study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics concluded a Black worker
is 50% more likely than a White worker to make minimum wage or less.
COVID-19 has further complicated wage gaps. The New York Times re-
ported in June that less than half of Black adults in the U.S. now have a
job due to pandemic shutdowns. DRIVING ARTS +
Financial hurdles persist even when incomes are combined under one
CULTURE + COMMUNITY
roof. Black families with a new baby have a median household income of
$36,300 while White families sit at $80,000, according to an analysis of
Proud supporter of The Curbside Chronicle
2018 census data by the Center on Poverty & Social Policy. and Norman Arts Council
A NEED FOR JUSTICE
We’re living in a reality where 4 in 100 Black Oklahomans are housed
in prisons and jails. The incarceration rate is five times higher for Black
Oklahomans than for White, according to the Oklahoma Policy Institute.
Incarceration not only creates debt and destroys wealth but also causes
numerous collateral consequences impacting housing, voting and future
employment, according to Prison Policy Initiative.You can also read
