OKC to activate emergency weather plan for homeless shelters amid cold temperatures
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — City officials are preparing to activate their emergency weather plan for homeless shelters ahead of a cold Thanksgiving night forecast. This also comes as over 25 people were put in homes this month thanks to the Oklahoma City Key to Home program.
"The Homeless Alliance has a 300-bed shelter that's open every night from November 1 through March 31. Additionally, City Rescue Mission will have overflow beds. They'll have 25 beds for men, women and then they'll also have capacity for families,” Key to Home Strategy Implementation Manager Jamie Caves said.
Caves said the city’s emergency weather plan will go into effect starting Thanksgiving night due to a forecast around freezing.
"These are lifesaving measures,” Caves said.
You can find more information about the plan and where there are extra beds in the graphic below. On top of that, the city’s Key to Home Partnership that seeks to prevent homelessness across Oklahoma City housed 26 people in the month of November. That gets them to over 330 people housed since September 2023 and halfway to their goal of 500 by 2025.
"It's been very, very successful,” Caves said. “We've had more than 90 percent of the people that have been offered housing have accepted."
"These shelters, wonderful places,” said Samuel, a homeless man.
Samuel has been homeless since after high school, using the shelters from time to time. When he’s out where he stays you might find him picking up trash or playing guitars.
"It's my therapy and it's what I do,” Samuel said. "I love music, gospel, you know?"
Now, he’s preparing himself for that colder weather ahead and thanking those that help.
"Anybody who is helping, I thank God for them and anybody who's not helping please don't get in the way of those who will help,” he said.
You can find more information on the Key to Home program here.