Oklahoma
Housing groups launch new homelessness council after Stitt dissolved the official one
A year after Gov. Kevin Stitt dissolved a statewide council on ending homelessness, providers have launched an independent group to collect data and coordinate services in Oklahoma.
The Interagency Council on Homelessness of Oklahoma launched this month and will fill the hole left by the former Governor’s Interagency Council on Homelessness, which was created by an executive order more than two decades ago.
Stitt cited a need for smaller government last year when he dissolved the council that worked to coordinate funding and services between providers as the number of unsheltered Oklahomans continues to grow. The group was made up primarily of volunteers and state employees and received no recurring funding from the state.
“Everyone in this room knows we have not solved the problem of homelessness,” said Linda Love, director of planning and development for KI BOIS Community Action Foundation in southeast Oklahoma, during a launch meeting on May 22. “That is why the former executive committee of the (Governor’s Interagency Council on Homelessness) has worked to put together a private council in Oklahoma to continue the work that needs to be done.”
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Advisory members of the new Interagency Council on Homelessness of Oklahoma pointed to issues like the state’s high eviction rates, growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness in metro areas and the end of pandemic relief programs.
“The scale, magnitude and reach” of the issue of homelessness requires people from different sectors and locations to work together, said Greg Shinn, an assistant executive director with the Oklahoma City Housing Authority who served on the governor’s former council.
The new council will craft a statewide plan to address homelessness, track data to share with the state and federal governments and bring together agencies and providers from across the state to coordinate funding and programs, Shinn said.
Interagency councils exist across the country to coordinate services and report data. Without an executive order from the governor or a mandate from the Legislature, the new council won’t be able to require participation from government agencies like the Department of Corrections or the State Department of Education, said Dan Straughan, director of special projects with the Homeless Alliance.
But the group, which is running as a nonprofit with funding from the nonprofit incubator Give Help, may eventually ask the Legislature to formalize its efforts.
Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said coordinating around an issue as complex as homelessness should be a core state government function.
While the state has invested in housing affordability programs, lawmakers are also approving new state laws prohibiting unauthorized camping on state-owned lands and debating how to more quickly remove squatters. Two of Kirt’s bills this session — one to create a state affordable housing commission and another to extend timelines in the eviction process — didn’t get a hearing on the Senate floor.
“There is a lack of interest in real solutions in this area,” Kirt said. “That’s why we need this bigger picture, coordinated thinking.”
A spokeswoman for Stitt’s office said the governor would be supportive of Oklahomans “coming together to work towards solutions on homelessness.”
Several other states also have independent councils to address homelessness. A spokeswoman from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness said the national group will work with Oklahoma’s new council despite it being considered unofficial.
The new council will decide its voting members by the end of June and have its first meeting in July.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are taking on the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of their opening-round series. The OKC Thunder are hoping that they can repeat their Sunday afternoon performance in this contest. Game 2 will be an interesting test with the Suns having more time to prepare.
Phoenix was up against a rock and a hard place in the series opener. The Oklahoma City Thunder not only have the talent advantage but the rest advantage as well. Phoenix punched their ticket to the NBA Playoffs on Friday night by staving off the Golden State Warriors on Friday night before landing in Oklahoma City on Saturday and playing on Saturday afternoon to the tune of a 119-84 blowout Thunder victory.
The NBA has seen plenty of upsets already. The Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers have all stolen games from the higher seed. The Thunder know they have to keep the foot on the gas in this contest.
“These series are unpredictable. No 2 games are the same. The minute you make an assumption, you are overconfident, or the minute you go down and you’re overly urgent, that can impact your ability to be present in the next game,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said pregame on Wednesday night.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are seeing the Suns make an adjustment with their starting lineup by inserting Collin Gillespie to give Phoenix a trio of ball handling scoring options alongside Devin Booker and Jalen Green. This gives the Suns hope to be able to find better shot quality against this stifling Thunder defensive unit.
Oklahoma City is healthier now than they have been all season. The Thunder only are missing rookie Thomas Sorber (ACL) who is out for the year. This allows the Bricktown Ballers to roll out their traditional first five in this contest.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Phoenix Suns, Game 2 Starting Lineup
Oklahoma City Thunder Starting Lineup
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G
- Lu Dort, G
- Jalen Williams, F
- Chet Holmgren, F
- Isaiah Hartenstein, C
Phoenix Suns Starting Lineup
- Devin Booker, G
- Jalen Green, G
- Collin Gillespie, G
- Dillon Brooks, F
- Oso Ighodaro, C
The series will shift to Phoenix this weekend as the Oklahoma City Thunder hope to head into Saturday afternoon’s Game 3 with a 2-0 advantage in the series.
Stay tuned to Thunder on SI for complete coverage of the NBA Playoff run for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA (KOKH) — The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a home fire late Tuesday evening, around 10:42 p.m.
According to OKCFD, fire could be seen from a window of the home located in the 4200 block of N. Phillips Avenue.
Firefighters were able to rescue an adult female from inside the home. No injuries were reported in connection with the fire.
Investigators believe that the fire may have originated from an outlet near the refrigerator that had a power strip plugged in that was supplying multiple appliances.
There was also no smoke detector present within the home.
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NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.
But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.
Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6.
The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.
In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.
The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.
Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.
Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.
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Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.
Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.
Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings.
After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.
OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.
The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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