Homeless Prevention Receives Boost from Stimulus

OKLAHOMA CITY -- It's probably not what comes to mind when someone mentions the federal stimulus bill, but a substantial amount of stimulus money is going toward the prevention of homelessness.

In Oklahoma it's more than $10 million, some of that is going directly to the state's urban centers, while most will be disbursed through the state commerce department.

Commerce is getting about $8 million from HUD, but a requirement of getting the money is first holding a public hearing on their plan to distribute it.

The hearing included a period for public comment, but only one person had anything to say.

"I just am a little bothered that we were not at all in any way included," Jane Ferrell said.

Ferrell is with the Oklahoma City Planning Department.

"We were not in any way contacted by the state, Norman, Tulsa or us, and then they came out with a plan that excluded us," Ferrell said.

With the majority of the state's homeless population in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, those cities will get stimulus money for homeless prevention, but they'll get it directly from HUD while Commerce officials say they have to think about the needs of the entire state.

"When you're covering the other basically 70-plus counties of the state, we felt like it was important that rural areas be given the preference here," Vaughn Clark with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce said.

The money will be split up regionally, and qualifying agencies will then use it one of two ways, one being for homeless prevention.

"Where we can put somebody, pay their rent for a while till they can get back on their feet, or pay their mortgage payment if we have to, or even, if we absolutely had to, put them in a hotel," Jeff Schumann with the Deep Fork Community Action in Okmulgee said.

The other way in which qualifying agencies will use the money is for rapid re-housing.

"For instance, if a family shows up on the doorstep, that they would very easily be able to find resources so that never had to spend a night in a shelter, they would be rapidly re-housed," Ferrell said.

Social workers say this will be stimulus money well spent.

"You know, that money is going right back into the local economy, and the old community development concept is that every dollar spent generates seven more in the local community and that's jobs," Schumann said.

Commerce Department officials will award contracts by the end of September.