OKC Group Trying To Change The Narrative On Homelessness

More than 1,500 people in Oklahoma City are experiencing homelessness, and every one of them has a name. 

“The issue is not the homeless, the issue is Terrance, the issue is Ricky, the issue is Diane, and every single person has a different background, a different story,” said Zach Debolt, Tent City, Oklahoma co-founder. 

Telling those stories is where Tent City, Oklahoma comes in. 

“The one thing that we could do that wasn’t being done, was allow the people who were going through this every single day and are experiencing this, to tell their story in their own words,” said Josh Debolt, Tent City, Oklahoma co-founder. 

Brothers Josh and Zach Debolt along with Kiley Josey co-founded Tent City, Oklahoma two months ago. 

They collect the stories of people experiencing homelessness and post them online. 

The group also bring supplies to the camps and partners with various organizations. 

It’s all an effort to help, by humanizing those experiencing homelessness. 

“That’s the goal, I do hope it helps change the stigma. If we can change it in our little city and have people see these and think of them a little differently, then that’s one step closer to making this a little better,” Josey said. 

“The goal that I want out of this is to bring a much deeper awareness to the community that forces those who are in a position to make changes, to make those changes, and institute things that are going to change it for the better for these people,” Josh Debolt said. 

The storytelling never stops, but the hope is that the types of stories they’re telling will start to change. 

“Hopefully, we don’t have so many homeless stories to tell after a while, we’re telling stories of the brighter future and where they’re going now,” Zach Debolt said.