Oklahoma City Thrift Store Rented Dozens Of Hotel Rooms For Homeless During Winter Storm

The owner of an Oklahoma City nonprofit, Second Chances Thrift Store, booked hotel rooms for about 90 people in the past few days to help the homeless get out of dangerously cold weather. 

Delisa Jones said donations poured in from various groups and individuals throughout the city as Wednesday’s winter storm moved into the metro. 

She said she has around $10,000 on hotel rooms for individuals and families during recent storms. 

Mike Peterson, his wife, and father-in-law ran into Jones in the lobby of a nearby hotel as the storm closed in on Oklahoma City. They had slept in their car for two nights in the parking lot of a local hospital while their mother is treated for a brain bleed. 

“We couldn’t get that motel room,” Peterson said. “We don’t have much money and (Jones) just kinda was there.” 

“We told her our story and she just turned around to the desk clerk and said, "Give them a room for 3 days." 

Peterson and his wife, Judy, said they were overcome with emotion at the gesture. 

“It’s like she was sent there to us or we were sent there,” he said. 

Peterson’s family started an online fundraiser to help pay for their mother’s medical treatment. 

Click here to visit their GoFundMe page. 

Oklahoma City homeless shelters were pushed to capacity during the winter storms. 

Related: (post link to one of Feliz’ stories on homeless alliance from this week) 

Jones said she’s been determined to help the city’s homeless population since she opened Second Chances almost five years ago. 

“Our homeless community is my heart, but people who come out of prison end up homeless. People coming out of addiction are homeless. So really homelessness is huge in our community right now,” Jones said. 

“It’s our goal every day to let people know how much we love them and we want them to know that we see them and that they have a safe place to come.” 

Click here to visit the website for Second Chances Thrift Store.