NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR/KGOU) — Providing safe shelter for the homeless is an issue growing cities often face — and there’s no one size fits all solution. City leaders in Norman are working to find one that works for their community. On an overcast afternoon, Mike Davidson drives a shuttle bus out of the McFarlin Memorial United Methodist Church parking lot. “Right now, we are headed over to the Catholic Charities Women’s Sanctuary. I should have about a full busload, which is about 14, and maybe a couple extra people. And I’ll be dropping those guys off at both A Friend’s House and the Salvation Army shelter here in Norman,” he said. He’s starting his route for Norman Care-A-Vans, a nonprofit that offers transportation, meals, and other services to unhoused people in the city. Twice a day, nearly every day, Davidson or another member of the organization will drive approximately 75 unhoused people from one of Norman’s shelters to another, including an overnight shelter called A Friend’s House. Norman homeless shelter hours. Image KFOR. Norman City Councilmember Stephen Tyler Holman said the gaps in time where no shelter in the city is open cause problems. RELATED COVERAGE: Residents voice concern over possible temporary homeless housing “Part of the issue is that people get kicked out at 7 a.m. and it's in the middle of downtown, so they have to disperse through downtown to go back to Food and Shelter or wherever they might be going for the day,” he said. Holman was on the City Council when it started its partnership with local nonprofit, Food & Shelter, in November 2022. The original contract was for Food & Shelter to operate a temporary warming shelter out of a city-owned building downtown during the cold months, but Holman says there was a need for an overnight shelter year-round. “The winter months are very cold. In the spring and fall we have severe weather, and then in the summer it is extremely hot. The need became clear that in a city this size, we needed a full year round overnight shelter,” he said. Issues with current shelter Thirty men and 22 women stay at A Friend’s House every night from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m.Food & Shelter executive director April Doshier said while the shelter is able to give people a safe place to sleep and connect them to resources that can help them find permanent housing, there have also been problems. “Since the shelter opened on Gray Street on November 1, 2022, it's been kind of an ongoing saga of concern. There are a lot of feelings about where homeless shelters should be located. And some of that comes from legitimate concerns and some of it is really fear from misinformation that exists about the homeless community,” she said. In addition to complaints from downtown Norman residents and business owners about the location of the shelter, Doshier said problems with the building itself have contributed to Food & Shelter looking for a new shelter location. “We have been looking at different ideas for placement, not just to move it away from angry neighbors, but get to a location where we could expand to have more beds inside. That shelter building was definitely not meant to be a shelter. But also there's one bathroom in the men's dorm. You know, it's just insufficient in a lot of ways,” she said. Potential new location Food & Shelter are not the only ones looking to move. After multiple leads for alternate locations fizzled out over recent years either due to public opposition or stalled negotiations, Holman said a promising option is being explored by Norman City staff — a building on the Griffin Memorial Hospital campus that’s currently being used for storage. “This area has been home to social services for a very long time. Food & Shelter for Friends is across the street. Red Rock Behavioral Health is operating right there. The Griffin Hospital itself is still operating right there,” he said. New organization assists Native homeless community in Shawnee While Davidson said relocating the shelter away from downtown isn’t quite in line with Norman Care-A-Van’s vision for the community, he says the proximity to services would be useful. “Yeah, I think the Griffin location would be great. It's walkable to HUB 107, it's walkable to Food & Shelter, all of those things. And multiple bathrooms, extra bed space, that’s a big deal,” he said. Holman said Norman City staff are in talks with the State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services about leasing or purchasing the Griffin property. Meanwhile, Food & Shelter announced last week they would not be seeking to continue their operation of A Friend’s House, but will continue to do so until the City can find someone else. Who does this affect? In 2024, 240 people were counted in Cleveland County's Point in Time count. 2024 Cleveland County homelessness sheltered/unsheltered2024 Cleveland County homelessness by race2024 Cleveland County homelessness by gender2024 Cleveland County homelessness by age Each year in the last 10 days of January, Continuums of Care (CoCs) conduct a survey known as a Point in Time Count (PIT) to gather data about sheltered and unsheltered homeless people in their service areas. “Unsheltered” is used by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development to describe individuals and families sleeping in places not designed for regular sleeping accommodations, such as abandoned buildings, train stations, or camping grounds. “Sheltered” is used to describe those who are living in temporary accommodations, such as emergency shelters or transitional housing. Report shows homelessness in OKC up 28 percent The sheltered count does not include those who are staying with friends or family temporarily, or are residing in a hotel, motel, or fixed campsite with no fixed residence. After the count is complete, the data is sent to HUD to receive federal funding and ensure the resources are going to the most vulnerable communities. It’s important to note that while the PIT is federally recognized data, it’s not a complete census of the CoC’s homeless population. The count is limited to what volunteer surveyors can collect in the field, and taking the survey isn’t mandatory, so it’s not guaranteed that every person will respond. According to the Cleveland County CoC, the date of the most recent count was set to coincide with Oklahoma City’s count to prevent those who are transient from being counted twice. Due to Covid, no unsheltered count was conducted in 2021 and a limited count was done in 2022. PIT data from 2009 to 2024. Image courtesy KFOR. The PIT survey includes the following questions: Where they slept the previous night, if they were willing to participate, if they had already taken the survey today. Identifying and demographic information – First name, last initial, date of birth, gender, ethnicity, and race. The members of their household with whom they are experiencing this instance of homelessness, with ages. How long they have been experiencing homelessness, other recent incidents of homelessness, and zip code where they lived before becoming homeless. Are they veterans, if they have experienced domestic violence (DV), a mental illness, substance abuse, or been diagnosed with HIV/Aids Identifying questions in the survey also meant to prevent duplicate data. The demographic and subpopulation questions are required for HUD reporting, while the length and instances of homelessness answers are used to determine if the person falls under the HUD definition of chronically homeless. Teams of two to three volunteers are sent to areas where those sleeping in cars were known to be (municipal parks, public libraries, other parking areas) and known encampment sites. Nine teams of volunteers were sent to 98 total sites for the 2024 count. More details on the PIT methodology can be found at the Cleveland County Continuum of Care website. Listen to Hannah France's KGOU report: User 493049962 · 240926-indepth-NormanShelterNeeds-cut2