Over 700 Norman residents are without stable housing right now — and most of them are invisible. They are not all on street corners. They are our neighbors.
Our goal is functional zero homelessness — not a utopian promise, but a measurable standard. Homelessness becomes rare, brief, and non-recurring. Managed so effectively it never overwhelms our community again. Paid for mostly by Federal and State grants and the national and global philanthropic community.
They are doubled up in relatives' homes, sleeping in cars, walking out of hospitals and jails with nowhere to go. This is our city. These are our neighbors.
We should not focus on just building a shelter. We should focus all our energies building a system that wraps around every person in Norman who has fallen through the cracks — and does not let go until they are permanently housed, healthy, and connected to their community.
I think the biggest disease this world suffers from in this day and age is the disease of people feeling unloved, and I know that I can give love for a minute, for half an hour, for a day, for a month, but I can give — I'm very happy to do that and I want to do that.