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City, Housing Authority OK Project-Based Vouchers for Dorset Place to House Homeless Veterans
Summary
Oklahoma City Council and the Oklahoma City Housing Authority jointly approved a resolution allowing the Housing Authority to use project-based HUD-VASH vouchers and other assistance to acquire Dorset Place and provide subsidized housing and on-site VA services for veterans who have experienced homelessness.
Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City Housing Authority on a unanimous vote approved a joint resolution allowing the Housing Authority to acquire Dorset Place, an existing assisted‑living facility, and to attach project‑based Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD‑VASH) vouchers there.
The resolution, presented at a joint hearing, cites the Oklahoma Housing Authorities Act requirement that both the local housing authority and the city council find any multifamily project of more than 20 units to be “in the public interest” before federal project‑based vouchers are issued. Mark Gillette, executive director of the Oklahoma City Housing Authority, opened the presentation and introduced Greg Shin, assistant executive director for development, to outline the plan.
Shin described Dorset Place as an acquisition of a recently vacated assisted‑living building that the seller remodeled internally while the Housing Authority had it under contract. “This is a project that we have in partnership with the Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center,” Shin said. He told the council the authority received 50 new HUD‑VASH vouchers this year and intends to place 37 of those vouchers at Dorset Place in phase one. Residents will be veterans and their family members who have experienced homelessness; rent will be subsidized so tenants pay no more than 30% of their income.
Shin said the VA will provide on‑site case management during weekdays and that a VA medical director will visit at least once a month with a mobile clinic. The Housing Authority will enter a housing assistance payment contract to project‑base the vouchers, he added.
Mayor David Holt asked whether there were questions from council; none were raised. The City Council moved and voted to adopt the joint resolution. The Housing Authority board then took a separate motion and roll call; board members Annette Jacoby, Rocky Chavez and Yessica Gonzalez each voted yes and the board passed its resolution unanimously.
Action on Dorset Place follows the city’s MAPS 4 commitments to create permanent supportive housing and a previously stated city goal to place 500 units of such housing across Oklahoma City for populations at risk of homelessness, including veterans. The adopted actions allow the Housing Authority to proceed with acquisition and to use project‑based HUD‑VASH vouchers and any federal, state or local assistance available for operations.
The council and housing authority officials described the plan as an effort to place aging veterans — whom local point‑in‑time counts indicate are concentrated in the 55–60 age range — into stable housing with on‑site supportive services from the VA.
The joint meeting adjourned after the two parallel votes.
Ending: The Housing Authority and City Council authorized the Dorset Place acquisition and project‑based vouchers to house homeless veterans; staff from both entities will complete the housing assistance payment contract and related paperwork before vouchers are used on site.
