OU students present plan for a year‑round low‑barrier shelter in Norman, urge council task force and funding strategy

University of Oklahoma students on June 12 presented A Place to Call Home, a community‑driven plan that recommends a year‑round, low‑barrier shelter for Norman, proposed a set of candidate sites (including land near Griffin Memorial), and urged the City Council Oversight Committee to establish a shelter planning task force and begin funding work now.

The presentation, delivered by Hudson Harris of the University of Oklahoma Student Government Association, summarized local housing data, barriers to housing access, and funding options. Harris said Norman currently has about 245 shelter beds across providers and that existing shelters are “pretty close to capacity.” He recommended a walkable, minimum 5‑acre site with on‑site wraparound services and urged the council to publicly commit to a planning process.

Harris framed the proposal around several locally relevant statistics and service gaps: a 2024 point‑in‑time count reported 91 unsheltered and 128 sheltered people in the county; many residents are rent burdened;…