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MAPS homelessness update: Vita Nova, Dorset Place, Creston Park among projects moving forward; VA vouchers noted
Summary
At the quarterly MAPS homeless project briefing, staff outlined committed projects — Vita Nova, Dorset Place and Creston Park — and said MAPS has committed multi‑million dollar contributions and is pursuing additional funding while noting federal funding uncertainty.
Officials updated the MAPS for Citizen Advisory Board on March 6 on the MAPS homeless project pipeline, including project commitments, procurement steps and funding status for several planned supportive‑housing projects.
Greg Shen, representing the Oklahoma City Housing Authority and the MAPS homeless project, reviewed commitments from the first and second MAPS allocations. He said MAPS has committed $3,000,000 to the Vita Nova supportive-housing motel conversion; $1,500,000 to Dorset Place (a veterans supportive‑housing effort to be operated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and project‑based vouchers); and $1,000,000 toward Oak Grove, a redevelopment of a 288-unit public housing site. Shen said Creston Park Phase 1 demolition is scheduled to begin in July or August 2025.
Shen said the housing authority has an RFQ and vendor pools in development for design and general‑contractor selection and that some projects will use third‑party developers with legal conditions to preserve long‑term affordability and recapture MAPS funds on default. Shen said the We Host (WeHost) project near the Homeless Alliance campus is seeking $1,200,000 in MAPS funding and already has tax credits and ARPA money in place.
On federal resources, Shen noted concern about possible national funding cuts but said the VA had already awarded 50 vouchers effective March 1 and that project‑based vouchers for Vita Nova and Dorset are committed. He advised the board that the housing authority and city staff are actively advocating with members of the congressional delegation and other officials about potential federal funding risks.
On the second MAPS allocation, Shen said the board has $10,700,000 in new funds (presented as the second allocation) and that projects in the pipeline include a choice‑neighborhoods planning project (Will Rogers Courts), a request for MAPS funding for a 38‑unit permanent supportive housing project at Fourth and Kentucky, and a contingent COC‑builds project that would flow from a successful HUD Continuum of Care grant application. He said offices are vetting legal terms so third‑party developers accept the MAPS obligations tied to affordability and reporting.
Board members asked about contingency planning if federal funding is cut; Shen and staff said they are concerned and are maintaining communications with federal representatives. The board approved a separate item earlier in the meeting to reject a single RFP response for a transitional housing operator and re‑advertise the procurement; the transcript records "motion passes" but does not list vote tallies.
Shen said staff will return with more detailed renderings and progress images for specific projects at future meetings.
