City updates Opportunity Knocks litter-and-work program; reports 32.9 tons collected, job placements

Michelle Ladenback, the City of Norman’s environmental and sustainability manager, gave an October 9 update to the oversight committee on the Better Way Opportunity Knocks litter-abatement program, saying the initiative combines litter crews with wraparound services for people affected by substance use disorders.

Ladenback said the program, managed by the Mental Health Association of Oklahoma and overseen by the city, collected 32.9 tons of trash from June through September and is on track to exceed past years’ totals. "32.9 tons of trash have already been collected," she said, noting the program started in June.

The program operates with a roving outreach van and takes up to eight voluntary participants on a two-week rotation. Participants work days doing litter-control tasks; the days off are used for wraparound services such as referrals for mental health, medical care, benefits, vital records, career counseling and employment placement. Ladenback said participants receive $65 per day for their work.

Nut graf: City staff framed Opportunity Knocks as a dual-purpose public-works and social-service effort: reduce visible litter and stormwater pollution while offering short-term paid work and service referrals intended to create pathways to stability for participants. Funding for the program comes from opioid settlement funds and a city allocation, staff said.

Program details and results Ladenback outlined operational limits and priorities: crews work on city-owned property, rights-of-way, stormwater easements with permission and for limited event preparation; they do not handle hazardous materials or work in dangerous areas such as right next to Highway 9. Priority tasks include clean-neighborhood signups, resident service requests, 20 priority mowing areas, bus stops, park benches, storm drain inlets and trailheads when feasible. She said the program is not an "encampment cleanup crew."

Staffing and budgeting Ladenback said Mental Health Association of Oklahoma maintains four permanent positions for the program; Ronnie Warrior is identified in the presentation as the program manager. The van driver was recently promoted to employment specialist, leaving the van driver position open and posted for hiring. Ladenback said roughly 25% of the program budget has been spent to date and that salary line items were higher while the van driver vacancy is being covered.

Wraparound outcomes and benchmarks Ladenback said 89 people rode the outreach van; of those, 57 elected to receive services and begin the employment program. Specific referrals cited: two participants referred for permanent housing, two for recovery services, five for benefits assistance (DHS or Veterans Affairs), 11 medical referrals, six mental-health referrals and three participants who had secured permanent jobs following four interviews. Staff reported 156 job applications submitted by participants.

She compared current outcomes to targets set in the program RFP: 25% target for accessing recovery services (current: 12.5%), 10% target for enrolling in the job program (current: 64%), 20% target for submitting job applications (current: 100%), and 25% target for achieving stable employment (current: 7% after the first quarter). "We're at 12.5 percent currently" for recovery-service access and "64 percent have" enrolled in the job program, she said.

Council response and next steps Council members praised the program's results and asked for more detail going forward. One elected official who spoke in the meeting said, "So hats off to Michelle. She does what she does and she never disappoints," and suggested quarterly reports. Councilmember Holman flagged several corridors with visible litter; Ladenback said those locations were added to the list the following day. Councilmember Anderson said she was impressed by the range of employers where participants applied and by the wraparound services.

Funding context Ladenback and other speakers said the program was launched with a combination of opioid settlement money and a prior city general-fund contribution (historically about $50,000 annually in public-works summer hires). City staff and council members discussed long-term funding options, including incorporating costs into future sanitation-rate adjustments or other revenue lines if the program continues after settlement funds are exhausted. Ladenback noted opioid abatement funds can support the program for multiple years but that those funds "won't last forever."

Ending Staff identified near-term tasks: fill the van-driver vacancy, continue outreach and beautification events, expand employer partnerships (Goodwill certification programs were cited) and provide regular quarterly updates to the committee. No formal motions or votes were taken on the item during the meeting.