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CityCare reports shelter demand, housing placements and barriers to documentation at Norman oversight meeting
Summary
CityCare updated the City of Norman oversight committee on shelter operations Aug. 14, reporting more than 10,000 "nights of rest," a nightly average of about 54 guests, recent housing placements and barriers to moving clients into permanent housing tied to identity documentation and funding.
CityCare officials updated the City of Norman oversight committee Aug. 14 on operations at the emergency shelter, saying the shelter provided more than 10,000 "nights of rest" this year and serves a nightly average of roughly 54 guests.
Mallory Lee, shelter director for CityCare, told the committee CityCare recorded 297 unique individuals served at the shelter year to date and noted the point-in-time count for Norman was 213 people experiencing homelessness, with 74 unsheltered. "Our nights of rest, as you can see, was over 10000 nights of rest. Our nightly average is 54. We have 52 guests nightly," Lee said.
Lee said CityCare has housed six people this year and is in the process of transitioning six more into housing. She described partnerships CityCare uses to place clients, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and HUD VASH vouchers, the Continuum of Care (COC) and other community providers. Lee also said CityCare has implemented HMIS tracking to monitor referrals, incidents and housing transitions and that staff completed 14 coordinated housing assessments (CHAT) in July, bringing the year-to-date total to 128.
A major barrier to moving clients into permanent housing, Lee said, is lack of identity documentation: many guests arrive without IDs, birth certificates or Social Security records. "A lot of them don't have documents. They don't have IDs, birth certificates, ... driver's license, tribal IDs," she said. Lee estimated costs, citing typical fees discussed at the meeting: about $25 for an ID, roughly $40 for a birth certificate and that Social Security replacements sometimes can be obtained at no charge. She noted Real ID fees could be higher (about $89 by her account). Lee said CityCare has applied for Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) funds to help cover document replacement when church voucher funds are exhausted.
Council members suggested local short-term options. Council member Hamble pointed to prior Rotary Club-funded ID fairs as a possible immediate resource; Lee said CityCare would coordinate with Rotaries. Council members also discussed warrant-cleaning events and local nonprofits that assist veterans; Lee said CityCare currently refers veterans to SSVF and the VA and noted the shelter’s CHAT assessments place veterans in the housing queue.
Lee described CityCare's shared-housing strategy to speed placements, demographics of shelter guests and clinical needs that shape housing matches. She said the shelter's population skews male, with age groups concentrated in the 35–44 and 45–54 ranges; Lee reported 37 guests receiving or eligible for SSI and 33 receiving or eligible for SSDI. She also said many guests report mental health disorders and other disabilities, and that documentation of disability is often necessary to access housing options that prioritize those tenants.
Lee announced CityCare's acquisition, effective July 1, of the Norman Shelter Plus Care permanent supportive housing program (referred to in the presentation as Norman SPCPSH). CityCare now manages 12 formerly homeless clients in apartments in Norman and Cleveland County and provides rent assistance and supportive services under that program. Lee said the acquisition should expedite engagement with landlords and create additional housing opportunities for shelter guests.
CityCare also launched a volunteer platform on its website to register and screen volunteers, log hours and support community-service placements. Lee said the organization is requesting donations of furniture for clients and provided an email contact for donations.
Committee members asked for additional data in future presentations. Mayor Holman and council members requested tracking of where clients were before entering the shelter (for example, whether they arrived from other counties, jails, hospitals or other states). Lee said the shelter records "where you stayed yesterday" in HMIS and offered to run a short survey to collect more precise origin data, including county and state. The committee also asked for a fall/winter preparedness update at a future meeting.
No formal action or vote was taken on the shelter update; the session was an informational briefing.
