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We are asking VOICE leaders to contact the Mayor and your Councilperson and to tell them to reject this ordinance and support the education-based proposal presented by VOICE, Catholic Charities and Homeless Alliance. Then, join us at city council on Tuesday, Dec 8th at 9:30 am. VOICE leaders will be speaking during public comment and need your support. Sign up at the bottom and let us know what you can do!
Contact:
Mayor Mick Cornett (405) 297-2424 [email protected]
Ward 1 Councilman James Greiner (405) 297-2404
Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid (405) 297-2402
Ward 3 Councilman Larry McAtee (405) 297-2404
Ward 4 Councilman Pete White (405) 297-2402
Ward 5 Councilman David Greenwell (405) 297-2569
Ward 6 Councilwoman Meg Salyer (405) 297-2402
Ward 7 Councilman John A. Pettis Jr. (405) 297-2569
Ward 8 Councilman Mark Stonecipher (405) 297-2404
Email: ward#@okc.gov (ex. [email protected])
Below is the history of how we got here, an explanation of our concerns and our proposed solutions.
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Concerns about Panhandling
Earlier this year, VOICE-affiliated congregations surrounding the 39th and Penn area heard great concern expressed by their members about neighborhood safety and increased crime. VOICE leaders conducted listening sessions with area neighbors to better understand their concerns and discovered one concern was that there has been an increased amount of panhandling happening at intersections in the area.
As we researched the issue, we were excited to find a large number of agencies, congregations, and individuals willing to help people who are homeless or struggling. There are many facets to what is happening at street corners around our city. We were impressed by the Oklahoma City Police Department's Homeless Outreach Team who informed us about one local church using a business model of panhandling to raise church revenue with little offered in return to the panhandlers. We heard this story and other concerns about many of the negative aspects of panhandling.
To that end, we approached Councilwoman Meg Salyer with a proposal. This proposal asked the city to implement a pilot program in the area between Penn and May, NW 23rd and NW 36th. The program would bring together area neighbors to learn more about the differences between homelessness and panhandling, what can be done to help, and how to start to collaborate as neighbors to improve the neighborhood.
Approximately one month later, with little response from the city about the proposed pilot project, an ordinance was announced to be taken up before council that would fine people for soliciting from the medians.
Ending the Criminalization of Poverty
As leaders of faith communities, non-profits, and other civic institutions, we cannot support an ordinance that would fine mostly poor people up to $100 for panhandling in the medians of our community. If people fail to pay their fines, and if they fail to make an appearance in court, eventually, they will wind up with a bench warrant issued for their failure to appear, additional court costs, and jail time. Our courts are already issuing 4,000 warrants for failure to appear PER MONTH, and our jail is overcrowded and in poor condition. We can do better as a city.
Throughout the effort to stop this ordinance, a coalition of VOICE, Catholic Charities, and Homeless Alliance have been in conversation, started initially by the city of Oklahoma City, to provide solutions that might best address this problem. As experts in that area, Homeless Alliance and Catholic Charities offered many potential solutions, some of which are listed below. Their chief reason for opposing the ordinance is that it will reduce their ability to do their job and get people off the street corner. Criminal records or outstanding fines reduce avenues of getting people back to being secure and productive.
Coalition Proposal
The following proposal, drafted by VOICE, Homeless Alliance and Catholic Charities, is by no means a comprehensive solution to a complex problem. It was an attempt within the six weeks given by the city in delaying the vote on the ordinance to put an alternative together. The details, costs and implementation are all matters of future discussion.
The proposal to the city includes:
Short-term
- Focus on community education around alternatives to giving cash at our street corners.
- Promote existing programs like the Curbside Chronicle which employs homeless individuals to sell magazines and works to connect them with services to get into housing and off the streets.
- Give citizens alternatives to hand out besides cash, including mailing out the Real Change Vouchers, Curbside Chronicle cards and a pocket directory to services to citizens.
- Utilize signage to give citizens other options to give or numbers to call to get people help.
- Host community education meetings to disseminate information and answer questions about what is really happening at the street corners. These would happen in conjunction with a PR campaign to drive awareness and get accurate information out to citizens.
- Develop a credentialing system that will give law enforcement and service providers a tool to get people help and better understand each individuals’ situation while trying to encourage them to get off the streets.
- Engage in research on public safety and figuring out who is at our corners as well as with their needs and opportunities. When investing taxpayer resources, whether trying to use the criminal justice system or a social services approach, we need to understand the problem to be able to deal with it effectively.
Medium-term
- Develop a temporary, low barrier employment model to help people earn funds without begging.
- Look to the city to identify areas that could be supported within the city budget to employ those that cannot possibly get work elsewhere.
- Consider investing in an expansion of the OCPD Homeless Outreach Team. These are trained officers focused on building relationships with panhandlers and help them find better ways to meet their needs.
Long-term
- Look at increasing program capacity for treatment for substance and alcohol abuse and mental illness.
- Consider expanding sheltered employment and housing with case management for those who might benefit. Many of these support services have been found to be cheaper in the long run than housing people in the criminal justice system or treating their conditions via the emergency room.
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