While driving to a homeless encampment site outside downtown Oklahoma City, Cryslynn Barnes described her job as pregaming the first steps to housing people experiencing homelessness. Sitting in the passenger seat next to her, Stephanie Risenhoover concurred.
Barnes and Risenhoover work on the street outreach team for Mental Health Association Oklahoma, one partner to Key to Home, Oklahoma City’s public-private collaboration that strives to prevent homelessness in the city.
The organization’s housing-first approach has proven successful, but the cumbersome, time-consuming process has posed challenges. There are several roadblocks on the path to housing, including the rental property inspection process to ensure habitability…