New initiative to address homelessness and keep Norman clean
NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) — A win-win initiative is coming to Norman, addressing homelessness while also keeping the city clean.
'A Better Way: Opportunity Knocks' is a partnership between Mental Health Association Oklahoma (MHAOK) and the City of Norman.
The program is aimed to addresses opioid and substance misuse, and prevents overdose by connecting the homeless population with an alternative.
'It's really about breaking down the barriers to housing and employment, having steady income is a big part of obtaining and maintaining housing,' said Kayla Mills, clinical director for MHAOK.
The van will travel across town with up to eight participants at a time. It's even handicap accessible.
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They'll go out three days a week and focus on different spots around Norman that need some cleaning up.
At the end of each day, participants will earn $65 in cash, along with a hot meal and other services.
'Also have the opportunity to work with a case manager to get certain services, social services, housing, steady employment, permanent employment, those kinds of things so that they can move forward,' said Michele Loudenback, environmental and sustainability manager for the City of Norman.
The program is already showing success in Tulsa.
Since launching in 2018, participants have collected over 8,000 bags of litter and last year alone, 67 individuals found permanent jobs.
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'There is a gentleman in Tulsa… He has since moved out of state, I want to say he lives in Kansas City now and he's working in some warehouse making six figures a year and couldn't have gotten there without this program,' said Mills.
Mills says criminalizing homelessness doesn't fix the problem.
'The solution is finding things like helping them obtain gainful employment and stabilize their mental health and reducing their substance use, that's the solution and A Better Way: Opportunity Knocks isn't a handout, it's a hand up, it's helping them break down those barriers,' said Mills.
While the majority of the funding for this program is through the City of Norman's opioid settlement funds, a portion is from the Sanitation Enterprise Fund.
You'll start to see the van in action by June 1, if not sooner.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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