OKCMAR and its members will be working with other groups – including the City of Oklahoma City – to develop initiatives to care for people experiencing homelessness and to address the need for balanced housing.
As REALTORS® and champions of housing, we recognize how impactful having a home is to each and every human being. Many of us are already involved in supporting our community. However, when we collaborate, we can facilitate even more significant change for the most vulnerable of our population.
OKCMAR is proud to partner with and support Oklahoma City’s Key to Home partnership.
Learn more by clicking the image above.
· 7% of the population are veterans
· 17% are members of families with children
· 36% are female, 62% are male, 2% are transgender or nonconforming
· 45% are white, 35% are black, 9% are Native American
· 9% are youth age 24 or younger
· 20% of the population reports mental illness
· 25% are considered “chronically” homeless
· 62% were staying in a shelter, 13% in transitional housing, 24% unsheltered
On January 25, 2024, at least 1,838 people in the Oklahoma City area had no place to call home.
The simple answer is time and money. There are plenty of services throughout Oklahoma City with a mission to address the problem and they need your help. Monetary donations are helpful, but donating your time through volunteering is just as important.
The Way Home Fund was established by OKCMAR as a way to fund programs and organizations that support the unhoused in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Donate Here
Through our homeless initiative and advocacy program, we aim to connect all of our members with ways of supporting established organizations in our community serving the unhoused.
The City of OKC has also adopted an action plan to address homelessness in a comprehensive way. From prevention, affordable housing, and emergency shelters, the City is employing a strategy to help our unhoused citizens.
The Way Home Fund is managed by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation with recipients to be determined at the end of the year by the OKCMAR Executive Committee and Homeless Initiative Chair and Vice Chair. Organizations combatting homelessness may send requests to thewayhome@okcmar.org.
We are proud to present these updates on collaborative projects with the Homeless Alliance!
103,000 meals were prepared by the Homeless Alliance’s kitchen crew last year. With a job this important, it is understandable how a broken walk-in fridge condenser would be a nightmare! With a goal to raise $30,000, the Fix Our Fridge campaign launched in July and The Way Home matched donations up to $10,000.
Not only is the fridge now back to keeping supplies cool, the Homeless Alliance was also able to invest in other necessary maintenance, such as the suspension on the truck used to pick up food and water donations!
OKCMAR volunteers painted the daytime shelter classroom last summer. We recently visited and learned more about the significance of this room!
OKCMAR’s homeless initiative continues to grow and build momentum in its second year! Last week’s volunteer day at Skyline Urban Ministry was amazing; and we are thrilled to work with them this quarter!
Skyline serves Oklahoma County’s most vulnerable through a food resource center, mobile pantry, eye clinic, and style shop. Like any nonprofit, they need donations to help sustain their operations. Since OKCMAR members made the City Care donation drive so successful, we are having one for Skyline as well!
If you are able to donate, please drop the items off on the table in the OKCMAR lobby.
OKCMAR’s past successes with homeless issues have demonstrated the transformative power of collective action and compassion, providing shelter, support, and hope to those most in need.
OKCMAR GIVESOKCMAR members toured the Skyline Urban Ministy campus and learned about all the programs Skyline is offering the community. These programs include the Food Resources Center, Eye Clinic, Style Shop and Garden Program.
OKCMAR volunteers worked hard on the Style Shop adding a fresh coat of paint and helped fill the mobile food pantry.
OKCMAR GIVESOKCMAR members gave generously through the City Care Amazon Wish List as well as bringing donations to the OKCMAR building.
OKCMAR Homeless Initiative Chair Peter Fulmer and OKCMAR Government Affairs Specialist Landry Willis delivered the goods to City Care in early June.
AN ORGANIZED STORAGEThe City Care Night Shelter offers a storage area for clients’ belongings, which is another feature that makes the facility unique. It needed some cleaning up to better serve the clients, so OKCMAR volunteers stepped up!
A ONE-OF-A-KIND FACILITY TO CONTRIBUTE TOThe Way Home gift fund was established in 2023 to support local organizations working with the unhoused population. The first check presentation took place in April 2024 at the City Care Night Shelter! To add to its reputation of advocacy and mentorship for the vulnerable, City Care opened Oklahoma City’s only permanent low-barrier night shelter serving families and individuals.
OKCMAR Homeless Initiative Chair Peter Fulmer said, “It is a one-of-a-kind facility with amenities such as storage for belongings, kennel for pets, as well as access to secure temporary housing to help transition into long-term housing.”
Donations to The Way Home Fund are accepted year-round; and contributions by OKCMAR members have made this $10000 check possible! Fulmer added, “OKCMAR is partnering with City Care and other service partners to help our neighbors escape from homelessness. We need your money and your time in this effort. We are the housing experts and we are going to make a difference!”
A FULL TRUCK ON ITS WAY TO FURNISH HOMESIn November 2023, OKCMAR Homeless Initiative Chair Peter Fulmer hosted the first of the Fill the Truck series, a partnership with Focus on Home.
“The organization parked the truck in the Edgemere neighborhood and we were able to fill it full of donated furniture. We are a group of REALTORS® that are passionate about using our network and strengths to advocate for the unhoused and give back. It was our great pleasure to partner with Focus on Home and have such a wonderful outcome,” said Caitlin Spaulding.
See the Amazon Wish List to find the items Focus on Home can use to make a home.
$15,415 RAISED!Congratulations to the Homeless Initiative Subcommittee for a successful fundraiser, with 132 event tickets and $4660 in raffle tickets sold! Special thanks to Tami Murphy and her team, our sponsors, and raffle prize donors.
The Way Home Fund is managed by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation; with recipients to be determined at the end of the year by the OKCMAR Executive Committee and Homeless Initiative Chair and Vice Chair. Organizations combatting homelessness may send requests to thewayhome@okcmar.org.
We are honored to have the opportunity to continue building a partnership with The Homeless Alliance as part of our The Way Home initiative.
The day shelter classroom is where art classes and therapy sessions are held. There was a need for fresh and calming colors – so they picked the colors, we brought the supplies and painting skills!
Our volunteers did such a great job, there was also time to revamp the lobby area!
100 INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES RECEIVED ESSENTIALS TO HELP MAKE THEIR NEW HOUSING A HOME
The Oklahoma City Metropolitan Association of REALTORS® challenged its members to help provide essential items to 100 individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness. A donation of $175 allowed the Homeless Alliance to purchase one complete “Welcome Home Kit” for a newly housed client – and we ended up with 100!
The Homeless Alliance seeks to end long-term homelessness in OKC by building the capacity of the community through collaboration with other agencies, identifying and filling gaps in homeless services, bringing nationally-recognized best practices to the community, and working to build a system that is more efficient, rational, and caring. In 2022, they served 15,105 unique individuals through all their programs, including housing, street outreach, food, shelter, and employment.
FIRST STEPSOKCMAR members toured the Homeless Alliance facility in Oklahoma City and witnessed firsthand the compassionate work being done to provide shelter, support, and resources to those in need. It’s a reminder of the resilience and strength within our communities, and the first step for OKCMAR to get involved in fixing the homeless issues in our city.
Help us spread the word. Please like, comment and share with your friends to help spread the word on your favorite social media platform.
To learn more about the initiative, please email thewayhome@okcmar.org or use the form below. We will include you on the list to help when the program begins!
