ABOUT US
Homelessness is complicated. It's an issue no single organization can solve on its own. It requires the entire community working together to address it effectively. We believe that together, we can end homelessness in OKC.
OUR VISION
We seek 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.
OUR MISSION
The Homeless Alliance's mission is to rally our community to end homelessness.
WE VALUE
Collaboration
Community
Innovation and creativity
Research and strategy
Nimbleness
People and their right to housing
Compassion regardless of circumstance
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
OUR HISTORY
The Homeless Alliance began as a group of community volunteers concerned about the fractured system of care for people experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma City. These volunteers visited other communities that had successfully implemented coordinated systems and studied their strategies. After launching in 2004 with just one employee in a borrowed office in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of OKC, one of the first initiatives of the Homeless Alliance was to begin convening the directors of the community's overnight shelters. From there, the Homeless Alliance conducted a community needs assessment to identify gaps in services and began work to fill those gaps. The organization then developed a software system to track data across the community in order to more strategically address the issue of homelessness.
TODAY
Today, the Homeless Alliance operates a multi-agency homeless resource campus with access to multiple nonprofit and government agencies providing services including health clinics, veterans services, budgeting and legal assistance. The campus also includes Oklahoma City's only low-barrier Day Shelter which serves breakfast and lunch, offers showers, mail service, lockers, phones, computers, a pet kennel and access to classes and other service providers. The Homeless Alliance also has a street outreach team which goes out into the community to find people and connect them with services and operates four low-barrier employment programs including the Curbside Chronicle, Curbside Flowers, Sasquatch Shaved Ice, and Curbside Apparel.
Most importantly, the ultimate goal of the Homeless Alliance is to move people off the streets and into the safety and security of a home, so the organization operates multiple housing programs for people experiencing homelessness including families with children, veterans, victims of domestic violence, people exiting the justice system, people who are HIV positive, and people who are chronically homeless.
The Homeless Alliance is a proud partner of the United Way of Central Oklahoma.
By the Numbers
In 2023, the Homeless Alliance:
750 People Housed
The Homeless Alliance helped house 750 people including families with children, veterans, and single adults through our programs and collaborative initiatives.
3,538 Unique Winter Shelter Guests
Our Winter Shelter is open from Nov. 1 through Mar. 31 and has space for up to 300 adults and their pets.
103,256 Meals Served
The Homeless Alliance serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner to guests at our Day and Winter Shelters 7-days-a-week.
330 Daily Day
Shelter Guests
The Day Shelter served an average of 330 guests each day in 2023. Guests have access to meals, showers, mail, barbers, legal aid, classes, service referrals, and more.
11,935 Unique Day Shelter Guests
There were 11,935 unduplicated people who visited the Day Shelter in 2023.
18,030 People Served
We served 18,030 people through all of our programs - including housing, street outreach, food, shelter, and employment. This represents 81% of all individuals who have been entered into HMIS.
Homeless Alliance Leadership Team
Meghan Mueller, Chief Executive Officer
Alexandra Dueñez Burns, Chief Human
Resource Officer
Carrie Sauer, Chief Development Officer
David Delgado, Chief Collaboration Officer
Ghadir Al Rashaideh, Chief Financial Officer
Haley Phelps, Chief Administration Officer
Ian Apfelbaum, Chief Shelter Officer
Ranya Forgotson, Chief Social Enterprise Officer
Tara Ryan, Chief Housing Officer
Taylor Self, Chief Communications Officer
Whitley O'Connor, Chief Social Enterprise Officer
Board Officers
Suzy Lytle, Board Chair
Jennifer Lyles, Board Treasurer
Jordan Sowers, Vice Chair
Pam Stark, Secretary
Board of Directors
Brittani Hunter, OKC Adventure District
Christian Guzzy, Hartzog Conger Cason
Frank Turner, Turner Management
Halley Reeves, OU Health Sciences Center
Jason Hall, ODMHSA
Jennifer Lyles, RSM US LLP
Jordan Sowers, Shamrock Bank
Julie Porter Scott, Community Volunteer
Matt Cole, HSPG & Associates
Mark Gillet, Oklahoma City Housing Authority
Marion Paden, Leadership Oklahoma
Pete Kinzer, American Fidelity
Pam Stark, Veterans Affairs (retired)
Phillipa James, City of Oklahoma City
Pooja Singhal, SSM Health
Suzy Lytle, Sandy Beaches Software