"I used to have no one to rely on, but the staff at the Homeless Alliance have helped me out a lot. With Curbside, I have a good job and a case manager to help with getting to appointments, dealing with paperwork, and planning what's next.... I started drinking when I was nine years old. Recovery takes time, but they have not given up on me. They remind me what I need to do. I'm not quite there yet, but I'll get there."
Jason was a Curbside Chronicle magazine vendor and was about to move from homelessness into to his own place when he was referred for hernia surgery. He says he'll never forget how the Homeless Alliance paid for a motel so he'd have a stable place to rest and recover while waiting for his new home to be ready. It was painful to carry around all his possessions so he would hide them, only to come back and find them stolen. He remembers being freezing, with nothing but the clothes he had on.
Now you can find Jason making beautiful arrangements with the team at Curbside Flowers - he calls it an art form. He has people who care about him and want him to succeed. They hold him accountable. They help him navigate new challenges, like when a fire next door forced him from his apartment and damaged his possessions. Jason is grateful to have the kind of support he never had growing up in an abusive home. He's working on getting his driver's license. He has hope for the future.
You can help bring hope to more Oklahomans who are striving for housing stability by pledging your support. We are proud to be a partner agency of the United Way of Central Oklahoma and many of our clients receive services from other partner agencies as well. United Way helps us each focus on what we do best.
At the Homeless Alliance, we seek to end long-term homelessness in Oklahoma City 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. We operate a multi-agency resource campus west of downtown Oklahoma City which includes a Day Shelter to meet basic needs and provide advocacy services. Our housing programs help hundreds of Oklahomans off the streets each year. Our four supportive employment programs - the Curbside Chronicle, Curbside Flowers, Curbside Apparel and Sasquatch Shaved Ice - provide a dignified income and valuable job skills. Last year we served more than 15,000 people through all our various programs. This year, the need is greater than ever.
Thank you for believing - as we do - that no one should have to sleep outside and that our city is stronger when we all have a place to call home.
