Homeless Population

[Pete]

https://www.okc.gov/Home/Components/News/News/4652/18 glad to see the city taking some action and I hope it can make a difference for some. I did notice this weekend that they have large concrete blocks under the I-44/Penn bridge to prevent shopping carts from being pushed in and looked like they had some kind of steel blocking off the areas at the top of the slope where people were sleeping.

That's very good to see.

As I've mentioned, the City, County and Police were out there virtually every day, as was a big cleaning crew.

It's incredible the amount of trash even 20 people can make in a day. It would get cleaned up, and then the cycle would repeat day after day, month after month.

It's got to be cheaper to just house these poor people, and a million times more humane.


The issue is going to be the panhandling. They build camps where they can beg for money at an intersection and they all have cell phones (ever notice how those 'free phone' places put up pop-up tents near these camps?) and it won't be long before others move into those spots.

[mugofbeer]

Tough love and treatment is the answer. Enabling them to just maintain and continue the behavior only hurts them in the long run.

[OKCbyTRANSFER]

Reno Ave and Western under OKC Blvd has had piles of debris lately. It just looks horrible. The constant upkeep, like Pete mentioned, must be enormous.

[Celebrator]

Reno Ave and Western under OKC Blvd has had piles of debris lately. It just looks horrible. The constant upkeep, like Pete mentioned, must be enormous.

Write the Action Center once a week or more if you have to. I have done this with other locations and things do get taken care of if you are persistent about it. It works!

[OKCbyTRANSFER]

Write the Action Center once a week or more if you have to. I have done this with other locations and things do get taken care of if you are persistent about it. It works!

Actually, I do contact the Action Center, for other issues but never for homeless camps. And yes, it works.

[fortpatches]

Reno Ave and Western under OKC Blvd has had piles of debris lately. It just looks horrible. The constant upkeep, like Pete mentioned, must be enormous.

They cleaned the soot off the walls recently (idk if by washing or painting or both). And yesterday morning when I drove by, a group of 4-5 people had a campfire going about 6ft from the walls.

[jccouger]

Tough love and treatment is the answer. Enabling them to just maintain and continue the behavior only hurts them in the long run.

Yup, the easier it is to be homeless the more homeless there will become. I know how harsh that sounds, but its the unfortunate truth.

[Rover]

Tough love and treatment is the answer. Enabling them to just maintain and continue the behavior only hurts them in the long run.

What does "tough love" look like to you and how do you personally determine who deserves tough love and who deserves help and kindness? What is the success rate of "tough love" programs in the US?

I hear a lot of chest beating and pontificating about tough love, but it usually means "do nothing to help" and "look the other way". I see very little info on what it is and how it actually improves "the long run".

[Dob Hooligan]

Yup, the easier it is to be homeless the more homeless there will become. I know how harsh that sounds, but its the unfortunate truth.

I am not piling on. But, your statement makes homelessness appear to be aspirational? I'm not sure there is anything "easier" to become than flat broke with no place to live?