City of Lawton pursuing options to house growing homeless population

Officials with the City of Lawton and Lawton’s support organizations are ready with recommendations for homeless people who won’t be allowed to sleep in public places when a new city ordinance goes into effect.

City Council members have indicated support but not yet approved an ordinance that will make unauthorized camping in public places illegal, action aimed at preventing homeless people from sleeping on sidewalks and benches, in or near business doorways, and in city parks.

Supporters said making that action illegal means law enforcement personnel charged with enforcing the ordinance must be ready to offer alternative to the homeless, and Parks and Recreation Director Larry Parks said city staff already has analyzed one option.

That option is Olson Park, park space on Southwest E Avenue at Southwest 12th Street that will be designated as a Homeless Outreach Park. That means dedicated space where the homeless may sleep.

“A lot of homeless people use this park anyway,” Parks said, adding that makes it an ideal location for the city to designate for sleeping should shelters not have space to offer the homeless.

Parks said Olson is a “pocket park,” small open space that has picnic tables and already is frequented by the homeless because of what is nearby. Parks said the area is close to outreach agencies that work with the homeless, including the Salvation Army facility south of the park that offers a food pantry and temporary shelter when it is open. Hungry Hearts Feeding Ministry also is within “an easy walk” of Olson Park, while the C. Carter Crane shelter is four blocks away.

Parks said the idea is designating Olson Park as a connection point, one that can accommodate homeless people who need a place to spend the night while also being a consistent spot for help agencies to work with that population. He said the designation will help police who will be enforcing the anti-camping ordinance by giving them a place to take those who can’t sleep in public areas. Other amenities, such as bathrooms, can be easily added, he said.

Parks said the Salvation Army can provide cots and visitors would have the option of sleeping on the ground or providing tents or other sleeping accommodations. The park also is heavily wooded, which provides some shelter from the weather.

Homeless advocates also are pursing the idea of creating a Day Center in the former Roosevelt Elementary School at 1502 SW I.

Gary Brooks, the city’s community development administrator, said his staff is working with MIGHT Community Development and Resource Center Director Bernita Taylor on that property, researching the deed to identify problems that must be resolved before the property can be sold. Funding for that building — located about 4 blocks south of Olson Park — will come from a variety of sources, including funding allocated to Lawton from Oklahoma’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation and private donations. Funding was allocated in 2022, and the city and MIGHT have been working on the concept since then, Brooks said.

Taylor said officials have been inside the old school to ensure it is suitable to serve those experiencing homelessness. Taylor said while homelessness is not unique to Lawton, the city has found a unique way to address the situation, adding that not only will the building provide safe shelter, it also could centralize resources that the homeless may need.