OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) — The Oklahoma City Community Foundation awarded $794,750 through its Bridge OKC Fund to three organizations working on housing stability, homelessness, and mental health care.
The grants will support the Key to Home Partnership, Homeless Alliance, and Mental Health Association Oklahoma. OCCF said an additional grant is planned, bringing total Bridge OKC investment in the effort to more than $1 million.
The Bridge OKC Fund was created to address gaps in nonprofit support and fund data-driven projects addressing widespread community needs.
“Mental health and homelessness are significantly impacting our community, with needs increasing sharply,” OCCF President and CEO Trisha Finnegan said. “On the streets, in homes, and through staffed facilities, these three trusted organizations are leading effective efforts to support individuals and strengthen the systems that connect people to care.”
The Key to Home Partnership, a coalition of more than 50 organizations focused on preventing and ending homelessness in Oklahoma City, will use its funding to expand its Complex Adaptive Response Engagement, or CARE, Team. The program combines street outreach with dedicated mental health support for people facing complex housing and behavioral health challenges.
Key to Home said its broader model has already helped more than 500 people move from encampments into housing.
The Homeless Alliance will use its grant to make upgrades to its Day Shelter as the organization works toward becoming a certified behavioral health provider. The shelter serves hundreds of people each day and provides meals, showers, communications access, mental health services, employment programs, and other resources.
Funding will also support Mental Health Association Oklahoma’s Shelterwell Program, which focuses on preventing homelessness by intervening during the eviction process. The grant will help expand services to more individuals and families, including Spanish-speaking residents, while strengthening data systems used for research and program evaluation.
“Oklahoma has one of the highest eviction rates in the nation,” Mental Health Association Oklahoma CEO Carrie Blumert said. “Expanding eviction court advocacy will be a game-changer for families across Oklahoma.”
OCCF said the grants are intended to connect immediate assistance with longer-term housing and mental health stability.
