Speaker 1: Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome.
Speaker 1: It is time now for our community connection right here
Speaker 1: on K one, the one you trust. And we're having
Speaker 1: a little bit of a problem with our camera here
Speaker 1: today thanks to the storm. We've got some we've got
Speaker 1: some things that are kind of got us on freeze
Speaker 1: for a little bit, but we do have the audio portion.
Speaker 1: We have Quinn Chipper in with us here from Republicans
Speaker 1: and other conservatives Washington County. And also we have Tom
Speaker 1: with us, Tom, former mayor, how you doing.
Speaker 2: I'm good.
Speaker 1: Well, We've got a nice little topic to t F
Speaker 1: today and I sure hope the folks were talking about
Speaker 1: have found some shelter in this storm today.
Speaker 3: Yes, because we are talking about Unsheltered Homeless task Force
Speaker 3: and this is going to be our topic at our
Speaker 3: ROCWC meeting next Tuesday evening at Christ and Second. And
Speaker 3: to start with, I never complained about the rain in Oklahoma.
Speaker 3: I'm grateful for it, but there are people that have
Speaker 3: challenges because they aren't sheltered. And so Aeron Kirkpatrick is
Speaker 3: a city councilman who is on the task force.
Speaker 4: Tom is very active with it.
Speaker 3: And we are going to have a bit of a
Speaker 3: panel next Tuesday, and Tom is here to tell us
Speaker 3: some about the task force. It's history, where they're at,
Speaker 3: kind of where they're going next. So I'm just going
Speaker 3: to turn with you, Tom, and I'm going to start
Speaker 3: chatting away.
Speaker 2: Thank you. Good boarding. We chaded a little bit before.
Speaker 2: I hope I can get it all in this time.
Speaker 4: That's right.
Speaker 5: You know, the council formed this committee I think started
Speaker 5: before the last election and the concept of it and
Speaker 5: it got formalized recently. And you know, part of Aaron Kirkpatrick,
Speaker 5: you mentioned him. Part of his campaign was the Highway
Speaker 5: to homeless I can't remember the name of it. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 5: but yeah, out of homelessness. And his concept is that,
Speaker 5: you know, you give everybody the tools to get out
Speaker 5: of homelessness, or you know, we don't.
Speaker 2: We don't want that to be in our community.
Speaker 5: If you don't want to get help to get out
Speaker 5: of it, we want to provide help.
Speaker 2: And I tell you that, I'll jump around a little bit, but.
Speaker 5: The the number one thing that has come out of
Speaker 5: this for me is two parts. One is that our
Speaker 5: homeless population is primarily local people. It's not that we
Speaker 5: don't have people that come here, but they are typically transient,
Speaker 5: they don't stay. And then number two is that we
Speaker 5: have a wonderful support structure, and some of the perceptions
Speaker 5: of our support structure in town I don't think are accurate.
Speaker 5: It's it's been very enlightening to me to listen to
Speaker 5: the people from say Dobu Mission, Lighthouse Be the Light,
Speaker 5: other organizations also that they are They're more realistic, they
Speaker 5: have more tons of compassion, but they also don't want
Speaker 5: to be taken advantage of by people. So I've been
Speaker 5: very heartened about the way they run their operations. And
Speaker 5: it is so difficult to go even to a fundraiser
Speaker 5: and listen to someone talk for twenty thirty minutes to
Speaker 5: get a feel for how they really are. But in
Speaker 5: this committee where we sit into our meetings every other week,
Speaker 5: we've got to know each other.
Speaker 2: We've had real conversations, and.
Speaker 5: That we really have a great support structure and a
Speaker 5: great number of organizations to provide assistance to all types
Speaker 5: of needy people in town.
Speaker 3: I know one of the goals in setting up the
Speaker 3: task force was to have a variety of people participating.
Speaker 3: I believe there is a formerly homeless person on the
Speaker 3: task Force, people who have a business, maybe they're affected
Speaker 3: by the homeless population in some way. That's obviously the
Speaker 3: service obviously the service agents and others. So it's a
Speaker 3: really interesting group of people who come to the table.
Speaker 3: I just want to back up on one comment you made, Tom,
Speaker 3: because there was this perception that people are being busted
Speaker 3: here from outside, and I think you've kind of busted
Speaker 3: that myth in some of the statistics.
Speaker 4: That you've gained.
Speaker 2: I'm not going to say that doesn't happen.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'll agree with that, yes.
Speaker 1: But.
Speaker 5: Everyone on the task forces to say no, one is
Speaker 5: denied that that has happened. But the statistics show that
Speaker 5: our homeless homeless population is you know, sixty percent local
Speaker 5: people and long term local people five plus years and
Speaker 5: some of them their whole lives. So and so we've
Speaker 5: also seen some good data the people, like I said earlier,
Speaker 5: the people who do come in, they don't stay here.
Speaker 2: They're they're they're transient. And I mean, I.
Speaker 5: You want to have good support structures. I mean this
Speaker 5: is now I'm talking about committee, but you want to
Speaker 5: have good support structures to help those who want and
Speaker 5: need help. And and I mean, let's throw everything we
Speaker 5: can to help them get out of this situation get
Speaker 5: back to being productive citizens in our community. That's it's
Speaker 5: awesome to get that to transition the uh, you know,
Speaker 5: the ones that are wanting to do criminal acts and
Speaker 5: things that the damage, I mean one of the big
Speaker 5: things for me and I got on it because of
Speaker 5: private property rights and the and the the damage we've
Speaker 5: had to some of our properties.
Speaker 2: But you know, the Pathfinder.
Speaker 5: Park phase wanted a fantastic park structure in Bartlesville, and
Speaker 5: there are people who don't feel safe using it because
Speaker 5: of this.
Speaker 2: There's other that say, oh, it's not a problem.
Speaker 5: I don't know, but I know there's people that have
Speaker 5: said it's not safe or they don't feel safe, and
Speaker 5: you know, we're we're working to make sure that that
Speaker 5: is not the case. You know, we've had tons of
Speaker 5: public bathrooms in park areas destroyed or you know, people
Speaker 5: try to live in them and you know that's not
Speaker 5: what they're for and it's illegal to do so, and
Speaker 5: it always has been illegal to do so so anyway,
Speaker 5: so that that's, uh, you know, we want I think
Speaker 5: that those facilities, you know, park facilities and public facilities.
Speaker 5: You tell me if I'm wrong, but I think they
Speaker 5: are there for the benefit and use of our citizens,
Speaker 5: the tax paying citizens of Bartlesville, and if there's a
Speaker 5: element that's making it to where we can't utilize and
Speaker 5: enjoy those facilities, then it needs change. And so that
Speaker 5: that has been That was sort of the first part
Speaker 5: of the task force, you know, and and so we've
Speaker 5: we've moved past that now and we're getting more into
Speaker 5: the Honestly, the more difficult discussion with the agencies that
Speaker 5: provide support to these individuals is you know, how to
Speaker 5: coordinate those services and how to make sure they're not
Speaker 5: taking advantage of but at the same time properly utilized.
Speaker 5: So there's some great conversations going on around that.
Speaker 2: Part of it is maybe.
Speaker 5: Getting on a universal or everybody using the same software.
Speaker 2: I think Charity Tracker is.
Speaker 5: One of them, and there's another United US I think
Speaker 5: was another one that was brought up by the school
Speaker 5: system at our last meeting. So you know, if you
Speaker 5: can get say sixty seventy percent of the.
Speaker 2: Nonprofits in town utilizing something like that, so they can
Speaker 2: see how.
Speaker 5: Their services are being utilized by individuals and make sure
Speaker 5: someone's not getting the same of us over and over
Speaker 5: again there and you know.
Speaker 2: Taking advantage of them. Miss you know so well.
Speaker 4: I know one goal is to help people move.
Speaker 3: Above and beyond their circumstance, whatever that sort of thing is.
Speaker 3: And because there are a lot of mental health issues,
Speaker 3: other health issues, and a grand health is involved. When
Speaker 3: we were in still Water, we used Charity Tracker and
Speaker 3: launched When we launched Charity Tracker and still Water, it
Speaker 3: was the second largest network in the entire United States,
Speaker 3: and in the end we had over sixty agencies, churches,
Speaker 3: public schools, the hospital. It became very, very broad based
Speaker 3: over several years, and it became a way for.
Speaker 4: People to, like I said, to coordinate.
Speaker 3: We don't want wasted resources. We generally want to help people.
Speaker 3: And just finding that right tool for Bartlesville, whether it's
Speaker 3: Charity Track or something else, I think it's going to
Speaker 3: be a key. So I'm glad to know that y'all
Speaker 3: are exploring those kinds of coordination options.
Speaker 5: I don't want to waste our time here to discuss it,
Speaker 5: but I highly recommend that you either I know you
Speaker 5: have a conflict to attend or meetings. So I put
Speaker 5: that in an email that Elaine or Mike could deliver
Speaker 5: to the committee members the story of Stillwater, because I
Speaker 5: think the agencies need to hear the success side of it.
Speaker 2: There, there's it's it's going to be work for them.
Speaker 5: It's going to cost somebody some money, charity trackers, expensive
Speaker 5: software package.
Speaker 1: So, Tom, if I can ask you a question, is
Speaker 1: part of the goal of the committee here not to
Speaker 1: reinvent the wheel. Are we looking at things that are
Speaker 1: already on the books that may have been forgotten in
Speaker 1: regards to how we accommodate or deal with folks who
Speaker 1: may be just living in sheltered or perhaps trespassing.
Speaker 5: So, if you're talking about the city ordinances, yes, there
Speaker 5: there are existence.
Speaker 1: We are reviewing those to make sure we're not going
Speaker 1: to reinvent something.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 5: No, and and so there's also been a lot of
Speaker 5: national attention brought to homelesseners. Uh you go to the
Speaker 5: extreme areas in the in Oregon and uh, Seattle and
Speaker 5: places like that, and they've uh, there's there's been some towns,
Speaker 5: not Portland, but towns outside of Portland that have taken
Speaker 5: some pretty strong lines during drawn some strong and some
Speaker 5: of those ordinances have been challenged all the way up
Speaker 5: to the Supreme Court, so we know what we'll stand
Speaker 5: the test and what won't because some of those ordinances
Speaker 5: have been tested. So we've proposed an ordinance, uh, and
Speaker 5: what it is is an amendment to the existing ordinance.
Speaker 5: Just like you said that that we believe, you know,
Speaker 5: I shouldn't say we, but the attorneys that have reviewed
Speaker 5: it believed that it would withstand any tests. If you've
Speaker 5: you've opened a little door, so I'll walk through it.
Speaker 2: Sorry, that's fine.
Speaker 5: There's uh, there's been a lot of talk, especially on
Speaker 5: social media about finding homeless people five hundred dollars a
Speaker 5: day for you know, I guess being homelessly people can't
Speaker 5: see my quote marks in the in the air. But
Speaker 5: that's just not how that ordinance reads. It's not uh,
Speaker 5: the intent. It's not how our current police presence and
Speaker 5: utilization or our municipal court are using the ordnance. And
Speaker 5: the current ordinance has the one that's on the books currently,
Speaker 5: not the one we proposed. It has the ability to
Speaker 5: find for certain activities, and what we're proposing to refine
Speaker 5: it is to take into what you see, taking account
Speaker 5: what you see in normal or current day activity. So
Speaker 5: example that would be camping when that the current ordinance
Speaker 5: was written many years ago. You know, camping on public
Speaker 5: areas was not a thing. It just wasn't a problem.
Speaker 1: That needed to be and it is today it is
Speaker 1: a problem that needs to be addressed.
Speaker 5: So but I just want to say that there are
Speaker 5: very very few finds put out for homeless people. It's
Speaker 5: it's those who uh, continually break the law, those who
Speaker 5: are in front of the judge on a regular basis,
Speaker 5: you know, So this this becomes not a homeless or
Speaker 5: unsheltered issue. It is a criminal issue, and at some
Speaker 5: point that has to be addressed. So and and I
Speaker 5: want to make the distinction that those two don't go together, no, uh,
Speaker 5: you know. And and I can't tell you the compassion
Speaker 5: and the understanding that Alan Jinches, our municipal judge, is
Speaker 5: on the committee, and and he's given very good examples
Speaker 5: of how he utilizes the ordinances that are currently on
Speaker 5: the books. We have Sierra Compton, who's the Homeless Unsheltered
Speaker 5: Liaison with the Barlsfield Police Department.
Speaker 2: She's on our committee. You know.
Speaker 5: Their their goals are to help these people and help
Speaker 5: the situation the best they can.
Speaker 2: I give the example of.
Speaker 5: They discovered a homeless encampment that was quite a mess,
Speaker 5: as dirty as on.
Speaker 2: I can't remember it's public or private property.
Speaker 5: But anyway, the judge, instead of finding or doing anything
Speaker 5: of that nature, he said, we'd like to give you
Speaker 5: the opportunity to clean it up. We'll get the dumpster,
Speaker 5: we'll provide coordination with services that are needed. And they
Speaker 5: took pride the people that they took pride in cleaning
Speaker 5: up that area, and through that other resources came in
Speaker 5: and connected with those people and hopefully they're on a
Speaker 5: better track now.
Speaker 2: So hopefully there's.
Speaker 3: Also a photo following through that of the before, during,
Speaker 3: and after, and the judge show me himust be like
Speaker 3: fifteen or twenty photos of there were a couple that
Speaker 3: were shown at the city council meeting and it was
Speaker 3: just you could see the pride in the people's faces
Speaker 3: or participating.
Speaker 4: It's a good collaboration. The judges. He's very fair and reasonable.
Speaker 3: But there aren't like five one hundred dollars a day
Speaker 3: fine is being slapped around the place.
Speaker 2: Well the ordan I said, allowed for a per day fine.
Speaker 5: That's not there's there's none of that that's.
Speaker 2: Not in there.
Speaker 1: So but you got to watch it because folks get emotional.
Speaker 1: And I understand and this is a hot button issue
Speaker 1: and I get that too, but you have to be
Speaker 1: accurate if you're going to be spreading things, is spread
Speaker 1: the truth.
Speaker 5: What the people I've talked to, if they take the
Speaker 5: time to get knowledgeable on it, they understand how it's
Speaker 5: utilized in the between the police and the judge.
Speaker 2: And it's an incentive.
Speaker 1: Basically, we don't really want your money, we know what
Speaker 1: the problem.
Speaker 2: Well they don't. Most of them don't have the ability
Speaker 2: to pay for it.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 5: It's so it's it's not a it's not a practical
Speaker 5: way to solve any problems.
Speaker 3: So well, and again we're talking about the Unsheltered Homeless
Speaker 3: Task Force and the topic on Tuesday night we're calling
Speaker 3: Hope for the homeless, and part of it they are,
Speaker 3: like I said, about sixty percent of them, or actually
Speaker 3: people who are not only partions, been here a long
Speaker 3: time and living is almost for a long time. And
Speaker 3: they're fellow citizens, you know, neighbors, friends, people's family members,
Speaker 3: and we're a community that's very generous and compassionate. And
Speaker 3: that's something that I think will come through in our
Speaker 3: panel next week, I'm hoping that we'll get some of
Speaker 3: those photos to show that particular story to such a
Speaker 3: great story, and that's going to be a crossing second.
Speaker 3: Next Tuesday evening is free for everybody can come and
Speaker 3: it can come come early. Order some great food. Six
Speaker 3: thirty to seven forty five. We have a hard stop
Speaker 3: at seven forty five. Meet some friends, bring some friends,
Speaker 3: make some friends and.
Speaker 4: Join us ROCWC.
Speaker 3: Website, sorry, facebook page, ROLCWC or info at ROCWC dot
Speaker 3: com if people want to reach out.
Speaker 1: Very good and once again you're gonna have a panel there.
Speaker 4: If you have questions, bring them, yeah, please, And if you.
Speaker 1: Have I just maybe even the slightest question to bring it,
Speaker 1: because you never know, there are a lot of folks
Speaker 1: who probably have the same question on their mind.
Speaker 4: Not everybody is right.
Speaker 3: I'm really proudly ask for as time and the work
Speaker 3: that you all are doing, and I'm staying abreast of that.
Speaker 3: I'm sorry, I'm at the conflict Nott at tend but
Speaker 3: you've got a great team and you are making some
Speaker 3: great strides.
Speaker 5: So it's been very heartening the attitude that everybody's come
Speaker 5: to the table with between the city the police department,
Speaker 5: of the judge and the service providers. It's been a
Speaker 5: very positive process for me, and I just really appreciate
Speaker 5: everybody's attitude towards it, and.
Speaker 4: I've heard that from others of the committee as well.
Speaker 1: So yeah, well it's great having you in here to
Speaker 1: have great heaven. You in here quick, and we hope
Speaker 1: to have everybody back pretty darn soon. We'll look for
Speaker 1: their updates on this. Make sure you go out Tuesday
Speaker 1: six o'clock Sturday six but six to eat.
Speaker 4: Oh come early to eat, or you can eat during
Speaker 4: the meeting.
Speaker 1: Anyway, thank but anyway, thank you very much for being
Speaker 1: here with us today.