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Helping homeless is ongoing struggle

 
BY JULIE BISBEE | Published: October 12, 2008    Comment on this article Leave a comment

For some, the answer to Oklahoma City’s homeless problem is easy: Help people get a job.

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Sunday Conversation with Dan Straughn

Oct 11Oklahoman writer Julie Bisbee talks to Dan Straughn of...

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Dan Straughan of the Homeless Alliance discusses his work. Newsok.com

If only it were that easy, says Dan Straughan, executive director of Oklahoma City’s Homeless Alliance. Many people suffer from mental illness, drug addiction or sometimes a combination of both. As the executive director of the Homeless Alliance, Straughan, 51, works to bring the right services to the right people in hopes of helping them get their lives back on track.

Q. How would you describe the homeless in Oklahoma City?

A. We have about 2,000 on any given night. Our fastest growing demographic amongst the homeless is families with children. Although that’s a still a pretty small minority, it’s about 15 percent of the 2,000.

Q. What plans are there to improve services for the homeless?

A. We’ve bought a city block at NW 3 and Virginia and what we hope to do there is put a bunch of different agencies there so you don’t have to make that six-mile slog between DHS and Social Security.

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Related Topics: Health and Fitness, Social Issues, Mental Health, Drug Addiction, Addiction and Recovery, Homelessness, Nonprofits and NGOs



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