The Changing Face of Homelessness

Today's global financial crisis has spawned massive dislocations of many new and surprising types. The current economic downturn, unlike others in the past, is hurting not just the already-poor but also people who were considered safe and well off. Once mighty banks have been brought low -- or destroyed. And millions of people who were living the American dream -- as homeowners -- are heading for the street.

The images of homelessness -- sunken-cheeked men railing against imaginary voices -- now include the specter of the family next door -- former homeowners and the recently unemployed. These once middle-class folks now have been tossed into desperation by the international credit crunch.

And much of it is happening in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol.

Raymond Winbush, an unemployed emergency-room technician who likes to read Shakespeare, looks at the other homeless men at the Central Union Mission in Northwest and wonders aloud how his life has come to this.

"I was raised with the idea that if you had a job, that if you did it well ... you could make it. You didn't need to worry," says Mr. Winbush, 61, who said he left a steady job at the Maimonides Medical Center in New York to help his sister in Virginia Beach.....Read More

Welcome

The Governor’s Interagency Council on Homelessness welcomes you to the Council’s brand new website.  We are all very excited to debut this resource tool. We hope that you find valuable information, important notices, and available services on the pages and links housed here.

The Governor’s Interagency Council on Homelessness (GICH) was created to promote collaborations among stakeholders and to develop and implement strategies to improve access to  services  and  mainstream resources, and to develop affordable, permanent housing to address Oklahoma’s homeless population.  The GICH envisions this website as a state wide as well as community resource; a continuous link to people and services. We are making every effort to include information to help  those dealing with homelessness or  assisting the homeless.

The members of the GICH believe it is critical to house and link the most current and pertinent information on this website.  Therefore, we actively solicit e  articles, data, information and notices regarding services, programs, and events.   We want to make this site interesting and invaluable to you and to servicing organizations.  In order to accomplish this ongoing task, we will need your assistance.  If you have or know of any information which needs to be included on this website, please do not hesitate to contact the webmaster.

This is truly a collaborative effort. May we continue to work in the same spirit of collaboration to address homelessness.

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