LAWTON – A seven- member Homeless Action Committee has been established to “reduce the community impact of homelessness” by identifying services available locally and referring homeless individuals to servicing agencies.
Another of its duties will be identifying “the scope of homelessness” in Lawton-Fort Sill.
The panel was created March 12 by the City Council.
All members will be appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council. Four of the members will be city councilors and three “shall be members of the community”: one from the social services field, one from the mental health field, and one from the faithbased community. The members will serve at the pleasure of the mayor for indefinite terms.
The committee must meet on a regular basis but no less than quarterly.
Last month the City Council established an ad hoc committee to “address challenges stemming from the transient community.”
Ward 2 Councilman Kelly Harris chairs the Council Committee, with assistance from colleagues Allan Hampton, Ward 5; Bob Weger, Ward 6; and Sherene Williams, Ward 7.
The Council Committee will work alongside the Homeless Task Force, a volunteer community organization.
“This is a growing problem,” Mayor Stan Booker said.
“We need an umbrella organization for all of the different initiatives” arising from homelessness, such as mental health, vagrancy, litter, and fires in vacant dwellings, City Manager John Ratliff said. “This is a complicated issue and requires a multifaceted organization to synchronize these initiatives.”