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From YouTube: From City Hall - Ward 6
Description
Oklahoma City Ward 6 Councilwoman Meg Salyer discusses the history of and the present efforts being undertaken to help the city's homeless population with Tom Jones, President of City Rescue Mission.
A
Hello,
I'm
Meg
failure
and
I'd
like
to
welcome
you
today
to
the
ward
6
council
show
I
have
with
me
one
of
my
dear
friends,
Tom
Jones
who's,
the
president
and
CEO
of
City
rescue
mission,
which
is
one
of
the
real
superstars
and
centerpieces
of
the
social
service
community
that
helps
those
much
less
disadvantaged,
much
more
disadvantaged
in
our
community
and
Tom.
Maybe,
as
we
begin
to
talk
about
the
city,
rescue
mission,
tell
us
a
little
bit
about
its
history
in.
B
They
needed
to
do
something,
and
so
they
opened
up
a
little
shop
down
there
and
was
basically
a
soup
kitchen
and
then,
as
days
and
weeks
went
by,
they
realized
that
they
were
still
out
there
hanging
around,
even
though
they
were
being
fed
and
they
began
talking
with
him
and
realized
that
they
were
homeless
and
truly
didn't,
have
any
place
to
to
go
it
and
lay
their
head
at
night.
So
they
started
bringing
in
some
bunk
beds
and
work
got
out
along
the
stretch.
I
guess-
and
so
word.
B
Sixty
or
whether
it's
today
and
so
the
reality
was
that
you
know
the
impoverished,
the
those
that
are
in
poverty
and
just
destitute.
They,
they
sometimes
just
kind
of
hang
in
the
shadows
in
there.
They
don't
want
to
be
seen
all
that
much,
but
but
they
have
real
needs,
and
so,
when
city
rescue
began
reaching
out
to
them,
they
they
started
coming,
and
during
those
years
it
moved
from
a
soup
kitchen
to
a
residential
environment
where
they
ate,
and
they
would
offer
classes
and
job
training
and
assistance
and
trying
to
help
them
in
their
homelessness.
B
The
the
challenge
has
been
the
way
our
economy
has
been
over.
The
last
you
know
several
decades.
More
and
more
are
just
finding
themselves,
not
able
education
or
mental
health
issues.
Physical
disabilities
that
just
find
themselves
not
able
to
keep
up
with
the
requirements
that
it
takes
to
make
a
living
and
so
city
rescue
has
has
has
truly
been
one
of
those
innovators
that
is
trying
to
stay
on
top
of
the
need
and
then
create
the
programs
and
systems
that
would
help
meet
those
needs.
So.
A
One
of
the
things
I've
had
the
privilege
of
learning
in
the
years
that
we've
been
friends
is
the
programming
that
you
do.
This
is
not
just
a
place
to
come,
get
a
hot
meal
and
have
a
shower,
but
it's
a
place
to
take
control
of
your
life
and
move
into
transitional
housing,
hopefully,
and
move
into
life
skills.
So
you've
been
at
City
rescue
mission
for
eight
years,
I've.
B
Been
a
steady
rescue
eight
years
as
president
I
was
a
volunteer
there
for
nine
years
doing
chapel
services.
We
are
a
faith-based
organization
and
they
have
opportunities
for
people
who
want
to
it's
not
required,
but
if
they
are
interested
they
can
come
to
chapel
and
we
believe
that
there
is
a
spiritual
component
to
all
of
us
and
that
the
more
we
get
that
in
order
and
get
our
mind
in
order,
then
sometimes
those
other
pieces
of
our
life
begin
to
fall
in
place,
and
so
we
offer
that
again
voluntarily.
B
But
we
feel
that
the
number
one
thing
that
that
must
happen
in
the
mind
of
a
homeless
person
is
for
them
to
take
responsibility
for
their
life.
We
understand
that
there's
domestic
violence,
there's
abuse,
there's
job
loss,
there's
you
know
somebody's
died
or
divorce
or
something-
and
it's
easy,
sometimes
for
human
being
to
just
quit.
To
just
say,
I
can't
handle
this
pressure,
so
I'm
just
going
to
stop,
but
we're
not
designed
to
stop
so
sometimes
it
just
takes
that
little
extra
nudging
to
say
you
can
do
this.
B
We
believe
in
you
and
you
can
rise
up
above
this.
If
it's
education,
then
let's
work
on
that
if
its
job
training,
let's
work
on
that,
if
it's
a
loss
in
your
life,
let's
process
that,
so
you
can
move
past
it
and
become
everything
that
you
intended
to
be.
Even
we
start
with.
What
did
you
dream
as
a
child
that
you
wanted
to
do
with
your
life?
And
you
know
they?
They
don't
have
a
problem
in
the
world.
Remember.
B
Back
and
recalling
that
and
and
their
their
eyes
light
up
when,
when
they
begin
talking
about
that
and
I
said,
there's
a
bunch
of
stuff
I'm
sure
that's
happened
in
your
life.
That
feat
makes
you
think
it's
not
possible
anymore,
but
it's
amazing
when
they
began
to
believe
again
how
dedicated
and
committed
they
are.
Even
if
it's
a
substance,
abuse
issue,
we
have
a
substance
abuse
program,
that's
not
the
end
of
the
world.
We
could
overcome
anything
to
achieve
what
we
do.
What
we
believe
we
can
achieve
so.
A
Tom
one
of
the
things
that
I've
found
in
some
of
these
recent
conversations
around
the
community
is
I
think
maybe,
if
some
of
our
citizens
don't
know
how
much
is
actually
being
done
to
help
this
community
of
folks
that
need
our
help.
So
much
and
some
of
the
positive
trends
that
we're
seeing
and
you've
been
doing
this
for
long
enough
that
you
really
have
a
good
sand
sight.
I
think
we've
talked
even
once
before
about
how
the
population
has
transitioned
to
some
extent,
into
seeing
more
women
and
children.
A
B
See
that
the
ones
that
are
that
are
on
the
streets,
you
still
think
they're,
all
a
bunch
of
middle-aged
men
who
just
are
lazy
or
whatever
the
case
might
be,
but
the
reality
is
we've
had
over
500
children
and
I
think
90.
Some
percent
of
those
are
under
the
age
of
five.
We've
had
15
babies
born
where
their
mothers
were
residents
at
the
mission
and
one
of
them
one
of
the
babies,
was
born
at
the
mission.
Oh
my
gosh,
so.
B
But
the
idea
that
it's
a
middle-aged
male
dilemma
as
is
long
gone.
It's
so
many
senior
adults
are
finding
themselves
as
that's
their
only
option
and
I'm
just
telling
you
make
that
our
community
should
look
at
that
and
say
not
on
our
watch.
We
are
not
going
to
leave
our
young
mothers
and
our
senior
women
to
live
their
lives
out
in
a
homeless
shelter
simply
because
the
resources
or
the
process
to
achieve
obtain
those
resources,
it's
so
complicated
or
convoluted
that
they
feel
that
that's
their
only
I.
A
B
We
saw
a
little
over
five
thousand
unique
individuals
that
walk
through
our
doors
for
services
2015.
That
number
was
down
to
about
3500
and
that's
a
wonderful,
that's,
a
wonderful
fact,
but
you
have
to
look
at
why
and
what
a
lot
of
people
aren't
aware
of
is
the
number
of
people
that
have
come
through
city
rescue
mission
that
are
in
housing
now
and
have
remained
in
housing
for
four
years
since
they've
been
gone
through
the
program
again
of
getting
their
head
screwed
on
straight.
What
is
it
that
caused
you
to
just
quit?
B
But
it's
it
it's
something
that
can
be
you
know
repaired
or
restructured
or
they
pull
it
together
and
now
they're
excited
to
go
they're,
not
as
a
matter
of
fact
of
the
hundreds
that
we've
seen
placed
in
housing.
Every
single
one
of
them,
but
over
ninety-four
percent
I
believe
are
still
in
housing
and
they've
decreased
their
their
need
for
assistance
from
the
government
over
fifty
percent
and.
B
Needs
to
be
known
that
it's
happening,
because
sometimes
we,
if
we
don't
know
those
realities,
we
become
overwhelmed
with
the
just
this
craziness
that's
going
on
in
our
society
and
yet
when
the
community,
like
oklahoma
city,
rallies
together,
and
I'm
just
going
to
be
honest
with
you
when
we
have
the
when
we
have
the
partnership
with
city
council
and
in
city
government
and
in
all
the
wonderful
agencies
that
serve
in
this
community,
we
can
see
this
thing
concord.
We
don't
it's
a
21st
century.
A
B
A
A
B
Downtown-
and
we
made
our
minds
up
several
years
ago,
if
we're
going
to
get
to
stay
downtown,
which
is
where
many
of
the
homeless
congregate,
because
of
the
bus
terminals,
that
we
need
to
stay
up
with
project
and
make
sure
that
when
people
are
driving
down
Reno,
they
don't
come
out
of
what
is
considered
the
excellence
of
Oklahoma
City
into
this
environment
of
nasty
and
so
our
board
of
directors
and
and
our
donors.
We
are
so
appreciative
that
we
are
continuing
the
level
of
excellence
that
Oklahoma
City
has
and.
B
A
A
Brings
joy
to
my
face
every
time,
I
think
about
that
with
somebody
helping
them
take
care
of
their
place
and
this
beautiful
big
staircase
and
somebody
preparing
their
meals
for
them,
and
it
was
just
a
really
heartwarming
story,
but
it
spoke
so
deeply
to
you
know
the
quality
of
wraparound
service
that
is
provided
there.
These.
A
B
They
just
go
to
they
go
to
our
website
city
rescue
org,
and
they
can
they
can
find
it
then
go
to
the
library
if
it's
a
homeless
person
they
go
to
library.
But
if
it's
any
person
in
the
community
any
company,
any
individual,
any
church
go
to
our
website
city
rescue,
0
RG
and
you
can
download
this
little
card.
It's
called
the
compassion
card
and
it's
got
the
number
on
it.