It’s a hot day in Norman, and a small crew of people in neon green vests are hard at work collecting litter off the side of the road. In a nearby parking lot, a van pulls a trailer steadily filling up with garbage bags.
“As you can see, we already got a lot of trash. We started at like nine o'clock this morning and we started down there. We go up each street to the stoplight. Just make sure there's no trash anywhere,” said Faithon, one of the workers and participants in Norman’s new supportive employment program called A Better Way.
The two-week program is a partnership between the City of Norman and Mental Health Association Oklahoma aimed toward people experiencing homelessness, substance use disorders, or other barriers to stable employment.
Participants work cleaning up public spaces in exchange for a daily meal and cash compensation. Additionally, participants are connected with case managers to help them secure permanent employment, housing, behavioral health care, and more.
“It's hard to put your best foot forward when you have a lot of things going against you — a lot of trials and tribulations and a lot of complexity. So I think that any advocate that they can get really makes all the world of a difference,” said Tara Richard, the program’s employment coordinator.
Richard partners with hiring managers at companies like Goodwill and Walmart to help line up permanent jobs for participants. But her work goes beyond job applications. She works with participants on resume writing, interview skills, and the dos and don’ts of gaining and maintaining a job.
“So it's not us just like, giving them a job. But I am handing them all the tools, right? I'm handing them all the tools, I'm making sure that their toolbox is as sharp as it can be,” she said.
Richard said another part of the toolbox is dressing for success, so A Better Way purchased interview outfits for participants to look and feel their best.
“It was great because it was as if every single one of them, I would say like a kid on Christmas day a bit. Just because whenever they're looking at the gifts that we got them, the intentionality of it,” she said.
“I looked at their personalities. I tried to really be a bit fashion forward. I'm a bit of a hipster myself. So I like to dress well. I kind of wanted them to feel good because as I'm pouring into them, I want them to pour into themselves. I want that self care to be there.”
A Better Way started in Norman at the beginning of June, but has been operating in Tulsa since 2018.
Data gathered by Mental Health Association Oklahoma shows 67 participants transitioned into permanent job placements in 2024. Additionally, in the second half of the year, 14 participants were moved out of homelessness into stable housing.
Izetta Gibson, the Senior Director of Clinical Services for Mental Health Association Oklahoma, said she anticipates the population difference between Tulsa and Norman will give case managers and employment specialists more time to work with participants. But regardless of where the program is operating, she has the same goal.
“I hope this program will show folks just giving people a chance regardless of what the issues were is a good thing for the community. We all have different things or situations that negatively impact us, but everybody just wants a chance to be able to care for themselves, care for their families and just go to work, have a sense of dignity about who you are and feel like you're a part of society,” she said.
Faithon said A Better Way is helping him do just that.
“I feel like what we're doing now is not only gonna help in the long run, but it can at least make the streets look a little nicer. You know, I've lived here for 22 years and it's never really looked this nice. I think we all come out here for some reason. I think my reason is so I have more options, not only for me, but for my wife, not only from my wife but from my kid. So I feel like this is the best start,” he said.
Richard said the program has received over 100 referrals for participants so far, and with the third session just beginning, she doesn’t see the momentum stopping any time soon.
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