Norman City Council members unanimously approved a $74,290 deal to buy more than three acres for a permanent homeless shelter in late November.
The land is part of Griffin Memorial Hospital, the state's largest inpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment center. The hospital has been in operation for over a century, first built as a girls' school in 1890, shortly after Norman was settled.
The City of Norman purchased the land from Griffin Hospital's most recent owner, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. The department is in the early process of vacating the campus for a newer site in Oklahoma City.
"There is no ideal location in our city limits for a shelter," said Mayor Stephen Holman during the November council meeting. "But of anywhere in Norman, the Griffin Hospital property, which has been home to social services for over 100 years, made the most sense."
He said the purchased site along Reed Avenue, just south of Main Street, wouldn't have been his first choice, but the property will serve the city's needs.
The city has been interested in purchasing parts of Griffin Memorial Hospital for a homeless shelter for years. Holman said the unanimous vote is one step forward in a long process. Funding for the project still needs to be established.
But council members said the deal was too good to pass up, even without the future completely sketched out.
During the meeting, some constituents shared concerns about what bringing a low-barrier shelter might mean for their neighborhoods. Council members agreed to involve community members and local businesses in the planning process for the shelter.
Norman city leaders have discussed asking voters to help fund the permanent shelter, and councilors set a deadline to get the language finalized for the April ballot.
A bond to fund a permanent shelter narrowly failed by fewer than 400 votes in 2020.
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