Renovations to the building, including reworking the layout, fixing a bathroom, and adding spaces like a common area and a donations room have already been completed, and additional projects like making space for more beds and tinting the windows for privacy are in the works.
Mallory Lee, the shelter’s new director, said these additions have been made possible by funding from the City of Norman and by donations from local organizations.
“A couple weeks after I started, the winter storm hit. We had to open the doors for a lot of overflow. And during that time, we actually weren’t taking pets yet,” Lee said. “We hadn’t opened the kennel, but I didn't want anybody to sleep outside just because they couldn't come in because of their pet. So we ended up working with the community and several people donated kennels and we were able to take in dogs.”
New security measures have also been implemented, like a walk-through metal detector, security wands, and bag checks. These changes were at the center of the disagreement between the shelter’s former operator, Norman-based nonprofit Food and Shelter, and the City of Norman, which ultimately led to Food and Shelter stepping down from its role as operator.
Roman Gray started staying at the shelter in August of last year when Food and Shelter was operating A Friend’s House. He said the new 6 p.m. curfew and rules against leaving the shelter and coming back later in the evening made him and other guests feel restrained.
“I'm actually not upset too much about the metal detector and bag check. What I am upset [about], however, is we're locked in. And when people are locked in with each other, it creates a lot of tension. When people feel trapped, they start, you know, getting stupid,” he said.
Lawrell Coupland, who has been staying at the shelter since October of last year, said she’s fine with the metal detectors and bag checks because it improves safety.
“The restrictions on when we can go out, when we can be in, that's not a safety issue at all. All it is, is a control issue,” she said. “And I learned a long time ago, yeah, you can put rules in place to control people, but really, the only person you can control is yourself.”
Lee said they instituted the earlier curfew and rules against leaving for multiple reasons, including simplifying the security screening process and ensuring the environment remains safe for all guests.
When we first started, there [were] issues with drug abuse and paraphernalia coming in. And even though we wanded people down and checked them, we would have them leave and then they would come back under the influence of something,” she said.
As much change as A Friend’s House has seen in recent months, more change is on the horizon. The Norman City Council is looking into selling the property. However, Councilmember Helen Grant said this process won’t mean the closure of the shelter
“We intend to stay in that location with the homeless shelter until we can find a permanent location. And it's my understanding that the developer is all right with that situation and that his development could happen in phases. So, it should not be a problem as long as on our end, we're finding that land in a reasonable length of time. But the developer understands as well that that could be a while still,” Grant said.
Grant said the council is looking into purchasing land on the Griffin Memorial Hospital campus between South Main Street and North Alameda Street as a possible location to build a permanent shelter.
Regardless of what’s to come, Lee is focusing on the job at hand.
“We are on contract, so we are promised the six months. So at the end of the day my focus is six months and let's get through these six months and do the best we can,” she said.
KGOU is hosting a panel of reporters including Hannah France and our partners at Oklahoma Watch and KFOR-TV for a discussion about Norman’s homelessness situation.
Oklahoma Future Forum: Homelessness, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Yellow Dog Coffee in Norman. Submit your questions here.
