A Better Way Norman is shutting down at the end of August. The two-week program offers work cleaning up public spaces and connection to employment, housing, mental health and substance abuse services.
The program was operated as a partnership between the City of Norman and Mental Health Association Oklahoma. CEO Carrie Blumert said the City was funding the program through opioid settlement funds it received from the Attorney General’s office — but was denied for additional funding this year.
“We are open to restarting the program if we can find additional funding or if the City of Norman wants to allocate money from their general fund. We would love to keep the program going, but right now we just do not have the funds to do that,” she said.
Blumert said Mental Health Association Oklahoma could not apply for the funding itself because opioid settlement funds through the Attorney General’s office can only be allocated to cities, counties, or school districts.
Data shared by the organization shows the program had more than 200 participants from June 2025 to June 2026 and helped 25 people find gainful employment, 17 people find housing, and more than 50 people get connected to mental health or substance abuse services.
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