
Senate Bill Could Shutter Multiple Nonprofits In Lawton, Oklahoma
Senate Bill 484 was filed in the Oklahoma Senate on Jan. 10 and aims to prohibit Oklahoma municipalities with populations less than 300,000 from providing homeless shelters and services to unhoused individuals and victims of domestic violence. Seven organizations currently provide homeless and domestic violence shelters and services in Lawton, Oklahoma, and could be directly impacted if SB 484 is passed and signed into law.
SB 484 is authored by Oklahoma Senator Lisa Standridge of Norman and seeks to codify into law that any Oklahoma municipality with a population less than 300,000 cannot provide "programs or services to homeless persons, including but not limited to, owning or leasing land for the purposes of building or maintaining a homeless shelter."
If passed and signed into law, the bill would force municipalities with less than 300,000 in population and currently has programs and services dedicated to the homeless to "immediately terminate such services, and if the municipality currently owns or leases land for the purpose of building or maintaining a homeless shelter, cease using the land for such purposes," by the effective date of Nov. 1, 2025.
SB 484 defines 'homeless person' as unhoused individuals and those escaping domestic violence.
The bill does not offer a definition of "municipalities," therefore it is unclear as to whether or not the bill would affect homeless services owned and operated by the local city government or nonprofits operating within a municipality. But the bill does offer an extensive definition of "homeless person" or "homeless persons," and it doesn't just refer to unhoused individuals, it also includes those who may be escaping domestic violence.
The definition specifically states that a "homeless person" is considered someone who "lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence" or "has as a primary nighttime residence a publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations," or "has as a primary nighttime residence a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings."
The bill further states that the term "homeless person" also "includes those persons and families who do not have access to normal accommodations as a result of violence or the threat of violence from a cohabitant."
The bill also offers definition of "homeless shelter" as "a facility providing temporary housing and services for homeless persons."
SB 484 could directly impact seven local nonprofits and future homeless services in Lawton, Oklahoma.
Seven local nonprofits in Lawton could be directly impacted be SB 484 if signed into law. Although Lawton is one of the larger cities in southwest Oklahoma, the last census recorded a population of 90,245, which puts the city well below the bill's requirement of a population of 300,000. Therefore, according to the bill, homeless and domestic violence shelters and services in Lawton would have to discontinue on Nov. 1, 2025.
The organizations listed below provide services from meals to housing and shelter for unhoused individuals and victims of domestic violence in Lawton and southwest Oklahoma and would be forced to close or limit services due to SB 484.
Marie Detty Youth and Family Services - Provides services and outreach for children, youth and families in southwest Oklahoma. It's a nonprofit that manages the Children's Emergency Resource Center, New Directions (Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking Shelter) and the Parker Pointe Group Home. Last year, Marie Detty Youth and Family services broke ground for its new office and emergency youth shelter on Lee Boulevard in southwest Oklahoma.
Family Promise - Family Promise of Lawton works to address the root causes of family homelessness, manages a family homeless shelter in Lawton and works with local partners to provide shelter to homeless families. Family Promise also provides services to homeless families to help them find stable housing and how to maintain it.
C. Carter Crane Shelter for the Homeless - The nonprofit provides emergency shelter for homeless men, women and families. The shelter is located at 1203 SW Texas Ave in Lawton, Oklahoma, and last year the shelter switched ownership to avoid closer.
Salvation Army - Although the Salvation Army is a national organization, the Salvation Army of Lawton's homeless shelter, located at 1306 SW E Ave, could face closure or limited services due to SB 484.
MIGHT Community Development and Resource Center - The local nonprofit works with individuals in the Lawton area that are at or below the poverty level by connecting them with services, programs and resources to address their needs.
Veterans Resource Center - In 2023, the Veterans Resource Center opened in the old Armed Services YMCA building in downtown Lawton at the corner of 4th and B Ave. The purpose of the center is to provide free services for homeless veterans, including a bed, food, clothing, hygienic and social services. In October of 2022 in front of the Lawton Housing Authority's Veterans Resource Center, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed into law five bills supporting veterans in Oklahoma.
SB 484 abandons homeless people and domestic violence victims rather than addressing the state's problems.
In an article published by the Southwest Ledger on Jan. 7, the Southwest Oklahoma Continuum of Care, which is administered by the MIGHT Development and Resource Center, indicated that over 350 people are homeless in Lawton, Oklahoma. And over the last four years, Legal Services Corp. reported that 8,301 eviction notices were filed in Comanche County District Court.
In his October 2024 newsletter, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, he indicated that "Oklahoma continues to rank among the highest in the nation for incidents of domestic violence." The newsletter cited that Oklahoma averages 114 domestic violence homicides each year, and that 51.5 percent of women and 46 percent of men will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.
The Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board is housed in the Office of the Attorney General, and last year the board highlighted that "the need for increasing funding to domestic violence and sexual assault (DV/SA) service providers as a result of increasing victimization rates and in light of steep cuts to federal funding geared towards programs providing direct services to victims of abuse and sexual assault."
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Gallery Credit: Stacker
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