Oklahoma City and Tulsa, and even rural communities, struggle with areas plagued by economic blight. The telltale signs are abandoned homes, schools and other buildings – the hollowing out of cherished neighborhoods.
The Invisibles: On the Streets, Bedding Down in the Cold
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Fewer people in Oklahoma City are homeless, according to the latest counts. But more are unsheltered at night, even in the dead of winter. So Oklahoma Watch asked those on the streets, “Where do you sleep?”
Oklahoma’s Poverty Landscape
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Mapping poverty can be deceiving. This interactive map showing poverty rates by census tract across Oklahoma helps pinpoint the smaller areas with extreme levels of deprivation.
Summer and After-School Programs Out of Reach for Many Parents
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When school’s out, in summer or afternoon, many parents face a struggle. Research shows that children without access to summer and after-school learning programs can suffer academically, but finding good, affordable ones is an arduous task. Oklahoma provides no state funding, and a federal program could be eliminated.
‘Watch-Out’ Video: The Widespread Problem of Hunger
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Hunger in Oklahoma was the focus of an “Oklahoma Watch-Out” public forum, featuring Hunger Free Oklahoma Executive Director Chris Bernard; Katie Fitzgerald, CEO of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, and Leon Hill, Oklahoma City Public Schools executive director of operations services.
Fallin Vetoes High-Interest Loan Bill Pushed by National Payday Lenders
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Of 10 payday lending bills identified in seven states this year, Oklahoma’s legislation appears to have had one of the higher potential interest rates — 204 percent annually. The bill likely represented a payday lending industry push nationwide.
Battling Heat, Homeless Also Face Freeze of State’s Wait List for Housing Aid
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Even as the heat takes a toll on Oklahoma’s homeless population, another potential hardship has developed related to efforts to get the homeless off the streets: a stop on the growing waiting list for housing assistance.
Budget Crisis Clips Credit For Working Poor
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Oklahoma lawmakers have voted to pare back the state’s earned income tax credit. The incentive provides an annual income boost to about 200,000 low-income households with working parents.
Revisit: ‘Nobody,’ a Short Video Journey into Homelessness
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As advocacy groups and volunteers prepare to count the homeless this winter, walk in the footsteps of Danny, a Norman man who became temporarily homeless.
Oklahoma Watch-Out: Challenges in South OKC
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As part of the “Talk With Us” mobile video project, Oklahoma Watch held a forum in south Oklahoma City featuring Oklahoma City Councilwoman Meg Salyer, OKC Public Schools board member Gloria Torres and attorney Michael Brooks-Jimenez.
Talk With Us: Poverty in Oklahoma City Neigborhoods
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What are the challenges of living in low-income neighborhoods? Journalists at Oklahoma Watch and students at OU’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication unveiled a mobile-video project on impoverished neighborhoods.