FOURTH DISTRICT DEMOCRAT
Serving Southwest Oklahoma Democrats in the 4th Congressional District of Oklahoma comprised of 16 counties: Carter, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Garvin, Grady, Jefferson, Love, Marshall, McClain, Murray, Pontotoc, Stephens, and Tillman; as well as a small portion of Oklahoma County and Canadian County.
CLEVELAND COUNTY
March 01, 2008
January 07, 2008
CORNBREAD AND BEANS BACK IN ACTION
The weekly Cornbread & Beans lunch meetings begin again Friday, January 11, at Step Brothers, 423 S. Webster in Norman. The featured speaker will be Representative Bill Nations. Kay Floyd, representing the Hillary Clinton campaign, will also speak. Lunch service starts at 11:30 a.m. and the speaker begins at noon. Cornbread and beans are $5.00 including tea and gratuity, or you can order off the menu. Remember also to toss a couple dollars (or more) in the basket when it's passed around -- this is an important source of operating funds for the Clevelaqnd County Democratic Party.
October 31, 2007
COUNTY HOMELESS COUNT CLIMBS from Tim Mauldin PhD
More than 600 children deemed ‘homeless’
By Carol Cole-Frowe
The Norman Transcript
October 29, 2007
Numbers are in on Cleveland County’s Point In Time homeless count and they have more than doubled.
And the count for homeless children has almost tripled.
“We’re getting more accurate numbers,” said Elaine Hunter, consultant for the City of Norman. “We are all getting better at knowing how to do it.”
The count was taken Sept. 20 as part of ECHO 2015, Norman’s Ten-Year Plan to end Chronic Homelessness. Its goal is working to provide an unduplicated count for local, regional and national planning.
It showed a total homeless count of 1,455, including more than 600 children. That was more than double the Jan. 25 count of 624, which included more than 200 children.
“It’s an astronomical number for kids,” Hunter said.
She said part of the reason for the increase is doing a better job of counting “couch surfers.”
More than half the September count is families, including 591 children and 187 adults. Of the children, 262 were preschool age and 329 were school age.
The other half consisted of 651 unaccompanied adults and 24 unaccompanied youth up to 18 years old.
“There is more poverty, people who are just really living on the edge right now that we see,” Hunter said.
The more than 30 agencies that helped count included schools, supportive service programs, police departments, the sheriff’s department, Norman Regional Hospital’s emergency department, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and various area agencies that deal with the homeless.
But it wasn’t easy.
“This was the hardest count I’ve done, because everybody was so busy. It’s hard for them to do another thing like this count. And because of that, I talked to people right in the midst of their crazy daily work lives,” Hunter said.
Of the 1,455 homeless counted, only 251 were sheltered.
There were 186 unsheltered family units, with 25 sheltered family units.
Some of the special needs of the families and unaccompanied individuals include substance abuse, mental illness and domestic abuse.
Supportive service needs include job training or employment, case management, child care, mental health care, housing placement, life skills training, transportation and health care.
Hunter said it’s difficult to count the “couch surfers,” those who go from friends’ couch to friends’ couch. Those people show up in different ways.
“They can get a temporary job ... and they sleep in a motel for a few nights. Or they sleep in a car for a few nights. Or somebody will say, ‘you can sleep in my living room for a few nights.’ And that’s the way they’re living. And trying to get their kids to school. And it’s just more than people imagine,” Hunter said.
She said if the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development changed the guidelines to count people who are doubled up, it’s estimated the country’s population would increase by 3.8 million.
Hunter said the homeless count makes more sense this time.
“It’s just that this time, we have the parents that go with those kids. The whole family is homeless, but we are just now getting a good count for the family,” she said.
Hunter said there is an acute need for more affordable housing and emergency shelter space.
Part of the problem is that many out on the street have mental health or substance abuse issues.
“Griffin (Hospital), their intakes are just phenomenal. There are just a lot of people in need of mental health treatment and medical treatment and substance abuse treatment and not enough services,” she said.
Hunter said Norman Alcohol Drug and Treatment Center officials estimate it’s not unusual to get between 50 and 100 calls on a given a day.
“The Norman Regional Health System, the Sheriff’s department, everything is overtaxed. And the direct homeless service providers like the homeless shelters and Food and Shelter for Friends, they are totally overwhelmed. It’s just astounding,” she said.
Three Homeless Connect events are being planned, Hunter said. They will focus on specific problems for the homeless and those who live on the edge.
Transportation will be the focus of the Nov. 8 Homeless Connect at Food and Shelter for Friends.
A Cleveland County Rapid Transit or CART bus will be displayed. CART personnel will show attendees how bus passes work and they’ll demonstrate how to put a bicycle on a bus.
Homeless Connect organizers are working on getting bicycle shops to do repairs at the event and maybe give away a bicycle.
“There are a lot of creative things we can do and a lot of creative things that are going on,” Hunter said.
August 31, 2007
CLEVELAND COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY PICNIC!
From: "Cleveland County Democratic Party" <office@clevelandcountydems.org>
To: green4okhouse@aol.com
Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 07:44:53 -0500
Subject: You're invited to the Labor Day Picnic
Democrats,
State Sen. Andrew Rice will be the keynote speaker at the Cleveland County Democratic Party's Labor Day picnic, Monday, Sept. 3, at Andrews Park. The picnic will be from 3:00 to 7:00 p. m. at the large park pavilion, 201 W. Daws in Norman.
Rice has announced that he will be a candidate for the U. S. Senate
and will run as a Democrat against Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe in the 2008 election.
The menu at the picnic will include hamburgers, veggie burgers,
kosher hot dogs, music and speakers. Requested donation is $10.
David Perry
CCDP Chair
July 16, 2007
April 02, 2007
CLEVELAND COUNTY ELECTION RESULTS by Tim Mauldin,PhD
David Perry was elected county chair, Margaret Phillips was elected county vice chair, and Donna Russell was elected county secretary.
The following 31 delegates to the state convention were elected by caucus:
Progressives Caucus: Kyla McMoran, Georjana Mauldin, Elaine Hobson, Sandra Rose, Paula Roberts, Jennifer Shaw, Cal Hobson, Mark Floyd, Matt Latham, Matt Bransetter, Tim Mauldin
North Cleveland County Caucus: Connie Alagood, Johanna Best, Barbara Blake, Troy Green, Eric Hermansen, Gaylon Hayes
Environmental Caucus: Lynette Welsh, Suzette McDowell, Karen Helin, Ben Robinette, Chadwick Cox
Democracy for America: Mary Francis, Janne O’Donnell, Jean Risenhoover, Adam Gleason, William Gleason
Labor Caucus: Pam Allen, Dorothy Jenkins, Donald Jewell, Phil Maher
