Homeless encampments being moved ahead of multipurpose stadium construction

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — On Tuesday, OKC City Council approved the land donation for the Maps 4 Multipurpose Stadium.

The nine acres of land that was donated is located in the area of Shields and SE 3rd St.

First, the City is coming up with a plan on what to do with the homeless population that is set up in the area.

"When we have a major disruption, like it's a construction project, we're going to look at that site and identify those folks for encampment closure so that we can move them into housing," said Jaime Caves, with Key to Home Partnership.

A state of the art multipurpose stadium is ready to enhance downtown OKC.

"We're just excited to be at this stage of the project and anxious to get construction started and then even more excited about finishing it," David Todd, Maps Program Manager said.

Nine acres of land with not much around, but one business nearby says it has been paying close attention to what's coming next door.

"I think it'll be great to see more active people down here," Rachel Speer, with Silos Climbing, Yoga and Fitness said. "The concern is the construction, like getting people to battle the traffic and stuff to still come down and climb."

That is something Todd says should not be an issue.

"I don't think that will affect any currently open roads because we're so far back in that piece of property and there's plenty of room for staging and lay down as we say," Todd said. "So, I don't see any real disruptions other than a little more traffic."

However, there is a dilemma, homeless people and encampments have been set up in the area for years.

Caves says they have a program ready to help.

"It's called the Encampment Rehousing Initiative," Caves said. "We go out into camps, offer outreach and support services to folks, and then we engage."

Once they start the process, she says it takes four to six weeks to get them housed.

"We've closed over 20 locations in the past year," Caves said. "We've housed more than 300 people through the in-camera rehousing initiative."

With construction not expected to begin until the middle part of 2025, Caves says they should have enough time and space to get everyone moved.

"We should have the capacity in the system based on the numbers that we have," Caves said.

Todd says they are finishing up the design plans and should send them out for bids early next year.