BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — Bartlesville city leaders approved a $50,000 fund to set up a website called Charity Tracker for organizations helping the homeless. This would allow them to see which services unhoused individuals have utilized and which they have not. This was approved in a city council meeting on September 2nd.
Gary Winter works and stays at the Lighthouse Outreach Center in Bartlesville. They're one of the few organizations here that provide shelter for the unhoused population. Winter said he knew what it's like to be homeless.
"Yeah, I lived on the street for probably about a month or two…Being out on the streets, you get so worn down and you don't have anywhere to eat," said Winter.
Arron Kirkpatrick with the city said nonprofits, for-profits, medical agencies, and religious organizations all qualify for the website.
"I can see the good this will do for people, and that's what this is all about," said Kirkpatrick.
He added that this will also enable them to create a separate public site, allowing anyone to search for resources they may need. Winter thought this could be huge for them.
"The more that we have access to that stuff like that, I think it would help people that are out on the streets and become more successful and get up and realize they have self-worth," said Winter.
Kirkpatrick told 2 News that service organization leaders can attend the Helping Organizations Summit on Oct 22nd in Bartlesville at 6101 Nowata Road to apply for the service. He said that the first year will be free, and then in the second and third years, the cost will be split 50/50. Then, organization leaders can decide whether to continue using the software.
"It's definitely a big step… It's good that we can see where they're struggling," said Winter.
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