McLoud, Oklahoma (KOKH) — McLoud residents are raising concerns about a homeless rehabilitation center that may soon be coming to their town.
Concerned residents say they don’t mind helping the homeless, but that the City of McLoud simply doesn’t have enough resources and that doing so could lead to safety issues.
McLoud resident Miranda Tillman started a petition against the location of the new Steeple Haven rehabilitation center a little over a week ago. That petition now has over 1,000 signatures from people in McLoud and the surrounding area who say they do not want the center in their community.
“When a shelter like this opens, it creates a vicious cycle of crime, especially in a place that doesn’t need it,” Tillman said. “So-called survival crimes, burglaries and thefts increase by an average of 56%, which could potentially lead to an increase in violent crime as well.”
The McLoud community says the center would overwhelm their already limited resources.
“We don’t have the resources. We can’t even call the police in McLoud, which is a mile away. We have to call the sheriff’s office and wait 15 to 20 minutes for a response,” Tillman said.
Wayne and Donna Hines would run the center, which they describe as a “radical living boot camp” designed to help people in need get back on their feet.
“For 90 to 180 days, we can house someone in a maximum of 13/14 beds, work with them in a small group setting and literally watch their life change and transform,” said Wanye Hines.
The Hines say they have been doing similar work for several years and want to help people who sincerely desire a better life.
“I completely understand the fear and the question of what this means for our community,” Hines said. “Our response to that has been to talk to us. Come by and look at the building, look at our curriculum.”
“We are not trying to create random chaos in the community. That is not who we are and that is not what we do,” said Donna Hines.
The Hines told FOX 25 they had hoped to open the center in the next few months, but are now unsure what will happen.
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