OKC's expanded Diversion Hub key to cutting incarceration rates

Aug 21, 2023

A permanent home for the Oklahoma County Diversion Hub, launched two years ago to provide options to jail for low-level offenders, is advancing with construction set to start in early 2024.

The $15 million project is funded with $13 million from MAPS 4 and a land contribution from the Arnall Family Foundation valued at $2 million. Meagan Taylor, executive director of the diversion hub, said the new building can’t open soon enough.

“We are absolutely bursting at the seams,” Taylor said. “We have every single corridor filled with partner agencies and diversion hub staff. We are desperate for more space.”

An update on the MAPS 4 venue by architects at Rees Associates represents the scale of the diversion hub program and its aspirations. The building will span 30,435 square feet — more than three times the current 10,000-square-foot operation at 220 NW 10.

The two-story building will be located on a block just west of downtown along Linwood Boulevard between Klein and Ellison avenues. A presentation by the architects given to the city promotes the hub as “a welcoming and comfortable space” that will serve as a beacon of hope for clients.

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Farooq Karim, director of design at Rees Associates, said the design was developed with the assumption that some clients may be in need of shelter, food and clothing.

“When clients are coming to the building they typically have things with them, they have bicycles, animals, their belongings, so we start outside the building accommodating for that with bike racks and areas to store belongings, Karim said.

Improvements over the agency's current home includes a washing machine and dryer and a donation area for clothing and food.

“A lot of times when clients come to the building, they do not have a pair of shoes, they may not have warm clothing, they may be hungry, and it’s hard to have conversations when you’re dealing with those stresses,” Karim said. “When a person visits, the first thing that happens is they are taken to a place to eat.”

Integrated private areas are designed to foster personalized interactions while still maintaining a sense of connection and transparency. Architects also designed the building to accommodate the collaborative approach taken toward helping clients navigate the criminal justice system and get back on track.

The space will include public training rooms, a kitchen, consultation and meeting rooms, a client computer lab, a mental health facility, and alternative courts that will have separate entries for after-hours appointments.

Rachel Bundy, senior project manager with Rees Associates, said the lobby is designed to hold up to 75 people but will allow visitors to maintain some privacy.

"They want them to feel comfortable, not to feel crowded if they need a little bit of personal space," Bundy said. "There will be a variety of seating, and there are interior tools we are using to divide the space up while keeping it transparent and visible."

Karim said the design reflects numerous meetings and presentations with the Oklahoma County Diversion Hub and its partners to ensure the new home is flexible enough to allow for a growing mission and expansions to host additional partners.

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The Diversion Hub program is relatively new. Taylor, a former prosecutor, oversees an operation that traces back to an experimental program launched in 2019 at a time when Oklahoma had the highest incarceration rate in the United States.

“We were leading the world in incarceration rates and not seeing any improvement,” Taylor said. “People get out, released at 3 a.m., and have no idea of what charges are filed and what to do next with bond and everything else. The courts are not set up to help people navigate it successfully.”

To make matters worse, services that might help a person successfully emerge from the criminal justice system were difficult to find and access. “Everything was all over the city, nothing was coordinated, and there was no specialized group helping people in the system,” Taylor said.

The Diversion Hub is designed to be that central place, and its new home is located near multiple bus stops with planning underway to connect it with the city’s growing bike lane network. Transportation, the idea of simply connecting clients with the Diversion Hub, is a priority, Taylor said, and other options include the nonprofit's shuttles or even Uber, if needed.

Clients who connect with the Diversion Hub are provided with an array of services ranging from housing, getting an ID, a Social Security card, a Soonercare card and SNAP cards. A therapist will be joining the mix soon, with other partners including the Homeless Alliance — experienced legal professionals who can help clients navigate the courts and avoid returning to jail over unpaid fines and failures to appear in court.

The Diversion Hub also will coordinate with TEEM (The Education & Employment Ministry). Both offer similar services to help people before trial, but they have differing approaches.

TEEM's pretrial services include identifying people who can be bailed out of jail at no cost on the condition of agreeing to follow the group's program. At the Diversion Hub, those wanting to use services must secure their own release first.

In both instances, people are provided case management that includes access to employment, substance abuse, mental health and other services as necessary, along with support to comply with attendance for court dates and payment schedules. The goal through both options is also to provide intervention that can reduce the risk that participants will end up in prison.

Education, hygiene, health care, dental care and other day-to-day needs also are addressed.

“Our goal is to fill gaps in the community,” Taylor said. “We look at who is entangled in the system.”

The Diversion Hub currently serves about 1,100 clients. The 38-person staff is growing, and with a larger, new home, Taylor looks forward to helping more people and adding more services.

Oklahoma still ranks high for incarceration — third highest in the country. Taylor said of those who sought help at the Diversion Hub in 2022, only 10.63% ended up with new misdemeanor or felony charges.

“That's great,” Taylor said. “But what I’m most proud of is the type of services we have helping our clients succeed. Our justice navigation program has consistently had successful outcomes by making sure people appear in court, that they get help in house hunting, communicating with courts, and by being in their corner.”