Catholic Charities works to help affordable housing crisis

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Affordable housing can be hard to find, especially for low-income Oklahomans. Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City is working to combat it by creating a new community they hope will address the lack of affordable housing.

Catholic Charities calls it a pocket community. It's a small neighborhood of 12 homes in Stockyards City that are just right for singles and small families.

They're calling them Caritas Casitas, inspired by the Latin word Caritas, meaning "Christian love of humankind," and Casitas, the Spanish word for "little homes.

"These are 12 units and they're gonna help 12 people and in Oklahoma City, there's about 20,000 units too few for affordable housing," said Patrick Raglow, the Executive Director of Catholic Charities Oklahoma City.

The units come fully furnished with new appliances, countertops, and a big bathroom. They're from Boxabl, a business that builds modular homes that unfold into a 360-square-foot space.

Patrick Raglow, the Executive Director of Catholic Charities, said other "affordable" locations he's surveyed were not livable.

"We opened the door and the floor moved because of all the infestations or the plumbing and the sewage backed up, or it was 100 degrees in the summer without air conditioning, and it was 102 degrees in the apartment," said Raglow.

The new homes are funded by grants and ARPA money that's administered through Catholic Charities.

The shortage of rentable units is high, so every unit counts.

"This project is not the answer to affordable housing. It is only part of the answer. It's not hard to do a better job. All we're asking for our residents is the housing that was promised to them on the website," said Raglow.

While this project is a big step, Catholic Charities said the public's help in the future can help them deliver more housing to Oklahomans.

"We'd love to see more affordable housing all across Oklahoma, and we will help anybody that wants to help us get there or help themselves get there," said Raglow.

The homes are for residents who make $39,000 or lower and could cost roughly $750 and $850 a month.

Right now, they are pre-screening residents to move in. Catholic Charities hopes to have everything ready for people to move in by the end of June.

In addition to the new housing facilities, Catholic Charities also has a Sanctuary Women’s Development Center that is open during the day for women and children who need safety.

They have access to showers, laundry rooms, food, and shelter.

To learn more about the new homes or how Catholic Charities serves the community, click here.