Thousand Stories

Building Law Enforcement Alternatives through Partnership – Episode 11

All too often, law enforcement officers are the first and only call to make for community citizens who are reporting any issue in the neighborhoods. Regardless of the issue being reported, the system has been built around the police officer being the only person there to call.  Whether the issue is one of public safety or mental illness, an officer arrives on scene as a first, and many times only, level of response, whether or not the officer has the resources necessary to be appropriately responsive.

If the issue that the officer is there to address is one of poverty or mental illness, the officer is often times under equipped to properly intervene. A partnership launched in August 2020 with the intent to provide officers with a team of professionals to help address these issues that typically have fallen to law enforcement as first responders.

By aligning OKDHS embedded workers with each OKCPD patrol division and mental health professionals from Northcare, a true community response team was built. The partnership, referred to as ‘TRUST’ (triaged resources urgent support team), has expanded to all patrol divisions with OKCPD and has served more than 300 people with a more appropriate response to their needs. Weekly TRUST team meetings provide a feedback loop for officers and help to build deeper relationships between officers and social workers.  Now, in Oklahoma City, when a firearm is not required, the structure has been built to deploy a second wave of responders that can serve communities in need with hope centered interventions, providing a pathway to successful outcomes.

Podcast Participants:

Justin Brown, Secretary of Human Services | Twitter: @jbrownokc & @secretarybrown | Instagram:  @secretary_brown

Wade Gourley, Chief of Police, Oklahoma City Police Department | Twitter:  @chiefgourley

Paul Frederickson, Captain, Oklahoma City Police Department

Partner & Funding Organizations:

Oklahoma Department of Human Services | URL:  www.okdhs.org | Twitter: @okdhs

Oklahoma City Police Department | URL: @joinokcpd.com | @okcpd

Northcare | URL: northcare.com | Twitter: @northcareokc

Music Credit for #thousandstories podcast is given to Tayvon Lewis (linkedin.com/in/tayvonl)

Episode 1.10 - Human Centered Design

Trending globally in the private sector is the concept of building new products and technology primarily informed by the people to whom these products are being sold. In small forward thinking government circles, human centered design is gaining a small foothold in the rebuilding of systems and processes to better serve the community. The concept of redesigning incredibly complex systems that serve some of the most vulnerable among us is light years away from creating a new tennis shoe or a marketing campaign for a coffee shop, but the framework offered by this strategy brings incredible opportunity.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services operates systems developed over many generations managed by committed and heroic public servants, but currently require large scale strategic disruption launching in every space with human centered design.  Beyond (but including) a prescribed formula for HCD, this way of thinking must go much deeper by infusing the culture of the organization at every level.

Included the opportunity offered by a human centered design framework is a systemic and authentic opportunity to bring the voice of the end customer into system design. All systems, including human services systems, across the nation seem genuinely committed to talking to communities that they are intended to serve.  Early work to build this dialogue are vulnerable and productive and show that organizations, their workforces and communities are wanting to do this work, but teams and leaders are recognizing that conversations have to lead to meaningful action, and that these desired outcomes are slow and difficult without a model to turn talking into system design.

Perfection has not been achieved in any of these spaces, including OKDHS. This strategy is ever evolving, but the early approach has yielded a promising vision for a Human Centered Design Continuum that embraces community voice, builds a strong culture of focused transformation in the deepest corner of a huge organization.  As important as all of the other benefits is the articulation of a bent towards action in systems that have been stagnant for decades.

The agency’s HCD continuum allows for a wide variety of experiences ranging from a small team in rural Oklahoma utilizing a developed toolkit to embrace human centered design to reconsider an inefficient process to large scale 18 week, partner led designs that end in technology development. The intent is to build a model that can scale to the need and capacity of the team that desires to utilize.

Episode 10 of the Thousand Stories Podcast attempts to provide an experience for the listener, by bringing together four participants in a small scale example of how human centered design can drive changes in extremely important and complex systems. The team will tackle a current issue at OKDHS by building personas, a current state journey map and a future state journey map to rebuild a system or process that addresses a specific need of children currently in the foster care system.

Among the countless short-term and structural social impacts of the economic fallout of the COVID 19 pandemic includes an increase in housing insecurity. A variety of interventions, including eviction moratoriums, have delayed some of the quantitative evidence of increased housing insecurity.  Some of the most successful interventions have included financial support for both the tenant and the landlord alike, yet many of these strategies are difficult to implement at the massive scale required to address the issue. In Oklahoma, two organizations have been on the front-end of addressing the eviction concerns for thousands of families. Community Cares Partners, based in Oklahoma City, and Restore Hope, based in Tulsa, have been transactional leaders in braiding funding from state, local and non-profit sources in an effort to fund current and past-due rent and utilities for those that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

Ginny Bass Carl, Executive Director of Community Cares Partners has a long history of serving the state through community service and philanthropic efforts, and her leadership has resulted in tens of millions of dollars being utilized to address potential evictions across Oklahoma.

Community Cares Partners (CCP), a program of Communities Foundation of Oklahoma, is making a difference for Oklahomans by assisting individuals and families facing housing crisis and eviction as a result of lost wages or hardship from COVID-19. A public-private partnership, CCP distributes Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) allocated by the State of Oklahoma, City of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, and Cleveland County to help our neighbors maintain housing stability.

Episode 8 – Defining Success in Education

Oklahoma Secretary of Education, Ryan Walters

Achieving successful system outcomes carries a deep and complex set of requirements. There are a variety of examples of successes built by leaders with a certain level of risk tolerance that allows for real innovation, as is the case for Cottonwood Schools, a very small rural district in Eastern Oklahoma. Cottonwood’s superintendent, John Daniel, has taken innovative steps to dramatically improve reading outcomes in his district and his peers across the state and country are taking note.

I am a ‘sold out’ believer on the idea that real success in systems, including the education system, requires us to recognize and address that none of these systems exist in a vacuum, and real and sustainable outcomes requires huge organizations to communicate and coordinate services as interconnected systems designed around the person that they are jointly serving. Kids can’t be reasonably expected to achieve long-term academic success when they show up to school hungry, tired from sleeping on the floor or in a home in which domestic violence is a nightly occurrence. All of these systems must be thoughtfully and humbly designed to address the social determinants of poor outcomes we see in our communities.

In this episode of the Thousand Stories podcast, Oklahoma Secretary of Education, Ryan Walters and Secretary Brown discuss local and global examples of success and innovation in education. Further, the Secretaries align on the importance of collaboration between education and human services systems as critical to serving the needs of the whole child and their family as essential to successful education outcomes.

Podcast Participants (in order of appearance):

Justin Brown, Secretary of Human Services

URL: secretarybrown.com | Twitter: @secretarybrown |Instagram: secretary_brown | LinkedIn: Justin Brown | YouTube: Secretary Brown

Ryan Walters, Oklahoma Secretary of Education & Classroom Teacher

Twitter: @sec_walters | Facebook: OKSecretaryofEd | Instagram: ryanmwalters | Podcast: Overcome with Justin Wren (Launching Summer 2021)

During the deepest moments of the COVI-19 pandemic, our nation was riveted by the heroism of healthcare workers and first responders. Images and narratives of doctors and nurses putting their own lives and families at risk to care for incredibly high-risk patients waiting in the hallways of hospitals across the country resulted in rallying cries of ‘heroes work here’ on the sides of hospitals and nursing homes across the nation. As our focus was directly on the public health emergency, many officials were equally concerned about the potential long-term social impact resulting from the economic fallout of systems closures. Somewhat behind the scenes, a secondary layer of community heroes began to stand up, taking control where they could, to deliver basic resources to low-income neighborhoods through non-profit and faith-based organizations.

The story of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Oklahoma City is a perfect example of a story of a specific leader and his committed team identifying that there was unprecedented need resulting from the sudden removal of core systems that had been developed over the decades to support at-risk communities. Immediate and unexpected unemployment swelled in this community, disproportionately impacting women and people of color, resulting in surging hunger, expanding homelessness and the loss of hope for many who had never experienced issues before. Poverty was striking quickly and with force in more families than ever, and communities across the state had to respond or risk generations of economic progress lost in a moment.

Pastor Derrick Scobey, with the support of the deacons and trustees of Ebenezer Baptist Church immediately put their ‘Yes on the table,’ and began to open their doors and parking lots to anyone who needed help.

In the months since the onset of the pandemic, Ebenezer Baptist Church has been seen as the gold standard for community response, serving hundreds of thousands of pounds of food and millions of dollars of household goods and school supplies through their drive through distribution system, opened to help address the virtual education and mental health needs for children as schools closed, partnered to distribute COVID vaccines and opened their sanctuary to the homeless and vulnerable neighbors without heat during historic cold weather.

Although Pastor Scobey is quick to give credit to so many other partners when asked about the response, he has become the face of the church’s efforts to serve a high risk community, and his story should provide inspiration that one person can make a difference in this world. Episode 1.7 of the ‘Thousand Stories’ podcast details Pastor Scobey’s background in NE OKC, his life detour to north Texas, where he first engaged in large scale service projects, and his journey back to the community in which he grew up.

Although his work in his community isn’t finished, listeners should be encouraged that Pastor Scobey represents thousands of other individuals in the community who’s ‘yes is always on the table.’

‘@thebigpygmy’ Turns the Tables

Justin Wren (aka ‘The Big Pygmy’) has committed his life to defeating hate with love. As an MMA heavy weight champion with UFC and Belator and a two time national wrestling champion, Justin fought in the ring againstpeople, but his heart was calling him to fight for people. As a victim of bullying as a child, Justin uses his platform as a fighter and humanitarian to fight for the Pygmy’s in the Congo and Uganda, who many people believe are the most ‘bullied’ people group in the world. He lived in the rain forest of the Congo for a year, becoming an adopted member of the tribe that he now calls his second family. His non-profit organization, Fight for the Forgotten, has played a critical role in freeing thousands of Pygmy’s from modern day slavery through the purchase of thousands of acres of land. The organization has drilled of more than 70 water wells to solve water borne illness which impact 1 in 3 people in the African Region. In the United States, Justin has developed a curriculum for bullying prevention called ‘Heroes in Waiting’ which equips martial arts studios with the tools necessary to build a

In this episode, Justin Wren turns the tables and interviews Secretary Brown about his journey to the public sector as Director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and Secretary of Human Services for the State of Oklahoma.

Podcast Participants (in order of appearance):

Justin Wren (aka ‘The Big Pygmy’), MMA Heavyweight Champion, Author, Podcaster, Humanitarian

URL: fightfortheforgotten.org | Twitter: @thebigpygmy | Facebook: Justin Eféosa-Wren | Instagram: thebigpygmy | Podcast: Overcome with Justin Wren (Launching Summer 2021)

Justin Brown, Secretary of Human Services

URL: secretarybrown.com | Twitter: @secretarybrown |Instagram: secretary_brown | LinkedIn: Justin Brown | YouTube: @secretarybrown

Organizations Reference:

Fight for the Forgotten

(URL: fightfortheforgotten.org | Instagram & Twitter:)

Justin Wren (aka ‘The Big Pygmy’) has committed his life to defeating hate with love. As an MMA heavy weight champion with UFC and Belator and a two time national wrestling champion, Justin fought in the ring againstpeople, but his heart was calling him to fight for people. As a victim of bullying as a child, Justin uses his platform as a fighter and humanitarian to fight for the Pygmy’s in the Congo and Uganda, who many people believe are the most ‘bullied’ people group in the world. He lived in the rain forest of the Congo for a year, becoming an adopted member of the tribe that he now calls his second family. His non-profit organization, Fight for the Forgotten, has played a critical role in freeing thousands of Pygmy’s from modern day slavery through the purchase of thousands of acres of land. The organization has drilled of more than 70 water wells to solve water borne illness which impact 1 in 3 people in the African Region. In the United States, Justin has developed a curriculum for bullying prevention called ‘Heroes in Waiting’ which equips martial arts studios with the tools necessary to build a

In this episode, Justin Wren recounts his journey that led him from the UFC octagon to the jungles of The Congo, living with the Pygmy people. His mission to free the Pygmy’s of the Congo and Uganda from modern day slavery and waterborne illness is a story of compassion and a true calling to service through his non-profit, Fight for the Forgotten.

Podcast Participants (in order of appearance):

Justin Wren (aka ‘The Big Pygmy’), MMA Heavyweight Champion, Author, Podcaster, Humanitarian

URL: fightfortheforgotten.org | Twitter: @thebigpygmy | Facebook: Justin Eféosa-Wren | Instagram: thebigpygmy | Podcast: Overcome with Justin Wren (Launching Summer 2021)

Justin Brown, Secretary of Human Services

URL: secretarybrown.com | Twitter: @secretarybrown |Instagram: secretary_brown | LinkedIn: Justin Brown | YouTube: @secretarybrown

Organizations Reference:

Fight for the Forgotten

(URL: fightfortheforgotten.org | Instagram & Twitter:)

The Stronger Together movement centers around four core beliefs:

DIGNITY - To respect the inherent worth of all people by seeking what is best for everyone regardless of ethnicity or wealth status.

IDENTITY - To identify with those who are outside of our familiar worlds but share our values and with those who lack advocates, and who are not flourishing.

PURPOSE - To give ourselves to efforts that build bridges, relieve human suffering, and produce solutions.

VALUE - To use our influence and platforms to promote those whose value is often over-looked.

Food insecurity faces millions of families across the United States, impacting rural and urban communities alike. Hunger, as a symptom of the disease of poverty, has extreme impacts on health outcomes, educational achievement and a family’s ability to achieve upward economic mobility.

In the northeast quadrant of Oklahoma City, the only grocery store closed in the summer of 2019. Prior to this closure, the area was already considered a food desert. Many folks were now forced to take a multi-hour bus ride to reach a grocery option, and the NE OKC community became even more desperate for a solution to dramatic food insecurity.  As the search was on for a solution, community leaders met regularly and a solution was identified as a partnership between a local organization and Homeland Stores, an Oklahoma owned grocery chain.

Opened in April, 2021, the Market at Eastpoint provides a beautiful grocery experience in a community that was lacking appropriate food resources with a ‘Gritty Whole Foods’ vibe. In episode 3, Secretary Brown talks with Bob Ross, the CEO of Inasmuch Foundation and Caylee Dodson & Jonathan Veal, with Restore OKC about community development as a solution to combatting food insecurity.

'Someone should do something about that!'  There are people all across the country 'doing something about that,' and Lynn Johnson, former Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children & Families in Washington DC joins the podcast to celebrate stories of incredible servants across the country, serving in ways that the public should know about.