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The Oklahoma City Mayor’s Committee on Disability Concerns gave awards Thursday to outstanding Oklahomans with disabilities and their advocates.

The committee’s purpose is to erase architectural, social and attitudinal barriers to people with disabilities.

Todd Craighead won the George B. Lewis Advocacy Award.

Tinker Air Force Base was named Employer of the Year.

The Public Personnel Employee Award went to Michael O’Brien, Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services.

Other honors included Media Public Service Award to Susan Simpson, The Oklahoman; Media Public Affairs Award to Kevin Ogle, KFOR-4; and special awards to Wayne Rhode, Crystal Rushing and The Rev. Gary Stevens.

The Don Davis Advocacy Award was given to Kuang-Hua Chang.

Scott Ellis was named Mayor’s Committee on Disability Concerns Member of the Year.

Several organizations and individuals received Clearing the Path Awards: Barnett Homes, Dan Peterson, Don Hildebrand Homes, Michelle Hughes, Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity, Turning Point Ministries, Virginia Moore, Ryan Schamerhorn, Bonnie Bower, Todd Isaac Homes and Pat McAlister.

The Clearing the Path Award highlights an Oklahoma City residential building and its architect, designer, builder, contractor and/or owner for universal design in making the home accessible to people with disabilities.

Winners of the poster contest were: Caleb Ferris, Classen School of Advanced Studies, first; Gabriel Martinez, Putnam City West High School, second; and Lizbeth Del Castillo, Putnam City West High School, third.

EDMOND — Turning Point Ministries’ golf tournament raised enough money to fund one of 13 low-cost homes to be built in Edmond.

Bob Turner, president of Turning Point Ministries, said a final figure is not in from the golf tournament the group sponsored Friday, but preliminary results are promising.

“We want to raise $25,000 for each of the 13 houses,” Turner said. ”I think we have taken care of one of them.”

Turning Point Ministries, a nonprofit organization that assists in the housing needs of people living in Edmond in sub-standard conditions, has already purchased the 13 lots.

The new homes, to be built between Edwards and Thatcher and west of Broadway, are possible through a partnership with the city of Edmond, Turning Point Ministries and Habitat for Humanity.

Edmond city officials have been promised almost $175,000 in federal stimulus money that they plan to spend to improve the infrastructure to make way for the new homes.

Eighteen teams played in the golf tournament. Turner said 20 teams paid to play, but two couldn’t attend because of work obligations.

“It was a good tournament,” Turner said. “Everyone had a good time.” ”The real winner is the single mom with four kids,” Turner said. ”The others were playing for a cause.”

‘Community support’

On the golf course, a team of Edmond North High School athletes won first place. Second place went to Bracken Operating.

“There was a lot of community support,” said Don Boyd, Turning Point Ministries treasurer. “It was a success.”
Turner said the tournament probably will be an annual event.

Over 150 photos of the golf tournament are available on the Turning Point Ministries Flickr website.

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EDMOND — Connecting eligible buyers with affordable housing in Edmond is the goal of a new organization.

Turning Point Ministries is a nonprofit housing organization established to help individuals living in inferior housing situations find affordable homes, said Bob Turner, a member of the organization’s board of directors.

Turner said the ministry’s primary target audience is single mothers who would like to own a home in Edmond but are priced out of the market.

Others could be helped as well. Board member Dick Freeman said he heard that 10,000 Oklahoma families registered with the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency are eligible to buy a house if housing were available.

Freeman said a fair number of these families likely are living in Edmond or in the Oklahoma City metro area. And, he said, many potential beneficiaries work in the service industry.

“Most workers in the service industry can’t afford to rent or buy in Edmond and have to commute,” Freeman said. “With the rising prices of gas, getting to work is getting more expensive.”

Many homes in Edmond aren’t cheap either. The average home price in Edmond was $234,047 in 2007, according to the Edmond Economic Development Authority. More than half of existing home inventory in the city is priced between the $225,000 to $1 million price range. Edmond land is also expensive, Turner said.

Addressing potential concerns that more affordable homes might decrease neighboring property values, Turner said affordable land likely will be available in areas in need of renewal. The brick multi-bedroom homes with two-car garages likely will increase property value in these areas, Turner said.

Turning Point is partnering with Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity, which has historical ties to the First Presbyterian Church of Edmond. Board members attend First Presbyterian, but they hope other city churches will be a part of the ministry.

Freeman said due to the desire to buy real estate, board members wanted to keep the ministry separate from First Presbyterian.

Turner said Turning Point is coordinating with Habitat so that resources from First Presbyterian can be used to provide Habitat homes for church members and families in the community. The ministry also informs clients about other resources, he said.

Ann Felton, chairwoman and CEO of Habitat’s local chapter, said the new Edmond ministry fills a void.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Felton said of Turning Point Ministries. “There’s a great need for affordable housing in Edmond.”

Turner said the ministry’s plans are to build three Habitat homes annually and eventually develop a neighborhood of 12-15 such homes in Edmond. Transitional houses, a bridge for potential homeowners between current situations and future homes, also are planned.

Turner said the neighborhood would compare to Hope Crossing, a 59-acre Habitat development at Northeast 83rd Street and North Kelley Avenue in Oklahoma City. Eventually, 217 homes will be built there, according to Habitat.

Freeman said Edmond will benefit from having more hard-working taxpaying residents and state government would have lower public housing costs.

FOR MORE information about Turning Point Ministries, call 405-341-3602.

EDMOND — Rental property adjacent to Legacy Station, a low-cost home project near downtown Edmond, may get $50,000 in energy improvements compliments of federal stimulus money.

Shannon Entz, Edmond’s Community Development Block Grant coordinator, said about 10 homes adjacent to the new Legacy Station homes have been identified for rehabilitation or weatherization improvements.

Edmond is expected to receive two federal stimulus grants totaling $225,567. City officials propose spending $50,000 of that money on the adjacent rental property.

The remainder of the money, $175,567, will go to build the infrastructure for Legacy Station, a joint project of the city of Edmond, Turning Point Ministries and Habitat for Humanity.

The new single-family and duplex homes will be built between Edwards and Thatcher and west of Broadway. The lots were purchased by Turning Point Ministries, a nonprofit ministry that assists in the housing needs of those in Edmond living in substandard conditions.

Habitat for Humanity will build the three- and four-bedroom homes with two baths and single-car garages. The homes will be between 1,110 and 1,300 square feet.

The homebuyers will meet Department of Housing and Urban Development income limits, must attend homebuyer education classes and invest 240 hours of sweat equity, which is time volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.

Planning commissioners this week approved the preliminary plat for Legacy Station. City council members will make a final decision on the preliminary plat June 8.

For the adjacent rental property, low-interest loans will be offered to the property owners to add energy upgrades, such as geothermal heating and cooling units, low-e windows, insulation, caulking and Energy Star fixtures and appliances.

Each home will be inspected and tested for lead-based paint and any other hazardous or unsafe conditions, Entz said.
City council members will hold a public hearing Tuesday and are considering amending this year’s Community Development Block Grant Action Plan to include the stimulus money and projects.

They meet at 5:30 p.m. at 20 S Littler Ave.

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EDMOND — An old, rundown area of Edmond is changing.

Two tiny houses, in need of serious repair, are coming down as a part of plans to build Legacy Station, a housing addition with 13 new, low-cost homes, said Bob Turner, president of Turning Point Ministries.

The new homes, to be built between Edwards and Thatcher and west of Broadway, are possible through a partnership with the city of Edmond, Turning Point Ministries and Habitat for Humanity.

Turning Point Ministries, a nonprofit organization that assists in the housing needs of those in Edmond living in sub-standard conditions, has purchased the 13 lots.

Edmond city officials have been promised almost $175,000 in federal stimulus money that they plan to spend to improve the infrastructure to make way for the new homes.

Water and sewer lines will be replaced and extended, and a street will be installed so the 13 owner-occupied homes can be built, said Shannon Entz, the community block grant coordinator.

Habitat for Humanity will build the three- and four-bedroom homes with two baths and single-car garages. The homes will be between 1,100 and 1,300 square feet, Turner said.

“It is great to see what can happen in this area and how it will affect people’s lives,” he said. “It gives a foundation of responsibility and well-being.
“We will improve an area in the community that isn’t going anywhere.”
Habitat for Humanity has received five applications for houses in Legacy Station. Two of the applicants have already been approved, Turner said.
Turner hopes construction will begin in late September or early October. He said they will start on two or three houses first. He anticipates a house can be constructed in five or six weeks.

Habitat for Humanity hasn’t built much in Edmond because of the high cost of land in the community. That is where Turning Point Ministries comes into play by buying the lots, Turner said.

The ministry is in its second year.

A house in Legacy Station that was going to be torn down was given to a tornado victim.

The house was in fair condition, but needed repairs and did not fit into the plans for the new housing addition, Turner said.

In addition to buying the lots, the ministry purchased a step-up home on N Broadway. Turner said the three-bedroom home was leased to a Section 8 client — a single mother with three children.

One of the children is deaf and needs services available at the University of Central Oklahoma.

The family is in the process of qualifying for a Habitat home that should be built this year, Turner said.

The ministry also has purchased two lots in Edmond where Habitat homes were built last year.

The group has purchased a storage facility to warehouse donated furniture and appliances that will be given to Edmond people in need.
How to help

Anyone wanting to donate or volunteer with the ministry can call 405-818-6264.

EDMOND — Edmond is expected to receive $3.9 million in federal stimulus money and city officials haven’t stopped looking for other ways to get more.

The largest chunk, $2.35 million, will go to repair six roads in the city while another $600,000 is being used to purchase eight new buses for the city’s new transportation system.

Shannon Entz, the Community Development Block Grant coordinator, said, “This money will help a lot of people and help accomplish things we would not have been able to do.”

Edmond also is in line to get a $726,000 energy efficiency and conservation grant, Entz said.

The money can go toward things like writing an energy and conservation strategic plan or improving the air quality, Entz said. Another option is to revamp the building codes to include energy efficiency, conservation and air quality measurements.

“We are still looking at the best plan for Edmond,” said Entz, transit study project manager.

Two other Community Development Block Grants — $116,968 and $108,599 — will be awarded to Edmond. Plans are to spend almost $175,000 of the two grants to improve the infrastructure for 13 new low-cost homes. A public-private partnership with Habitat for Humanity and Turning Point Ministries has been created to build the new homes west of Broadway Avenue, between Thatcher and Edward streets.

Water and sewer lines would be replaced and extended, and a street would be installed to make way for the 13 owner-occupied homes.

Turning Point Ministries, a nonprofit ministry assisting in the housing needs of Edmond residents, is providing the lots. Bob Turner, founder and past president of Turner & Company, an Edmond-based builder and developer, is on the ministry’s board of directors.

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EDMOND — Edmond may be getting some low-cost housing because of a public-private partnership and some additional federal money coming to Oklahoma.

Habitat for Humanity and Turning Point Ministries want to team up with the city of Edmond to build 13 new homes in an area just west of Broadway Avenue, between Thatcher and Edward streets.

City officials plan to use $116,986 in federal money that is available to Edmond as part of a Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

Council members tonight approved an application for the federal money that has been appropriated through the U.S. Housing and Urban Development. The money will be administered through the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. It will be used in a local Community Development Block Grant target area.

Shannon Entz, the community block grant coordinator, said the federal money will be used to improve the infrastructure. Water and sewer lines would be replaced and extended and an interior street would be installed to make way for the 13 owner-occupied homes.

City officials will be spending $8,998 for the infrastructure for each of the houses.

The Neighborhood Stabilization Program was implemented to address the effects of foreclosures in communities, but regulations allow for the redevelopment of vacant properties.

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EDMOND — For Ginny Kay Moore, getting around in her current Edmond home is challenging.

Since Moore was born she has been in a wheelchair due to spina bifida, which left her paralyzed from the waist down. Spina bifida is a birth defect that involves the incomplete development of the spinal cord or its coverings.

She cannot turn around in her wheelchair inside the narrow bathrooms.

In the kitchen, the stove is too high.

And the cabinets and countertops are too tall, so in space under the stove she keeps dishes and glasses on a turntable.

Moore has been renting the house for 18 and 1/2 years. In a few months, thanks to Edmond’s Turning Point Ministries, Moore will move into a new home, her own home, a barrier-free home.

“This is really a miracle,” Moore said. “I’ve always rented a home. I’ve never had a house of my own. This will give me a chance to say, ‘This is a house of my own.’”

Turning Point

Turning Point Ministries forms a bridge between those needing affordable Edmond housing and Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity, said Turning Point co-leader Bob Turner. Currently, Habitat is unable to buy lots in Edmond because of the high cost of land, Turner said.

Turning Point Ministries’ second build in conjunction with Habitat will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday at 205 W. Wayne. Ministry co-leader Dick Freeman said the home would take six to eight weeks to complete.

Moore’s home will be located just down the block from the home built for Turning Point’s first recipient, a widowed Edmond high school librarian with two teenage children.

Several members of the First Presbyterian Church of Edmond established Turning Point to benefit individuals who have a compelling need to live in Edmond. Moore is the sister of Michele Hughes, and Michele’s husband, Jack, is a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Edmond.

However, the ministry is not just for First Presbyterian, but for the community at large, Turner said. Volunteers are coming from the community and a growing number of churches including First Presbyterian, the First Christian Church and Henderson Hills Baptist Church.

Turning Point has bought land for more houses, which ministry leaders have said in some cases improves upon neglected property.

“Through the generosity of members of the community, Turning Point has had an outstanding first year,” Turner said.

The Turning Point-Habitat partnership is important because through Habitat the homeowner is able to receive an interest-free loan, often making their house payment less than they had been paying for rent, Turner said.

Moore said when it is safe enough for her wheelchair to come onto the construction zone, she will contribute her “sweat equity.” Habitat requires that home recipients contribute volunteer labor.

Moore said she is grateful for the support she has received from Habitat, Turning Point and from all of the volunteers who will help build her home. Metro Builders Supply donated a portion of the specialized appliances and Home Depot donated part of the plumbing fixtures.

Additionally, Edmond architect Don Hildebrand custom-designed the home for Moore. It will have an accessible kitchen, wheelchair friendly bathrooms and an interior safe room.

“I think it’s great,” Moore said. “I like the enthusiasm that other people are signing up for my house. If they were in my shoes, I would do the same for them.”

Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity has built more than 465 homes since 1990. At least 45 additional homes were scheduled to be built in 2008.

FOR MORE information about Turning Point Ministries, call 818-6264. For more information about Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity, visit www.centraloklahomahabitat.org.

THE DETAILS – how to help

Financial donors are needed to help Turning Point Ministries expand, and volunteers are needed to help with Habitat builds. Your help — new or continued — will allow this ministry to continue providing clean, comfortable homes for those who currently live in substandard situations. Turning Point is a 501(c)3 organization and donations are tax deductible.

Checks may be mailed to Turning Point Ministries, 3206 Teakwood Lane, Edmond, OK 73013.

To volunteer or if you know of someone who must live in Edmond and who might qualify for a Habitat home, call 818-6264.