Sometimes even a few dollars and some practical advice can prevent a family from spiraling into homelessness. The monetary programs at NSO help end and prevent homelessness with needed assistance. NSO has only a fraction of the  resources needed to fulfill  the 7,000 requests for financial help each year.  Services include:

·    First Month’s Rent – This program is designed to help individuals transition to permenant housing. People living in shelters or other transitional conditions often struggle for first month’s rent on a home or apartment. 

      Last year NSO received more than 2,500 requests for first month’s rental assistance as people attempted to move from shelters and transitional living programs into permanent housing. NSO was able to help 29 families achieve this goal.

·    Eviction Prevention – This program is designed for individuals already in permanent housing. We help individuals who have had an emergency and are unable to pay one month of their rent due to a financial crisis that impedes their ability to pay their rent or mortgage. Such inability often results crises such as layoffs, a death in the family, medical bills, or emergency car repairs. Health problems, job loss or other emergencies often lead to homelessness as individuals are temporarily unable to meet their rent. The Eviction Prevention program fills the gap by providing monetary assistance and financial education.

      Usually more than 1,500 families per year contact NSO for assistance with our Eviction Prevention Program. However, over the last few years, the number of people needing assistance has grown at an alarming rate. Last year NSO was only able to help 30 families stay in their homes as they struggled to make ends meet.

 PROGRAM APPLICATIONS:

Applications are taken by appointment ONLY during April through October of each year. During those months individuals must call for a prescreening on Mondays from 9:00 to 11:00 am and from 2:00 to 4:00 pm to get an appointment. Please call us at (405) 236-0413 for more information. AS OF OCTOBER 10, 2008 WE ARE OUT OF FUNDING