Those living in the Oklahoma City area may see homeless people on street corners in green vests, asking for $2. With the help of local non-profit, the Curbside Chronicle, this money purchases a magazine, while also providing homeless people with food, water, shelter and jobs.
Ranya Forgotson and her husband Whitley O’Conner founded the Curbside Chronicle in 2013 as a way to employ and empower men and women transitioning out of homelessness in Oklahoma City.
“Whitley went to school in Nashville, TN and they have a big street paper there called the Contributor, and because of the Contributor, people were talking about homelessness differently,” Forgotson said. “They were talking about people they knew, had relationships with, bought newspapers from on their way to coffee in the morning; it really humanized the issue of homelessness. [Whitley is] from Oklahoma and was like, ‘Wow. This is really different in Nashville than it is in Oklahoma City. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could do the same thing?’”
Once the two decided to bring the idea from Nashville to Oklahoma City, they established three main objectives in order for the organization to succeed.
“Our first is [to] provide people with a way to earn income,” Forgotson said. “I think a lot of times, when people talk about homelessness, there’s kind of that phrase, ‘Well, why don’t they just go out and get a job?’ But it’s really not that simple, especially if you are living outside, have a co-occurring condition with mental health, have a physical ailment or don’t have IDs—all of this is stuff our vendors face.”
“[Secondly], we also provide a platform within our magazine for people to share stories. Our vendors can contribute artwork [and] life experience. That way, maybe people who have never experienced homelessness, and likely never will, can gain insight and learn from what our vendors have to share. Our third mission is to bring people together. By giving people a magazine and a product they can sell, we create a simple way for two people to interact.”
According to Forgotson, the people at Curbside Chronicle do not just expect those in need of help to come to them.
“What we do as a street paper is meet people where they are, even if that’s on a street corner,” Forgotson said. “We come alongside them, give them a product to sell so that they can make money and then we help them kind of break down these barriers through case management. We give people a safe and comfortable space to interact in the community that doesn’t exist traditionally. The social norm is for people who are homeless to be ignored and for kind of the community at large, it can be an uncomfortable topic.”
Magazines cost $2 and are updated each month. Vendors are located across parts of Oklahoma City, including downtown, in the Plaza District, on the corners of 23rd and Pennsylvania and NW Expressway and Hefner.
“We are about to come out with our October issue, which is a mid-term voter guide in preparation for the mid-term elections this November,” Forgotson said. “We have an interview with the gubernatorial candidates. We have vendors who are registered voters sharing their stories about why they vote and why it’s important for them to stay up to date on politics.”
Anyone can help support this organization and its goals, with the biggest way to help being purchasing magazines and getting to know the vendors, Forgotson said.
“If you have a vendor you buy from regularly, we would love for you to develop a relationship with them,” Forgotson. “Smile and wave on your way by, but then if you want to take it up a notch, we love to have people donate to our organization. They can drop off household item donations, or they could help us by sponsoring a welcome-home basket. We also have volunteer opportunities outside of Curbside [at] the day shelter.”
According to Forgotson, The Curbside Chronicle does more than sell magazines to help support their vendors. They also have special campaigns, including Wrap-up Homelessness in November and December, where they sell wrapping paper designed by local artists.
“We also have Curbside Flowers, which we do for Valentine’s Day and now Mother’s Day, where our vendors assemble floral bouquets, so if you’re going to buy your girlfriend or boyfriend flowers for a special holiday, or your mom, you can actually purchase them from us,” Forgotson said. “Then, you can know you’re not only getting a really beautiful bouquet, but you’re also providing employment and work for people experiencing homelessness.”
Oklahoma Christian University junior Riley Wilson purchased a bouquet from Curbside Flowers as a gift for her mother last summer.
“They were beautiful, and I thought they were very well-done,” Wilson said. “I think it’s great for the homeless community, because it provides them with a job, which can be hard to come by.”
Students can stay informed about the Curbside Chronicle by following their Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Those interested in making a donation or contacting the organization can visit their website.
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