Final architectural plans for a new and permanent location for the Oklahoma County Diversion Hub were recommended by MAPS 4 advisers Thursday.
Pending city council approval Tuesday, the complete plans and specifications for the site at 1216 Linwood Blvd will go out for bid Wednesday, with contractor selection expected in August and construction to start as autumn begins.
The MAPS 4 Diversion Hub facility will serve as the new headquarters for a nonprofit organization partnering with multiple agencies to provide stabilizing services to people navigating the criminal justice system. The nonprofit coordinates various programs at its current location on 220 NW 10, including client education, employment navigation, probationary services, family counseling, mental health and substance abuse support.
The two-floor building will span 35,575 square feet — more than three times the Diversion Hub's current 10,000-square-foot space. Rachel Bundy, a longtime project manager with the REES Associates architecture firm, said that furniture coordination for the interior is being arranged and artists have been selected to create public art on the walls of the lobby.
“One of the things that the Diversion Hub wanted to prioritize was just making sure that it was a welcoming and comfortable space for their clients, so we worked to really open up this space and provide a lot of natural light,” Bundy said.
More: Public-private partnerships help provide Diversion Hub resources to help prevent incarceration
The project is being funded by $13 million from MAPS 4 and a land contribution worth $2 million from the Arnall Family Foundation . $1 million originally allocated for land acquisition has been instead added to the total $14 million construction budget, with updated cost estimates coming in just slightly under budget at $13.95 million.
From an experimental effort to services for more than 1,700
Architects hope construction will start in September, but for Meagan Taylor, the executive director of Diversion Hub, the new building can't come soon enough. She heads a nonprofit born out of efforts in 2019 to address Oklahoma's disproportionately high incarceration rate .
“We had hundreds of people that we were serving from the get-go, but it was kind of overwhelming in sort of a good way,” Taylor remembered. “But we’re in a really good place with the onsite programs we have right now. We’re low-barrier … which is rare in the criminal justice system. Most of the programs that you’ll ever work within the criminal justice system are high-barrier, and there are pre-reqs to qualify and several conditions.”
What started out as an experimental effort of five employees, Taylor said, has since grown to a staff of nearly 60, working to connect an average of 1,777 clients with 13 onsite partner agencies providing various types of assistance.
A former prosecutor, Taylor said many issues stem from lack of access to resources, which often complicate people’s chances of avoiding a return to jail, including unpaid fines and failures to appear in court.
“I've seen just the hoops that those create for people that have no hope, that are trying to get through a broken system and are trying to do the best they can,” Taylor said.
More: A court diversion program saved his life. Now he guides others through the program
The MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board also reviewed and recommended agreements for the project's real estate donation, lease and management, parking and utilities, and temporary access and construction easements for the eventual contractor.
“The Diversion Hub of Oklahoma County is donating that land that’s immediately around the (new) building,” MAPS Program Manager David Todd said. “They are keeping the parking lot area.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Final plans for new Diversion Hub building presented, construction to start in September
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