OKC's infamous Plaza Inn getting new life as homeless veteran housing. 'A significant step'

A troubled Oklahoma City motel, closed since October after a judge declared it a public nuisance, could soon see another chance at life as an affordable housing project for homeless veterans.

Ozark Safety Cabins, an Arkansas-based company dedicated to building affordable housing, announced in December a new partnership with the Homeless Military Veterans organization in Norman and the owners of the Plaza Inn at 3200 S Prospect Ave. The plan is to convert the former motel and its 160 rooms into lower-priced studio apartments meant for military veterans experiencing homelessness.

The new Plaza Inn project, expected to cost at least $6.5 million in funding from private sponsors, is part of a two-phase effort to combat housing challenges in the Oklahoma City metro area. After the planned repurposing of the motel in the springtime, the initiative's second phase also is expected to include the construction of 500 homes for veterans in Chandler.

"This transformative initiative signifies a significant step toward addressing the critical issue of veteran homelessness," Ozark Safety Cabins said in a statement. "It embodies a collective commitment to honor and serve those who have courageously dedicated themselves to safeguarding our freedoms. Plaza Inn’s conversion into a haven for homeless military veterans heralds a brighter future, where no veteran is left without shelter, dignity, or support."

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Kelly Hall, CEO of Homeless Military Veterans, said he had envisioned starting a similar initiative with the Plaza Inn a few years ago, but the idea only gained momentum in the wake of the motel's closure in late 2023.

"Everything is pretty much there," Hall told The Oklahoman. "According to (Department of Housing and Urban Development) and other guidelines for the state, we have to have where everyone has their own kitchenette, so we’re going through, remodeling everything, adding new paint, new flooring, updating the bathrooms and everything, and adding kitchenettes to each room."

The Plaza Inn closed in late October two weeks after its ownership agreed to a consent decree with city officials to increase security measures on the property or face a shutdown. A local judge gave the 14-day deadline as an ultimatum to the owners, who then closed the motel to remain compliant with the consent decree, according to the owners' attorney.

Hall said he's been in consistent contact with the Plaza Inn's owners Steve Ketter and Michael Wiley, and that proposals submitted to the city ahead of the Christmas holiday were awaiting approval. Hall also said, while the local Veterans Affairs agency is not helping with the project, he is hoping to partner with other nonprofits like Sandwiches With Love, Sox of Love and From the Ashes OKC to provide additional services at the refurbished facility.

"Basically our main goal is to show everyone that they’re one mistake away from being in their shoes," Hall said. "Right now, if you lost your job, your bills are going to pile up, your mortgage, your car payment. After you miss so many, you’re in their shoes, so it’s just showing everybody that we’re not that far behind them. But I also really hope that it shows people that just because someone fell down on a hard time, that they’re not stuck there. There’s people that care."

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Hall and his collaborators face a steep obstacle. Once described by a police officer as "the fentanyl den of Oklahoma City," the Plaza Inn was a hotspot of violent crime for many years, with numerous reports detailing deadly shootings and assaults. A previous investigation by The Oklahoman in 2022 uncovered heavy issues with drug overdoses and homeless people on the property, amid broader issues of criminal activity in the area along Interstate 35 in southeast Oklahoma City.

“The Plaza Inn (is) one of the most dangerous places in Oklahoma County for the community and the traveling public, to include extreme violence, drug distribution and prostitution activity,” city attorneys wrote in a 2023 lawsuit. “Complete closure or mandatory restrictions on use of the property are necessary to maintain the public health, welfare, decency and order, and to protect the community from harm."

Motel ownership previously told The Oklahoman they were working with the city's police and nuisance abatement office to boost safety on the property. But city attorneys said the Plaza Inn owners had ignored multiple notifications to comply with city code and reduce nuisance concerns. The city's lawsuit in May against the motel owners triggered a months-long dispute over how to improve conditions at the Plaza Inn, which resulted in the mid-October consent decree and the eventual closure that followed.

Hall acknowledged the issues with public safety the motel suffered in the past, and said the new partnership is preparing to implement stronger security measures and thorough background checks at the site.

"There’s going to be a fence going up and around the building, and there will only be one way in and one way out," Hall said. "And all of the residents will have a key card to enter the gate, and then their guest will have to check in at the front desk. I’ve reached out to a couple of security offices about having just an office in the building, to where there would be some type of security always there, so we are in the talks for all of that."

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Mental health issues among homeless veterans 'very real' struggle

Data from Oklahoma City's 2023 Point in Time Count showed at least 9% of the city's homeless population were veterans, and at least 23% of homeless people were reporting mental illnesses.

Charla Collins, founder of the ongoing social media awareness effort See Me OKC, is familiar with how much both issues intersect. A veteran of four years herself, Collins said she learned much about homelessness as she searched for her missing daughter in the city's encampments after the young woman's symptoms of psychosis worsened. Even after her daughter was found, Collins continues to advocate for more homeless shelters and mental health resources in the community, seeing how difficult it can be for people to accept help or to access treatment.

“When PTSD gets triggered, the struggle’s real, that’s all I can tell you,” Collins said. “It’s very real for them, and they don’t trust a lot of folks, and that unfortunately makes it harder and sets up barriers to get them help.”

Collins applauded Hall's well-meaning intention to help veterans who are chronically unhoused, but feared the infamous legacy of the violent area in which the Plaza Inn sits might be too much for the public to forgive.

“It wasn’t just the Plaza Inn — there’s the Best Way Inn that’s next to it, the Denny’s, you go down, there’s the Royal Inn, all of that,” Collins said.

“But I know that the south side needs something,” Collins continued. “There’s really no shelters on the south side. All of the shelters are downtown or in Norman, and so I think that having something in the south metro would be helpful. I just think that, before it’s really going to be productive, he’s going to really have to get more groups involved. I can see it happening, but there is a huge obstacle to overcome.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC's Plaza Inn sees new life as homeless veteran housing