The first thing you notice about Coriena is her unwavering love for her son. It’s the kind of love that drives a mother to risk everything to protect her child.
Facing an unsafe and volatile situation, Coriena made one of the most difficult decisions of her life—she took her son and fled. With no time to plan and nowhere to go, homelessness was her only option.
Living outdoors was not easy. Food and clean water were never guaranteed. Rest was interrupted; moments of peace were rare and brief. But Coriena never stopped being a mother. She made sure her son got to school each day.
Despite these conditions, Coriena found a community with others experiencing homelessness. They formed an encampment and, with that, came a support system. They looked out for each other, and they watched over her son.
The future began to shift when Coriena connected with the Key to Home program— a public-private partnership led by the City of Oklahoma City and powered by local funders and nonprofits, including Mental Health Association Oklahoma. MHAOK’s Street Outreach team met Coriena where she was. They listened. They learned what she needed. And they walked alongside her as she secured permanent housing.
Last year—just days before Christmas—Coriena and her son moved into an apartment of their own. For them, it wasn’t just shelter—it was peace. It was stability and the first step toward healing.
As Coriena says, “He just gets to be a kid. He doesn’t have to worry about where he’s going to lay his head at night, or where he’s going to get a meal.”
Now, when she picks him up from school, he smiles and says,
“Let’s go home.”
This is the power of housing.
Of healing. Of wholeness.
This is why we do the work.
Oklahoma City’s Street Outreach and Rapid Response teams are generously funded by The City of Oklahoma City, United Way of Central Oklahoma, and OG&E.