Frontline Ministries and other Kingfisher community organizations provide “Soft Landings” in partnership with OKDHS

​As part of its Service-First Model, Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) has worked to develop local community partnerships to meet and serve the agency’s customers. As part of this effort, Frontline Ministries has offered the agency full access, 24-hours a day to a house on their property to provide “Soft Landings” for families engaging with OKDHS. This space will allow the agency to offer its services and facilitate family meetings and visitations, among many other things, all within a comfortable, home-like setting. 

“Community collaboration is a critical component to our agency’s service delivery and provides a more robust safety net for families during difficult times,” said Secretary of Human Services and Early Childhood Initiatives and OKDHS Director Justin Brown. “We are thankful to the Kingfisher community for rallying around their neighbors and enhancing our ability to make deep impacts to benefit future generations.”

“Soft Landings” is hosting a community open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27 to celebrate the partnership with Frontline Ministries, Kingfisher Child Welfare and many other generous members of the Kingfisher community. Lunch will be provided by Stack Grill and Jackson’s of Kingfisher. All COVID-19 precautions will be observed, including required mask usage, hand sanitizer availability and staggered entrance to allow for social distancing while viewing the “Soft Landings” site.

“When we were made aware of the OKDHS need, our wheels began to turn,” said Frontline Ministries Pastor Debbie Burpo. “We felt this house would be a perfect place for OKDHS workers to use while searching for placements at night or for children and families to have visits as they work toward reunification. Our prayer is that this space will become a safe and peaceful solution amidst troubling situations.”

“Kingfisher is such a giving community and has always supported OKDHS and our families,” said OKDHS Region 1 District Director Tina Frazer. “This home represents a dream coming into fruition and will help our families feel comfortable while they are doing the difficult but important work to bring their family back together. I cannot thank our community enough for supporting us in this work and offering HOPE to our families.”

Countless community partners have stepped forward to support this effort, including donating items for the kitchen and other spaces and preparing freezer meals for visits. If others in the community are interested in making a donation to “Soft Landings,” there is an open Amazon wish list from which they could choose needed items.

Families interested in learning more about how they can become a certified foster family in their local community can visit  https://okfosters.org/ or call 1-800-376-9729. Interested Oklahomans may also visit https://www.ourokdhs.org/s/ to raise their hand and join the agency's efforts to better serve the community through innovation and collaborative partnerships.

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