This is an article originally published by the Oklahoman posted here on 10/07/2025.
A quiet space. A weight lifted. An ease of living for Navy veteran Robert “Bobby O” Pichurko when he moved into Dorset Place Veteran Community.
“I was homeless. Now I have a home,” he said. He’s lived at the new veterans’ housing for about two months after he experienced homelessness for about three years.
The first site of its kind in Oklahoma City, Dorset Place will now provide affordable housing for veterans experiencing homelessness. Phase one includes 37 new supportive housing units. About $1.9 million in MAPS 4 Homelessness funds were invested into the project, along with a $2 million loan from Valliance Bank. The facility was a former assisted living facility.
In Oklahoma City’s most recent Point-in-Time count, 128 veterans were experiencing homelessness. Nationally, over 32,000 veterans experience homelessness, a Point-in-Time count by the Department of Veterans Affairs found in January 2024.
Pichurko served in the Navy from 1970 to 1972.
“Do you remember when we were called upon by our country? We showed up. We were there, us veterans,” Pichurko said. “We don’t ask for a lot. We just want a hand up, not handout.”
So far, he said he has enjoyed living at the new facility. The sense of community and camaraderie with other veterans and help from Veterans Affairs have been beneficial, he added.
“We need more places like this. There’s vets all over the place, just crying for help, and hopefully they can get it,” he said.
Veterans given a soft place to land
Veterans are able to apply to live at Dorset Place through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Supportive Housing program. There are about 400 of these units across Oklahoma City that have already been working to reduce veteran homelessness for many years, but Dorset Place is the first of its kind in the city, said Greg Shin, assistant executive director of the Oklahoma City Housing Authority.
“They’re our neighbors and we don’t want them on the street,” he said. “We’d rather have them in a place that they can be safe and afford to live in.”
There are several different floor plans that are studio or one-bedroom and one bathroom. All are handicap accessible. Each comes with a bed, closet, microwave, fridge, sink, table and chairs and cabinet space. Veterans are also given a housing kit when they first move that includes things like bedsheets.
The Oklahoma City Housing Authority partnered with the Areawide Aging Agency to serve meals every day, Shin said.
Shin said the housing authority and its partners put about $400,000 worth of upgrades and remodeling work into the facility, but it was not in bad condition when they first entered.
Veterans also have access to a courtyard, community spaces and can come and go as they please and use the provided transportation to get places.
“Everybody wants a sense of belonging,” Shin said, adding that people get disconnected when they’re homeless.
Case managers are also on-site five days a week, and they can help veterans with whatever they need. A mobile medical clinic is scheduled to visit every month. Property management is handled by the housing authority’s Community Enhancement Corporation. Other services include support and advocacy groups.
Veterans can live at Dorset Place for as long as they want, but they’re also allowed to move out if they need or find bigger accommodations, Shin said.
‘Transforming lives through a place to go home’
Rodney Brown, who served in the Marine Corps, spoke at the ribbon-cutting event. He lost his job and then got evicted from his apartment a day later. He stayed at the Homeless Alliance and at times, lived in their tree line, he told the audience. But in August, he was one of the first veterans to move to Dorset Place.
“I’m proud to serve my country. I’m proud my country is giving me a place to sleep,” he said. “If I live to be 100, I can’t thank you guys enough.”
Teresa Rose, chairperson of the MAPS 4 Citizens Advisory Board, recognized and thanked the many partners who helped make the project possible.
Mayor David Holt said since its inception, the MAPS program has expanded and unleashed its power all over the city and it’s taken on a different approach to quality of life because now it addresses homelessness. He thanked veterans for their service. Since Dorset Place is a MAPS 4 project, every resident contributed to the veterans’ home, he said.
“We want to really put our money where our mouth is … we want make sure that you can realize all the dreams that you have and that you can have the same opportunity as everybody does in this city to succeed,” Holt said.
Ward 7 Councilman Camal Pennington said everyone should have the opportunity to live in a safe place.
“And who better to receive this investment than our veterans who put their lives on the line for our country, for our freedom?” he said.
Mark Gillett, the executive director of the Oklahoma City Housing Authority, said it’s the first MAPS 4 Homelessness project that has been completed and the moment represents the heart of why the agency exists.
“Transforming lives through a place to go home,” he said. “This new permanent supportive housing for veterans isn’t just a place to call home. It isn’t just a place to sleep at night. It’s a place designed to provide connection, stability and hope.”
The housing authority, through its partnership with Veterans Affairs, has housed 367 veterans to date, Gillett said. In 2026, an additional 33 units will be opened in the building to the north.
