
Welcome to the City Care Library
This is a carefully-curated collection of our favorite resources for the activists for the overlooked. All we ask are for open hearts, open minds, and open hands to receive all that these resources have to offer each of us: new perspectives, new challenges, and new ideas that can help us care well for our neighbors and inspire those around us to do the same.
Read
"Here is what we seek: a compassion that can stand in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it."
– Tattoos on the Heart
"But to change people’s minds, you have to begin from where they are. Arguing doesn’t work. So, this is my new, non-combative guide to becoming a friend to homeless people."
– BetterHumans
"I never thought to ascribe my mother's emotional and physical exhaustion to the lack of a husband and father; rather, I ascribed it to my existence. In other words, I grew up learning the exact opposite of what Eisenhower was taught. I learned that if I didn't exist, the family would be better off. I grew up believing that if I had never been born, things would be easier for the people I loved."
– To Own a Dragon: Reflections on Growing Up Without a Father
"Trauma victims cannot recover until they become familiar with and befriend the sensations in their bodies. Being frightened means that you live in a body that is always on guard. Angry people live in angry bodies. The bodies of child-abuse victims are tense and defensive until they find a way to relax and feel safe. In order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them. Physical self-awareness is the first step in releasing the tyranny of the past."
– The Body Keeps Score
"A yearlong study has found the cost of serving the homeless in Oklahoma City is about $28.7 million a year, which works out to about $57 for every city resident."
– The Oklahoman
"Poverty, Dropouts, Pregnancy, Suicide: What The Numbers Say About Fatherless Kids"
– NPR
"As we engage in work towards ending cycles of injustice, marginalization, and oppression, it is helpful to have examples from history to learn from and be encouraged by. For me, the story of William Wilberforce and the slave trade is that example."
Amazing Grace
"This book, more than almost any other, has shaped my view and definition of leadership. It influences me daily."
Leadership Without
Easy Answers
"As I began to dive deeply into criminal justice policy, this book and the work of Bryan Stevenson inspired and challenged me for the work ahead. It is a must-read for Oklahoman’s coming to the realization of what is happening in our state."
Just Mercy
"Community First! Village in Austin is the most compelling example of what a community’s response to those experiencing homeless could be. Visiting and reading Alan’s book convinced me the most important thing to do with an idea and conviction is just take the next step."
Welcome Homeless
Recommendations from City Care CEO Adam Luck
We have provided below reports of how we have used your generous investments over the last few calendar years to offer support to our city’s most vulnerable through homeless services, supportive housing, and literacy-focused mentorship. For a look at our 2021, 2020 and 2019 State of the Agency reports, click the images below.