Welcome to the City Care Library
This collection features some of our favorite resources for fellow activists, dreamers and do-gooders looking for ways to create change in their community. These materials are curated to offer fresh perspectives, practical challenges, and actionable ideas to help us care for our neighbors and encourage others to join in making a difference.
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"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
"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
"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
"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
"Reading The Color of Law deepened my
understanding of how systemic racism shaped homelessness by exposing historical policies and practices that created and perpetuated racial segregation in housing. It highlighted how redlining, discriminatory lending, and exclusionary zoning led to generational wealth gaps and limited access to stable housing for marginalized communities."
The Color of Law
"As soon as I finished the last page, I reached out to Kevin to invite him to Oklahoma City to speak to our local faith community. I so appreciate his ability to distill systemic issues in a way that’s both accessible and profound. His ability to see Christ in everyone inspires me to approach our work at City Care with deeper compassion and a drive for meaningful change."
Grace Can Lead Us Home
"This anthology is an excellent place to begin broadening your worldview and understanding of experiences that may not mirror your own. As Richard Russo sums up so perfectly, 'We are a nation that tells itself stories, and the stories we tell shape our reality.'"
Tales of Two Americas
"Belonging Without Othering explores how to create inclusive communities without reinforcing harmful divides. It challenged me to examine my own practices and values and be mindful that systemic barriers, even those unintended, create exclusion. This book renewed my commitment to create and amplify spaces where everyone is valued and supported, especially those experiencing homelessness."
Belonging Without Othering
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