In 2018, an Advisory Council of local law enforcement, jail administrators, judges, the Public Defender’s office, the District Attorney, and other key community stakeholders was formed to help address this issue and they began discovery on what would become the Diversion Hub. A focus group of formerly justice-involved individuals helped identify several factors that influence individuals to engage with services and programs. These include having hope, feeling listened to and valued, having intensive case management assistance navigating through the criminal justice system, and making connections with a service provider based on trust.

From the outset, Advisory Council members emphasized that the Diversion Hub should function mainly as a center for social services, not a mechanism for supervision. In 2019, with their input and guidance for the vision, target population, goals, activities and services that we would provide we put together a strategic plan and in June of 2020 we opened our doors to begin helping clients.

Today, the Diversion Hub is an independent 501(c)(3) that is supported by MAPS 4, a sales tax approved by voters, as well as an endowment at Oklahoma City Community Foundation with current contributions from Sue Ann Arnall, the Arnall Family Foundation and Kirkpatrick Family Fund. The Diversion Hub is a comprehensive, one-stop network dedicated to assisting justice-involved individuals in Oklahoma City by harnessing the power of multiple support agencies through combined and synchronized services.